Nursenan0

Hi, I'm in west central Ohio. Originally from Indiana. I work long term care and Home health. Nursenan

We have 3 nurses on the floor each shift for a 98 bed facility. Only 1 nurse on my unit of 24 with 2 STNAs. No secretary. We al pitch in for admissions and discharges. I have been doing this for 6 months.

I am a Unit manager in our facility for our skilled unit. We also had 3 girls leave the job in less than 3 years time. When I took the position I asked for total control of my unit. I choose who works it and when, I do my own discipline following company guidelines. We have no charge nurse. I work flex hours. Sometimes another shift will need something specific or I will want to be involved with something hapening on another shift. We have an MDS nurse and a restorative nurse. The lpns give report to each other and I look at their "cheat sheets" and ask questions as I go thru the day. My nurses do an excellent job of keeping on top of everything including our STNAs. If they need me they come and get me,call me at home or leave me a note. I take care of our Utilization review meetings for skilling, work with the Drs on changes that need to be made, do routine skin rounds and attend QA meetings skin meeting, morning meetings, admission meetings. Do QA reports all incident reports and investigations, all letters to families about skilling days and discharge planning. The families come to me with complaints and praise. My staff also come to me for complaints, things they would like to see changed and ideas they have. I help on the floor as the STNAs need and as my nurses need. Sometimes I work 8 hours sometimes 10- 12. I get paid hourly. I do have the families that like to call and yell also. When I know Mrs Jones is going to complain.....I call the family first, before she can and tell them what is happening. ( Your mother is complaining her light is not being answered timely but she isnt using her light...do you have any suggestions???) This seems to help. I work with social services to resolve the bigger issues....family problems, room mate problems.... I have a charge nurse who handles the entire building on second and third shifts, if she doesnt get put on the floor because of a call off. Hope this helps you some.

Even as a supervisor I dont write the nurses up for a single med error. I do fill out an incident report if someone else hasnt. Mistakes happen. The write up comes when I keep getting incidents from the same nurse over and over. I have had nurses write an incident on themselves for a med error. Its a mistake, learn from it, and go on.

It takes 3 - 31/2 years at the colleges I went to for an ADN, thats if you can get in. After spreading courses out waiting, I transfered to a private college to get in. A decision I will never regret. Smaller classes, time for 1:1 with instructors. Instructors actually knew your name. A big difference compared to the college I started out with. The pay here seems to vary a great deal. If you to show up with an application, and an RN degree.... the chances of you getting what you want or close to it are pretty good....we dont see many RN applications around here. Nursenan

In the facility I work for now, everyone wears the colors they want. The last facility I worked for went so far as to send management nurses to a seminar to show us what colors and hairstyles are suppose to show "authority". (white is too virginal, and barretts and hair clips are childish, is pretty much what they told us) Our facility also has a scrub company that comes in about every 2 months for us to shop, and with the option of payroll deduction. The colored panty people.....I write them up and send them home to change....it seems to remind them not to do it again. Nursenan

In our facility, I just happen to live the farthest away. I have missed 1 day in 3 years d/t weather. I do understand that some people are terrified of driving in ice and snow. I think the real problem is when I drive 35 miles in it and the person living 3 blocks away calls in . Yes that really happened. In our facility, even those of us who are in management are expected to show up. We do have many great employees who are willing to cover for people who dont arrive. Our maintenance team also have 4 wheel drives and will pick you up and take you home.

NO cell phone allowed in the bnuilding....period! Nursenan

We have used a variety of different topical meds on many different types of wounds. Depending on the resident, nutritional problems, causes....... Recently our facility contracted a wound specialist. The docs nurse practioner visits our facility once a week and prn to assess and recommend treatments. She has also cut our treatment time in half, making the nurses oh so happy. Nursenan

The corporate nurse I work under is a consultant nurse for the company...her specialty is the MDS...just wondering what it would take to start my own business with the MDS part of nursing in mind...any thoughts or suggestions? Nursenan

The corporate nurse I work under is a consultant nurse for the company...her specialty is the MDS...just wondering what it would take to start my own business with the MDS part of nursing in mind...any thoughts or suggestions? Nursenan

A pill.......the easy way????

Yes most are on way to many meds....our medical director is very good about letting us cut them down if we can....and have you ever noticed the ones who take barely anything are the healthiest??? :stone Nursenan

I have aides I would trust to do it and aides I wouldnt...but I also have nurses I wouldnt want to do things like that for me...I think its situational...our facility doesnt even allow the aides to do vitals Whats with that? Nursenan

Will add your son and you to my prayers Deb. Nursenan