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There are good hosp and bad hosp too. I work in a LTC and we send papers, call report etc. But the one hosp we use most often, calls us most often and ask questions that are answered in the paperwork. Come on, we are trying to be efficient, but it has to go both ways.

Well, I can commiserate. I work in a LTC and because of funding cuts, the night shift(which I work) has suffered the most. And we are pushed to do more and more. My DON has threatened to turn me into BON for neglect when I refused to do a tx on a confused terminal COPD res. It took half an hour to an hour to do -- depending on level of her confusion. It took two people to do the tx and guess what!! It was me and one CNA for 22 Medicare res. all pretty fresh out of the hosp. Hmm who would have been neglected there. Of course the one assigning tx's works day shift where there are a nurse manager, nurse, ward clerk/CNA and 3 CNA's on the floor. DUH Now, what is safer during day shift or at night when the confused are more so?

I have worked all three shifts on all three floors in my LTC facility. Originally did nights because of the expense of a baby-sitter for 3 kids. But do agree, the night shift is the most laid-back and cooperative. We work well together, and you never hear "That's not my resident, I can't answer her light" from a night shifter. Ya also get less nit-picking like we hear especially from the day shift. But if they can't get their work done, pass it to nights they don't do anything. hahahaha We have picked up the Accu-checks, SVN tx's and quite a few 6 am meds, even though we are supposed to go home at 0612. And day shift has 2 to 3 times more CNA's and nurses available. Gee, what is wrong with this picture?

For me it was the Wal-mart shoe dept. I work in a LTC facility on the Medicare floor. My frustration has been great and growing over the last few years there. I work night shift. We have 3 floors. Where we had 3 nurses and 2 CNA's for each floor and 1 on Alz. unit, we now have 2 nurses and only 1 CNA on Medicare floor and 2 on the other floors with 1 on the Alz. unit. Prior to the loss of the nurse, we were getting rafts of crap about the increase in falls at night, within a month they had taken a nurse. Not only do the CNA's do their reg. work, they are expected to fold clothes for the floor. Of course, we all mop etc., when needed as there are NO hskpg staff. What is my greatest gripe is trying to be the charge nurse of the building, work with the one's right out of the hosp., sent without pain med orders (oh the PM nurse forgot to call) and no anti-anxiety med ordered even though they have been on it for 40 years. And one CNA. Hmmm --- guess I have to be the 2nd CNA on the floor too. And then there is a screw-up. Hmm, being the longest RN, it gets dumped in my lap for blame, even though I have a person dying, an Alz. res with a broken hip and trying to crawl out of bed all the time and a 3rd res trying to die. Gee, am I super-nurse or what??? HA And when state came in we sure got the 3rd nurse back fast ---well while they were here anyway. Or the schizophrenic pt that comes in at 3PM and is sedated until about 8PM from the hosp. meds which we don't have orders for. And no one to call to sit 1:1 with any kind of confused res. Law suit waiting to happen!?!

Hi, I went to a nursing school in MO, but think the best nurses are those who were CNA's first and don't forget their roots. You get a more global idea of nursing care. When I went to school, I had one child in pre-school, one in Kindergarten and one in 3rd grade. Challenging, but do-able with much support from my husband and also the kids, that age loves to help. And the first year I did as many pre-req. as possible. This enabled me to not only concentrate on just the nursing classes, it also made a good impression on the selection board they had. It took 3 years for my Associate's, but that school recommended ADN, work for at least a year and then go back for the BSN. Currently am checking out on-line RN-to-BSN programs. If you really want to be a nurse, don't give up on your dream, if it's meant to be all the hurdles will disappear, mine did.