supernurse1230

it does vary depending on the facility, however, i am currently working at a facility where the census is around 70-75 and they staff 2 nurses on day and 2 on evenings, and one on nights so i usually have anywhere from 40-45, inluding up to 10 skilled residents, (within those 40-45) and i dont have any ivs, but i usually chart on about 20 charts, treatments, meds, answ, phone, supervising cnas, body audits, and summaries, so dont feel alone, it is next to impossible and i get very frustrated, and i have been doing ltc as an lpn for 7 years, my 8 hour shift typically turns into a 9-10 hour shift easily if something goes out of the norm (which it generally does), it is a sad but all too common complaint for alot of ltc nurses

in ltc does it matter if you document in military or real time, or does it vary depending on the facility?

thank you all for your comments, i deserved everything i got, and u guys gave it to me, i was just in a bad mood and sleepy, and my husband got tired of listening to me so i came here just to vent, which is still no excuse, but i do apologize for being ignorant and insensitive, b/c honestly, seems like now i gotta drink a 5-hour energy drink just to get thru an 8 hour shift, when about 6 years ago, i could work 16 hours (or more) straight, without having had much sleep, just natural energy, but where i live, for the past couple of years, i just keep getting beat out of jobs, and im just stuck working shifts at jobs that dont allow me to see my children, but i kno my situation is not new these days, and i really do think more mature seasoned nurses have alot to offer, like the feedback i just got, lol, and again i apologize for being a jackass, mwah!

your thought was right, q6 prn, means just that, Q6

i realize i wont be 29 forever, but, we dont work with equipment for a living we work with human lives, and i want to be able to function to where i am to give my patient the care they deserve, and when that time come when im not physically up to it, i wont put my patient at risk just because i gotta pay my mortgage,

when i give my vital sign list to my cnas, sometimes they come back way to fast with them, for the amount that they had to do, and they hand over results like, 171/53, 95.0, 27, 110, (thats just a combination of some of the results i've been givin) and even if they made em up, why would you make up abnormal vs? and i have found that alot of cnas really dont kno how to do vs, where i live, the course is generally 2 weeks, and only a small portion of that is spent on learning how to do them, then they are sent to hosp and nh, and can barely take a bp, unless they have an electronic bp cuff! uhh hello? but aside from pt care, is obtaining vs not a major part of being a cna? especially in a nursing home, my cnas usually have about 10-15 to get on average, and most dont seem to recognize when they are abnormal, why is this area not hit harder during their course? but more time is spent on learning abbrev they really wont use, and how to give a shower (not that thats not important), but i mean come on

what kind of place is this i need to apply there, lol

if your facility has whats called "standing orders" then you can write up that particular order for whatever your needing, like tylenol, immod, mom, etc, but if your facility does not have standing orders, then you will need a order from that residents doctor for anything they might need, some places will say, "oh, dr X doesnt care if you write that order for tylenol", but unless you kno this to be a personal fact, then you should still call to get an order, even basic treatment orders can be written up by a nurse, for instance if someone gets a little cut, of course you would complete an incident form, but when you notify the doctor, inform him of what first aid you provided, and unless he orders something further, then what ever you did ex (clean cut to rt arm with ns, apply tao, and cover with bandaid qd until healed), is your order, the doctor really just "ok'd" your suggestion, but, he also gave you a verbal order, hope this helps and i didnt confuse you, good luck

ok i have been an lpn for 7 and 1/2 years, i was a cna for 2 years prior to becoming a nurse, and i have about 3 pre-reqs left to take, before i can enter into a local fast track program, i have worked primarily in ltc, and i just wondered how other nurses felt about this, and i dont want to seem insensitive, i am 29, and full of energy, and new ideas, i work alot of times with nurses who have been nursing 20 plus years, and thats a great achievement, commendable even, however, i think SOME seasoned nurses just need to kno when to say hay i devoted my life to doing what i love, but now..............i say this because too many times, i have worked with much older nurses who, over the years have become very lax in their thinking, and care, take off alot d/t ailments, etc, orientate brand new nurses, and telling and showing them the wrong way, and we all kno that working in ltc is a highly stressful, fast-paced field, and some literally can not keep up! then some, realize this and are givin these cushy, m-f, office jobs, so nurses like myself, are left with the crappy shifts like 3-11, 4 on 2 off, etc, i think that if you hold a title, rn, lpn, cna, if you come to a point in your life where you are not able to function for whatever reason as your title, then........ i realize experience plays a big role, i look to some seasoned nurses for guiadance still, but id be willing to bet that i could run circles around them, and where i work, caring for 45 residents, u literally have to run, pushing a huge buggy of medicine, and these residents deserve that, there are all types of discrimination, but i believe one that is left out is against young nurses, with young children, b/c i guess its assumed that you wont be dependable, but a nurse with a bad heart, etc etc wit 20 plus years exp. is a better choice?? and im not what i would consider a, "new nurse" i kno i dont kno it all, but sometimes its just frustrating and unfair, if need be i can still function as a cna, and still come back and do my job, and thats why im glad i will have gone thru each level before i get my rn, so i will have some knowledge of where everyone is coming from, well just thot id get that off my chest, thats my opinion, if you dont like it, move on to the next thread, god bless, mwah!

run as fast as you can! see being mad is one thing, but to try to take someone lively-hood is another, they wont stop, and it will prob only get worse, you can find another job the same way you found that one, im not saying you should run from all your problems, but in this situation, your safety may also be in question

i agree 100%, but she needs to also keep in mind that there is a time frame for reporting abuse, if she plans on writing this situation up formally.....abuse is reportable when......immediately!....and the longer she waits to write it up while shes getting our very helpful comments, the more she is making herself just as liable as the cna, even tho her heart is in the right place