are they serious ?

What kind of facility do you work at? LTC or ALF? And do you have any aides?

Suebird

Why is it ok for people to get personal phone calls at work if its not an emergency? If they were working manufacturing or another job, they wouldnt have that luxury. Take a message and let the staff get back to them on their break. You have more important things to do than be the staff switchboard operator. If your busy, they should be too and its not time for personal calls unless someone is sick, injured, dying or their house is on fire.

That said, i know there are a lot of latch-key kids out there, i was one and my kids were too, but there has to be a limit on why they call. A phone call to make evening arrangements isnt necissary. Calls from daycare about next weeks fundraiser arent necissary. Calls from friends about the fight with their husbands and/or boyfriends arent necissary. Come on people why do we allow this kind of bulony.

I remember my first LPN job. I was paid $11 and hour and had to care for 43-48 patients,on a dementia unit, with 4 or 5 CNAs. I never had time to answer the phones. I was lucky because I had some very good CNAs. I was there four months. That was until one of the patients was found dead outside sitting on a bench. It was natural causes but I coldn't work somewhere I had to worry about them wandering off.

Good Luck

Boy am I glad I work were I do. We have 2 nurses for 50 residents, and 6 CNA's. The unit managers help out on the floor, as do the MDS staff, and myself. I have seen our DON out passing meds, and she told the administrator to butt out or go get his nursing license. i sometimes feel as if I work in a zoo and the inmates are running it. But we all work together. Not a perfect paradise, we do have our problems, and we fight amongst ourselves, but heaven help the person who messes with one of us since we will all take him/her on!!!

Marie:lol2:

Yes..our home uses the mobility alarms, tag alarms and wanderguard alarms. ( they signal if patient going out the front door. ) they do work well though and we find ourseves out in the parking lot quit a bit each week going after someone! as far as staffing, I am the night nurse for 70 residents on three wings.( both long term care and a Mediare wing) I have three very good CNA's, one on each wing full time. I never worked so hard anywhere in 35 years as I do at this job. Charting has been the big challenge for me...over the years I can see this has becocme a main issue for nursing homes...and I have been their worst night mare , as i love being out with my patients and not behind th desk charting! but I am getting there and they tell me my nurses notes tell a good story of what I do for them...it is all the other data we have to chart about, other than in our notes that bogs my mind! If I did everything I was suppose to do in charting, i wouldn't even get to see and assess the residents.

another big change i see in nursing homes...they are very high level care anymore...with patients coming back from hospitals with feeding pumps, IV's, nebulizer treatments..and so forth...I had 15 neb treatments one moring to start...and as you know, there is more involved in giving a neb treatment than turning it on..you do breath sounds, saO2's and how they are assessment wise after the treatment ..then to document it. Yes, it is a big job..but a wonderful place to work..these are such speical people I care for. .

Our DON said she got in trouble by the state for scheduling herself as part of the staff once at another home..she is not to be working on the floor in place of another nurse that should have been there. she is great about helping with the orders and pitching in but pretty much sticks to her responsibilities...which is a good thing too...she has many!

Boy am I glad I work were I do. We have 2 nurses for 50 residents, and 6 CNA's. The unit managers help out on the floor, as do the MDS staff, and myself. I have seen our DON out passing meds, and she told the administrator to butt out or go get his nursing license. i sometimes feel as if I work in a zoo and the inmates are running it. But we all work together. Not a perfect paradise, we do have our problems, and we fight amongst ourselves, but heaven help the person who messes with one of us since we will all take him/her on!!!

Marie:lol2:

I didn't mean to insinuate the DON works the floor a lot, but she has worked a night shift on the weekend when were are really short. We are down 7 nurses right now. I worked 10 to 2 as the supervisor today, and may have to go in tommorrow. All administration nursing staff (MDS, Unit Managers, Infection control/restorative, and the weekend and evening supervisors) have to take turns being the on call nurse a week at a time, and this week is my turn. It's been horrible with so many nurses out. Any one want to work in Ft. Myers fl???

Sorry, couldn't resist. When we are on call, we have to find someone to work, or cover the shift ourselves. It really works most of the time. But there are times no one else is available and we have to do the shift. I don't mind, at least the residents get what they need.

I can't believe the ratios of nurse to staff I am reading about on this thread. Florida must have stricter staffing standards. It's based on hours required for the nurses and CNA's to care for the residents. We have a 107 bed facility, and 4 nurses on days and 3-11 and 3 on 11-7. CNA's are 12 to 13 for 7-3 and 3-11 and 5-7 on nights. Plus on days we have unit managers, staff developement, and others who all pitch in to help. I feel real lucky now to be where I am.

Marie

I remember when i was little, we would always get phone calls from the nursing home my great grandma was in saying she wandered off. It happened so much we knew exactly where to look for her. We live in St. Louis and before we had to put her in the home because of alzheimers, she worked at McDonnel Douglas and when we would find her on the highway she said she was going to work. I dont remember what home it was but they had a really hard time keeping her in. Maybe it was becasue of low staffing or maybe because she was just so sneaky.

Yes we have aides . And I still find it totally unacceptable ! To be honest there is not time to do everything that is neccesary . I leave often feeling like I failed . Ah well time to buck up baby girl everyone says . I just started and feel like I am ready to quit .