Should I just give up?

westieluv · May 23, 2014

Oh, my gosh! Your post couldn't be more timely for me, as I'm sitting here browsing Indeed.com for other jobs right now. Don't get me wrong, I have only been with my "Big Two" company for a year and I don't want to quit already. The problem is, I think I will be forced to, and for exactly the same reasons that you cited. I am responsible for at least twenty treatments every time I work and I simply can NOT get the paperwork done! My monthly stuff? Not happening. Not when I have to help out our understaffed techs, take phone calls and put out fires all day, and round with doctors whenever they decide to show up. Throw a new patient with all of their piles of paperwork into the mix and no way am I going to get everything done that I am supposed to do.

One of our nurses who has been with the company for almost ten years tells me all the time, "Trust me, it doesn't get any better", and I seriously believe it. I am a very conscientious person who likes leaving at the end of the day knowing that I did my job and did it well, but that is impossible with this job and I end up stressing over it on my days off now.

I have been a successful RN for many years, and I hate to throw in the towel with this job, because I love my patients and co-workers and thought that this would be my "until I retire" nursing job, but I am simply not capable of case managing twenty patients and doing all of the paperwork, etc. that that requires along with all of the other things that keep me busy literally every single minute that I am there. It's just not worth it, and if I can't meet the job requirements then I expect that I'll have go eventually anyway.

Sorry I couldn't offer some constructive advice, but at least know that you are not alone! :arghh:

P.S. If there are any RNs out there who work in chronic units and do manage to get everything done, I would seriously like to know how that is possible. Does your clinic implement the case manager model, or is it more realistic? What I see happening with case managing is that half the time they schedule me for days when "my" patients aren't even there to get anything done with if I did happen to find some free time (not likely!), and on the days that I am there with "my" patients, I spend the time between assessments, passing meds, and documenting BPs for techs who are on break or busy with other patients, fielding phone calls and reporting abnormal labs, or setting up doctor appointments, etc. for patients that aren't "mine". Throw into the mix that every day at least one of "my" patients is seated in the other RN's section or vice versa so that we can accommodate a make up treatment or two in my section, and we are playing musical patients. Don't even get me started on having to round with doctors who want information on patients that I barely know, much less know anything about.

Help!

Chisca, RN · May 23, 2014

I'm "sheltering in place" as I don't think the grass is greener anywhere else. That paper you are pushing is the result of a perfect storm of performance based guidelines being harnessed to reimbursement. And the government keeps moving the goalposts.

Guttercat, ASN, RN · May 23, 2014

edit: post in error

GeauxNursing · May 24, 2014

The RNs in my clinic are super busy. I'm an Lvn, currently in filling as CC for ICHD, splitting my week into 2 days on the floor in a bay, 2 days in the CC office(which is nowhere near enough time) , and a day in PD. It's busy and my head is usually spinning. Does your clinic use LVN/ LPNs? We can be pretty useful on the floor, fielding patient issues with meds/pharmacy needs, order changes, lab surveillance, etc. When our clinic is short an RN, the Lvn fills in serving as med nurse.

I'm currently holding out for the start of staff-assist hhd that my fa is heading up. They will be employing Lvns and the pay sounds quite nice for what I consider to be easy work. I've been in dialysis as a pct and then lvn for 9 years now. I'm ready to move on, but not necessarily away. I really do like renal. I'm trying to get into bsn school to further my education.

You RNs really do a lot of work. Every day. the ppw is a pita but we have to just deal with it.

westieluv · Jun 16, 2014

So, FransBevy, if you don't mind me asking, what did you decide to do? Are you going to quit? Has it gotten any better? I would love to know, because I am going through the exact same thing right now and it is getting more and more tempting to throw in the towel, especially since the other RNs in our clinic are all voicing dissatisfaction and I'm afraid they will start quitting and then I will feel like I'm trapped.

FransBevy · Jun 18, 2014

Westie...I'm trapped like a rat. See my other post...

FransBevy · Jun 18, 2014

Westie, I did send my resumé to my niece to be buffed up but I'm an old nurse with a messed up back. This is a rough job for me. I, unfortunately, have grown to really love my patients (absolutely the downside of LTC) but the paperwork is foolish and overwhelming. We are NOT treating the patients, we're treating the lawyers and all the other leeches to the medical professions and it really is taking away from patient care. Yes, we check the boxes, but when we're looking at the boxes we're NOT looking at the patients and something will get missed. I know something has gone terribly awry when my darned Facebook page is filled with lawyer's ads for suing Fresenius and NxStage.

Do we have to stay to change it?..

FransBevy · Jun 18, 2014

Jeez, I couldn't do it without my LPN's.