staff nurse + DON

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Specializes in Psychiatric, School Health, Adminstration.

How many days a week do you work in the staff nurse role? I've been told I am to be the RN two days a week and am alotted three "director days" a week. Is this normal? I've never worked in this environment (voluntary residential psych) and never been a DON before.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

This sounds weird. Either your the DON or you're not ?

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Specializes in Psychiatric, School Health, Adminstration.

That's what I think, too. We only have two nurses for up to 32 clients. They don't all take meds, but many of them need a LOT of attention so the days are busy, and with admissions and discharges and panic attacks and questions and BPD... oh LORD, how am I going to have time to do director work and deal with all that? Filling in for call-outs I've had plenty of experience with trying to do both, and I don't see how it's possible. Anyway, I'll have to let go of one of my full-time nurses to make this schedule happen, which means I'll actually have to work three 12s and somehow be a director.

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Specializes in Dialysis.
pellykate said:

That's what I think, too. We only have two nurses for up to 32 clients. They don't all take meds, but many of them need a LOT of attention so the days are busy, and with admissions and discharges and panic attacks and questions and BPD... oh LORD, how am I going to have time to do director work and deal with all that? Filling in for call-outs I've had plenty of experience with trying to do both, and I don't see how it's possible. Anyway, I'll have to let go of one of my full-time nurses to make this schedule happen, which means I'll actually have to work three 12s and somehow be a director.

Sorry, I see you being very burned out in 6 months or less. Hugs to you

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