State surveyors here again...and being super picky...

[IowaLPN]

It's crazy--they are watching things like how thick the thickened liquids are if the CNA's do a "spoon test" every time to determine if the liquid is at the proper thickness. It just amazes me because I worked as a CNA at a LTC that was a NIGHTMARE--80 residents to 5 or 6 CNA's and 3 nurses. It was a house of horrors and the state was barely even seen . But the place I work at right now as an LPN is actually quite nice and yet we are ALWAYS getting hammered by the surveyors for little things...

I don't know, just venting at this point, I guess. I'm sure this has been talked about to death but if anyone has any stories or insights to share, feel free! :)

[carlanocnurse]

We work in a crazy system. CMS knows exactly what is needed to provide good care in LTC. If facilities HAD to follow the staffing recommendations for CNA's, a lot of our problems would be solved. What do they recommend? 4.1 staff ratios, and getting turnover below 83%. To do that, we need decent pay and benefits for everyone.

Instead, the Federal guidelines are vague, and only 16 States set CNA staffing requirements, which are VERY minimal. Since CNA's provide 90% of the care, having enough CNA staff is critical.

I am very luck to work in a non-profit, stand alone facility. Our CNA to resident ratio is no more than 10 to 12. All the money goes into improving things for our residents.

Why aren't CNA staffing ratios set by the Federal government? I suspect it boils down to money. Most nursing homes don't want to spend the money on staff to take care of the residents. They'd rather spend it on lawsuits and treating decubiti, and hiring and training a revolving door of staff, I guess.

Whether corporate nursing homes are set up for-profit or non-profit, some of them are ALL about money.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Why aren't CNA staffing ratios set by the Federal government? I suspect it boils down to money. Most nursing homes don't want to spend the money on staff to take care of the residents. They'd rather spend it on lawsuits and treating decubiti, and hiring and training a revolving door of staff, I guess.

Whether corporate nursing homes are set up for-profit or non-profit, some of them are ALL about money.

We break even. For profit. The profits are slim. The county home has a hundred beds and last year ran a FOUR MILLION DOLLAR deficit.

Old, sick people are expensive.

[PsychNurseWannaBe, BSN, RN]

life is NOT perfect...i dont know why these state surveyors xpect a nursing home to be perfect..

Because they can make money from fines and penalities until you are in compliance again, which who knows when they will come back for a follow up so you pay daily fines.