Stretched to the breaking point

Published

Our staffing level last fall was decreased to where when we are full (30 beds) we can only staff with 5 nurses and 2 nursing assistants. Since then, we have had several instances of elderly people falling because the staff members are spread so thin, and when the out of bed alarms go off you just can't get to them in time. In every instance, the nurse and aide have been thrown under the bus for improper care. There is no longer a ward clerk to answer phone, so they ring incessantly. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone else, or is this a regional thing? This is an acute care hospital, medical telemetry/pulmonary floor.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

What region?

I quit working in FL because issues like that.

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Shoot here in NY I worked in a place with 3 floors of 40 beds each and there were 2 nurses and 3 or 4 aids per floor. Yes more CNA's help a lot when it comes to ADLs but they can't do meds or treatments. So you got it better then a lot of places. Personally I think its unsafe and not even do-able and will never return to LTC. And they wonder why nurses end up doing things like signing that they gave meds when they didn't or did a treatment when they didn't. Its a no win for anyone. The staff or the residents.

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Specializes in Long Term Care, Dementia, Neuro-Psychiat.

All about money... Sad...sacrifice for the buck

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Specializes in Developmental Disabilites,.

That sounds like my floor. We have a staffing matrix that they choose to ignore because we are "great nurses that can handle it."

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Wow. Sounds like this is going on everywhere. No wonder the new grads are having a hard time finding work, there are just so many positions that have been slashed, not the need for nurses like there used to be. And only the more experienced/older nurses willing to work in these conditions because 1. we have become very good at what we do and have the rhythm down, whereas new grads freak out at the workload and 2. we HAVE to do it because we have families that depend upon our income, and we can't afford to start at the bottom of any new profession.

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Specializes in Ortho and Tele med/surg.

Sad but true. It's everywhere. The almighty dollar rules every time.

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:redpinkhe Old folks need and deserve more respect than this. :cool:

What can we do to demand better care for them? A union? The general population demanding better elderly care? More media coverage? They're always looking for a story. Is elderly care not excitng enough to demand any media attention at all? It's just sad the plight of old folks in this country. :confused:

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Who's gonna talk!? No one will. I agree thought with the amount of money spent per person in an assited living or LTC they DESERVE better patient staffing ratios!

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A. Keep a record of the staffing and your assignment on a daily basis.

B. Keep a record of patient falls, etc, and what the staffing was like at the time. Also keep a records of all of your messed breaks, luches, etc., and all conversations with manegement.

C. Write a letter to management and send it registered mail with signature, informing them of the unsafe staffing in your facility and the consequences of it regarding patient falls, etc.

D. Try to get senior organizations involved, like the AARP. They are very politically active, and I would think, as an advocate for the elderly, they would be interested in taking your side in this matter.

You need to get the public involved.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

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Specializes in MedTele.

Same thing happening here in Ohio on my MedTele unit. I was recently wondering the same thing, if this was a regional problem, but apparently not. It's just a business anymore, and not the reason I went into nursing. At my hospital we're expected to get our patient to the bed 15 minutes from the time we receive the SBAR, no excuses!!! Nearly impossible! So much for patient safety/satisfaction. I used to love my job, but too many stressors lately. Our ED and PACU RNs act like they're the only busy people in the hospital and get annoyed when they bring a new pt to our unit and heaven forbid we're rounding with a doc or in a room performing bedside care. At least now I know we're all experiencing the same thing.

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That's our floor on the regular...33 bed unit, 2 nurse aides (which one, is pretty worthless btw)...it's very stressful, for sure!

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