Staffing requirements

Specialties LTAC

Published

Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

Recently our DON refuses to staff us with 3 Rn's for our newly opened Med bridge unit but on the daily printed schedules they have 3 Rn's listed (1 for each of the 3 halls) but they will write on the schedule "desk nurse" or "cancelled " I'm fairly new and find it a little fishy that they short staff us but on paper we are fully staffed. Do facilities have to report this info to the state?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Are you working a Long Term Acute Care Hospital? Or LTC? One nurse per hall is NOT acceptable staffing for an LTACH.

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Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

When I started at this facility (not a hospital) 1yr ago the floor was ltc and within the past month they moved all of those patients to another floor and made us a Med bridge floor. We were told we would be getting more acute patients except vents.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

They do not have to report staffing to the state in most states there are some that ask for volunteer participation and the JC looks at scheduling to see if it is consistently followed. So yes they are shorting you and making book to make it look good.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

In Massachusetts, we MUST post our daily staffing in a public place.

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I worked in LTC in TN and we posted our staffing numbers in the hall for all to see. The number of nurses always included the DON, ADON, and hell, even the MDS coordinator. It was crap!

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

We aren't allowed to count 'administrative nurses' in the daily staffing posting...strictly the number of RNs, LPNs, and CNAs by shift

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Specializes in Assisted Living nursing, LTC/SNF nursing.

I also thought in my state we couldn't add in Supervisor nurses either but the place I work at now does. Sure makes the 'numbers' look good.

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Specializes in Skilled Rehab.

Thanks to all who answered my question. Yes the numbers they post daily look good and it's a shame they get away with it. Heck I had a resident with a wandergard bracelet get outside using the emergency exit door in the pouring rain last week. Thank god I put the bracelet on him since nobody else cared and the exit he went out is fenced off but they still never reported it to state. Just makes me sick to think of the other stuff they sweep under the rug...

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Specializes in retired LTC.
I also thought in my state we couldn't add in Supervisor nurses either but the place I work at now does. Sure makes the 'numbers' look good.
I THINK (?) supervisors can be counted as clinical staff as they are 'supposed' to be on the units observing/managing direct care by staff for pts.
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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
In Massachusetts, we MUST post our daily staffing in a public place.

Right...however all they are looking at is consistency with the matrix. If they are documenting canceled then they appear in compliance.

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Thanks to all who answered my question. Yes the numbers they post daily look good and it's a shame they get away with it. Heck I had a resident with a wandergard bracelet get outside using the emergency exit door in the pouring rain last week. Thank god I put the bracelet on him since nobody else cared and the exit he went out is fenced off but they still never reported it to state. Just makes me sick to think of the other stuff they sweep under the rug...

Ouch...quite a few years ago there was an incident in PGH. I resulted in a death too. Scary.

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