Time Management Palliative Resident

[Newgurl17, CNA, LPN]

Hey everyone!

Just seeking out some advice as to how I can better manage my time when I have to look after 24 residents in a locked unit?

I have been working at this long term care facility for 8 months now on call and work on the locked unit as well as a regular unit, accepting about 10 shifts a month. Some of the shifts I take can range from 5 to 8 hours.

I feel frustrated working on the locked unit because of the odd shifts for both the cna's and LPNs. If you're working the day shift 7am to 3pm, we have to have the report printed by 230pm because that's when the 2 cna's start their shift and you are the only lpn on the locked unit until 4pm, 4pm is when the 4pm to 8pm lpn starts their shift. I would prefer that the short shift be changed to 3pm to 8pm so that the 3pm to 11pm nurse can collaborate with the short shift nurse to determine who should work on the heavier side of the unit.

So anyways, I was working yesterday evening on the locked unit on the heavier side and I had 1 resident who was palliative. I felt awful after shift, feeling like I was being talked about behind my back from a couple of the cna's and a couple of the RN's. I feel like on this unit that my co-workers are nice to my face but talk lowly of me behind my back. I just wonder when I'm going to stopfeeling like such an idiot? This side of the unit was busy and I didn't get off until 2345, my shift ended at 2300. I was late for my dinner break by 10 miniutes. I have ben finding myself being late to go home on this unit a lot.

My palliative resident passed away at 2210, I did my assessment, called the RN, charted, prepared a fax to be sent to the resident's doctor for the next day,then the RN said that she would make phone calls. She called the family, and informed the chaplain, as she said she would and I said, "ok." Keep in mind that the RN is working on the locked unit AND the unit upstairs, AND she is responsible for administering medications upstairs. I honestly felt like I didn't know anything after today and also felt like I did not prioritize well.

Since starting this first nursing job, I have had shifts where I felt like not coming back the next day, felt like quitting my job, and, "why haven't they fired me yet?" or "I'm surprised I haven't been fired yet." When should I have all this down? What is your expectation of a nurse's performance when they have been working for the amount of time that i have been working?

When your co-worker says that they will do something for you, do you just let them do it, or do you be all like, "no it's okay, I can do it"?

How do you get everything done while taking care of the palliative resident, the rest of the residents, and being able to take a break?

[Newgurl17, CNA, LPN]

Might i also mention that once the 4pm to 8pm nurse leaves, i am in charge of the entire unit? The heavier side has 24 residnts and the lighter side has 17.

[BBP42]

I feel like if a coworker offers to help do a few small tasks because they can see you have a lot going on, there is nothing wrong with taking the help. In this case you had an unusual event (resident death) to deal with and it was nice of them to offer to help out. I am also someone who has a hard time accepting help and doesn't like to add to others' work, but likely management will come down harder on you for "time management skills" if they know you refuse offers of help when they are made.