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Discussion

When is it time to quit?

I know I am in the right field but am not sure I am on the right bus line.

I find myself passing pills, ordering med supplies, and taking phone calls as I can. I hardly have time to do any hands on patient care as all of that is farmed out to a HHA.

If I am not there, the pills are passed by med techs. Overtime for pill passing goes to med techs.

I get no overtime and if I 'mismanage my time" I am told to punch out and then finish my work.

This is my first job after licensure. I would like to get into a environment that demands skill and offers growth.

Do I need to to stay 3 or 6 or 12 months so I don't look like a job jumper?

Frustrated in San Francisco....

Featured Replies

Oh man, where to start.

First, stop answering the phone if you are involved with something.

Then, do not punch out until you finish your work.

Then, prioritize the work, and if you are a brand new nurse, you've got to put in some time in order to improve your skills.

My first job had me taking care of 14 med/surg patients. No matter how hard I tried I could never do a good job. I got out after 11 months.

Don't hang around if you feel like you're at risk of hurting a patient or putting your license at risk.

We're here for you.

  • Expert

Unfortunately, licensed nurses are not going to get to do a whole lot of "hands-on" care to residents in nursing homes under usual circumstances, as the ridiculous amount of paperwork and high patient ratios tend to prohibit it.

I have 67 patients by myself during night shift at a nursing home, with no medication aide. I wish I could help with the hands-on care, but it is not possible with the rest of my duties.

If you want to learn skills and grow, you might want to try working at a free-standing rehabilitation hospital such as Healthsouth. You'll receive less patients than in the typical LTC environment. You'll be exposed to higher-acuity patients and lots of skills. You'll also be able to do some hands-on care with your patients.

Good luck to you!

Commuter, how in the world are you handling 67 pts. by yourself??? That's INSANE!!! How long do they expect you to do this and who supposed to be covering your rear??

Sounds like an unprofessional place to me if you can be replaced by a HHA or tech. Never punch out and then finish your job! You need to be paid for what you do. There are so many opportunities for nurses. You come from a position of strength with some experience and a license. Go do something you like to do, ASAP!

  • Expert
Commuter, how in the world are you handling 67 pts. by yourself??? That's INSANE!!! How long do they expect you to do this and who supposed to be covering your rear??
I just started working at this place about a week and a half ago. One of the long-time CNAs told me that 7 other nurses have filled that position on that particular shift within the past 6 months. An alert resident told me, "The last nurse quit after 1 month, and you'll be next!" They all seem to quit after a few weeks. The pay is excellent, but now I see why they have to pay so much money to attract nurses.

I get through the workload with numerous shortcuts, and I never leave on time. I always leave at least 1 hour late due to the excessive paperwork, which is what I hate about JCAHO-accredited nursing homes.

I too had 67 patients, with 4 CNAs. UNSAFE, but not unusual.

  • Expert
I too had 67 patients, with 4 CNAs. UNSAFE, but not unusual.
Four (4) CNAs? You were lucky. My 67 patients get divided between 3 CNAs, if they all decide to show up for work.
Commuter, how in the world are you handling 67 pts. by yourself??? That's INSANE!!! How long do they expect you to do this and who supposed to be covering your rear??

For night shift, this is not uncommon in my experience. I've worked in several places with a ratio like that. If you were lucky, at least one of the aides was a medication aide also and could help you.

Commuter and Ingelein, y'all deserve medals!!...and to think that these residents pay through the nose for JCAHO accredited facilities that are so extremely poorly staffed! God Bless You for all you do and have done to help. It's so sad to me for everybody involved.:cry:

  • Expert
For night shift, this is not uncommon in my experience. I've worked in several places with a ratio like that. If you were lucky, at least one of the aides was a medication aide also and could help you.
To cut costs, the administrator recently removed all medication aides from night shift. They already had a severe problem with attracting and retaining nurses for night shift, and now they have perhaps worsened the attrition problem by pulling the med aides from the night schedule.

The administrator will be quite proud of these "cost cutting measures" when the facility is slapped with a law suit! That will lighten the old pocketbook! :angryfire

The facility I work at has told some of the nurses that are there past their shift finishing up work to clock out and do it, so they don't get overtime. The nurses do it, I just can't believe it. I think some of the problem is poor time management, but also things happen that can put you behind. I generally have all my work completed by the end of my shift, but if I don't I will not clock out to avoid overtime. They can pay me for the time that I'm working!!

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