I am a newer nurse, only completing 1 year on the floor. However, this is really bothering me. I am looking for another job because the hospital I work for is completely ok with overloading their nurses. They claim we are in the middle of a nursing shortage, but I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't just a shortage for this company in particular. It is not uncommon for floor nurses to carry 9-10 patients when short staffed. It is a great shift if you carry 7 patients and less than that is such a rarity, almost no one talks about it anymore.
I am not sure why we are ok with this? How is taking care of 10 patients, or 14 if teamed with an LPN, considered safe? Understanding that their will inevitably be discharges, but what about night shift and they still carry that same 9-10 pt load?
Now, I work with some amazing nurses who can handle this many patients, myself included, but you cannot be a fantastic nurse when you carry that many patients. You can be a good nurse, but a great one I'm not sure.
And to make matters worse, several nurses were told they can no longer complain about the load, as it created a bad atmosphere. "It is not your place to question why you have 8-9 patients and someone else has 7" (Extreme case, but still) . "Nursing shortage is a reall thing and just something you are going to have to deal with."
How can management, nurses in their own right, be ok with this? Morale as down all over the hospital and nurses are leaving left and right? (Myself included hopefully)
Unfortunately, I don't know what else to do. We are not unionized and we have no effective voice over what happens there. No one is willing to say anything because saying something leads to discipline in this company. What do you think?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
What do I think? THIS is why I don't do LTC or hospital nursing anymore.
I am a newer nurse, only completing 1 year on the floor. However, this is really bothering me. I am looking for another job because the hospital I work for is completely ok with overloading their nurses. They claim we are in the middle of a nursing shortage, but I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't just a shortage for this company in particular. It is not uncommon for floor nurses to carry 9-10 patients when short staffed. It is a great shift if you carry 7 patients and less than that is such a rarity, almost no one talks about it anymore.
I am not sure why we are ok with this? How is taking care of 10 patients, or 14 if teamed with an LPN, considered safe? Understanding that their will inevitably be discharges, but what about night shift and they still carry that same 9-10 pt load?
Now, I work with some amazing nurses who can handle this many patients, myself included, but you cannot be a fantastic nurse when you carry that many patients. You can be a good nurse, but a great one I'm not sure.
And to make matters worse, several nurses were told they can no longer complain about the load, as it created a bad atmosphere. "It is not your place to question why you have 8-9 patients and someone else has 7" (Extreme case, but still) . "Nursing shortage is a reall thing and just something you are going to have to deal with."
How can management, nurses in their own right, be ok with this? Morale as down all over the hospital and nurses are leaving left and right? (Myself included hopefully)
Unfortunately, I don't know what else to do. We are not unionized and we have no effective voice over what happens there. No one is willing to say anything because saying something leads to discipline in this company. What do you think?
I'm not sure what changes are in the works, if any. I received a verbal reprimand when I complained about having 8 pts while another nurse carried 6. I was told it was not my place to question the patient load or why I would receive 2 admits in 1 hour while others did not. I was told I needed to change my attitude and being vocal about my disapproval was not the way to go about it. I am anxiously waiting to leaving pending something better because I feel like my license is in jeopardy if I continue to practice with that many patients...
I've seen this treatment as well...being reprimanded for concerns about safety and staffing. So there you go...nurses are afraid to loose their jobs and just put up with it....that is until someone makes a mistake (and they actually happen all the time) or does some "work-around" for details in a policy to save time and then gets in trouble. It makes me sick.
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
What do I think? THIS is why I don't do LTC or hospital nursing anymore.