We had much the same experience. I worked first shift trying to manage meds, treatments, wound care etc between the therapy schedules. And therapy HAD to be worked around because it brought in the big bucks. For the first 2 years I also did admissions & discharges. Charting didn't even begin for me until an hour past shift change. We rcvd patients 1 day post op from surgeries. G/J tubes, trachs, IV's, the works. It was supposedly for seniors but by the time I left we were taking in approx 25% age 60 and under. Very few of the staff had the training or experience for this, so those of us who did were responsible for THEIR performance as well. We are (were) the elite of eldercare in this area. Everyone with money chose us. If it hadn't been for the small core of absolute stellar staff on my shift (about 6, but never all at the same time lol) there's no chance of passing state visits. But my gosh, I LOVED giving care.
I felt so sorry for the residents. They all needed a kind word, someone to sit with them, but one simply didn’t have the time. That is what killed me. One day I met two women sharing a room. I don’t remember what I said to them, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I was standing outside the room at my medicine cart and heard the one woman say to the other, “She is nice, isn’t she.” I didn’t do or say anything unusual. So sad when you think of how they must be treated on a day by day basis by nurses and aides. Is it any wonder that life span is cut short once placed in a nursing home most likely due to family and staff neglect, despair by the residents. Emotional health plays a huge role. Nursing homes really don’t care about staffing ratios. There are some very good nurses that work in nursing homes, but I suspect they are few and far between. I think there is less accountability in nursing homes. Most are staffed with LPNs and maybe 1 RN per shift. Now some aides, with a special medication course, are permitted to pass medications in some states. That tells you all you need to know about the value placed on the elderly. I support and thank all of the care givers out there who put their heart and soul into the profession.
We had much the same experience. I worked first shift trying to manage meds, treatments, wound care etc between the therapy schedules. And therapy HAD to be worked around because it brought in the big bucks. For the first 2 years I also did admissions & discharges. Charting didn't even begin for me until an hour past shift change. We rcvd patients 1 day post op from surgeries. G/J tubes, trachs, IV's, the works. It was supposedly for seniors but by the time I left we were taking in approx 25% age 60 and under. Very few of the staff had the training or experience for this, so those of us who did were responsible for THEIR performance as well. We are (were) the elite of eldercare in this area. Everyone with money chose us. If it hadn't been for the small core of absolute stellar staff on my shift (about 6, but never all at the same time lol) there's no chance of passing state visits. But my gosh, I LOVED giving care.
As a fellow front line combatant....I salute you!
I felt so sorry for the residents. They all needed a kind word, someone to sit with them, but one simply didn’t have the time. That is what killed me. One day I met two women sharing a room. I don’t remember what I said to them, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. I was standing outside the room at my medicine cart and heard the one woman say to the other, “She is nice, isn’t she.” I didn’t do or say anything unusual. So sad when you think of how they must be treated on a day by day basis by nurses and aides. Is it any wonder that life span is cut short once placed in a nursing home most likely due to family and staff neglect, despair by the residents. Emotional health plays a huge role. Nursing homes really don’t care about staffing ratios. There are some very good nurses that work in nursing homes, but I suspect they are few and far between. I think there is less accountability in nursing homes. Most are staffed with LPNs and maybe 1 RN per shift. Now some aides, with a special medication course, are permitted to pass medications in some states. That tells you all you need to know about the value placed on the elderly. I support and thank all of the care givers out there who put their heart and soul into the profession.