I work as an RPN in a long-term care home with approximately 34 residents, and I’m honestly becoming so frustrated with the working environment. Our usual nursing setup is: One nurse responsible for medications. One nurse responsible for treatments and other nursing-related issues. However, we’re constantly short-staffed, and management still expects us to manage everything regardless of how many staff members actually show up. The PSWs/CNAs are often behind, and there is also a lot of arguing and conflict between them instead of everyone working together. As a result, nurses end up doing things that should be covered by the PSW team, including: Feeding residents. Serving breakfast and other meals. Setting up and distributing trays. Helping with general resident care. Meanwhile, we’re still expected to complete our nursing responsibilities, including medication administration, treatments, documentation and everything else. Today was particularly frustrating. We were short-staffed, breakfast was significantly delayed, and I ended up helping feed multiple residents because there wasn’t enough support. I was already behind on my nursing responsibilities when the IPAC nurse approached me and told me she had medication audits for me to complete. I explained that I was essentially working alone and didn’t know when I would have time to complete them. She raised her voice and became upset, telling me to take some responsibility. I wasn’t refusing to do the audits. I was simply trying to explain that I was overwhelmed with immediate resident-care responsibilities. I’m starting to feel like I’m functioning more as a PSW than an RPN some days, while still being held responsible for all my nursing duties. I’m genuinely starting to dread going to work, and today I was so frustrated that I almost walked out. For other RPNs/LPNs working in LTC: Is this kind of staffing situation normal in long-term care? Are nurses regularly expected to help with feeding, serving meals and other PSW duties while still managing their nursing workload? How do you handle management expecting everything to get done when there simply aren’t enough staff? Would you report the way the IPAC nurse spoke to you? At what point do you decide that a workplace is no longer worth staying at? I would genuinely appreciate some advice from nurses who have experienced similar situations. I’m starting to question whether I should stay at this facility.   submitted by   /u/Ok-Earth5732 [link]   [comments]