- Nurses who have been on the Neuro ICU floor for more than 1.5 years will mostly have one patient, while new nurses will have two patients.
- RN's with two patients will handle a slew of admissions and discharges, especially at the beginning of their journey with the Neuro ICU. They will be very busy. Meanwhile, nurses who have been with the unit longer will mostly be assigned one patient. It is discouraging to see nurses with one patient engaging in casual activities like chit-chatting, checking phones, reading, and doing crossword puzzles while other nurses are running around trying to keep up with assignments.
- Morning rounds are very lengthy, ranging from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. This detracts from the time nurses need to perform tasks, attend to patients, and administer medications. In a teaching hospital, rounding takes time.
- There are numerous patients on bowel regimens, requiring cleaning several times a day.
- Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) are understaffed, and often nurses have to clean patients without a CNA.
- Nurses with longer tenure seem privileged, while newer nurses work hard and may eventually burn out.
- You must organize your own weekend coverage if it is your turn to work and you have signed up for Paid Time Off (PTO).
- Nurses feel underpaid given the amount of stress they experience.
While nurses with one patient have no admissions or discharges, nurses with two patients end up being busy, discharging two, and admitting one patient on the same day.
