Working Conditions for Nurses
Many RNs and LPNs are or have been overworked in many hospitals and nursing facilities. Many hospitals and nursing care facilities are understaffed in the way of nursing personnel. Though working conditions for nurses is sometimes compromised, nurses still manage to uphold exemplary and effective nursing care. Many health care facilities operate with a small nursing staff, due in part to the economy. Nursing facilities, including hospitals and nursing homes, must operate on a budget. The nursing facilities' expenses of operations must be paid and the nursing staff must be paid, as well as the staff from all the other departments; therefore, sometimes the facility's budget must be cut, which usually affects nursing personnel. Despite the working conditions for nurses being less than ideal at times, nurses continue to get their jobs done in a professional and therapeutically effective manner.
In many facilities, the working conditions for nurses have improved over time due to thoughtful planning. It is true, that occasionally nurses have had to work overtime to staff the facilities they work for, however. Many hospital and nursing home administrators have begun to remedy the situation by hiring helping staff. Working conditions for nurses have improved in facilities where well-trained licensed practical nurses (LPN) and certified nursing assistants (CNA) have been hired to take on some of the workload of the professional nursing staff. LPNs often do the technical care, while RNs do what is referred to as professional care. In some facilities only an RN can start an IV, and then the LPN is to monitor the patient's IV. However, in smaller facilities, LPNs start the IVs. In many county facilities LPNs do the work that an RN would normally do; in a smaller facility there may only be one RN in the entire hospital or nursing home.
Many hospitals and nursing homes hire more LPNs and CNAs to staff nursing homes to reduce operating costs, and to improve working conditions for nurses. Working conditions for nurses are better in facilities that share the responsibility for patient care. Many hospitals operate with one or more RN supervisor who is in charge of more than one nursing floor. One supervisor may be in charge of the entire facility in smaller hospitals; however, there may be several supervisors in charge of specific floors.
An RN might be in charge of one or more units in a health care facility. For instance, an RN might be in charge of the surgical unit and an obstetrical unit (OB). There may be one or more LPNs working each of these units with the RN. The LPNs would be administering medications, and changing surgical dressings in the surgical unit, while one or more LPNs are dealing with OB patients. CNAs will also share duties with the RNs and LPNs.
Working conditions for nurses improve when all the nurses work together in a systematic way. In hospitals, there is often an inflow of patients being admitted directly from the hospitals, and from the emergency department. Every admission must be processed, which means the patient must be examined by a nurse. On a typical admission, the LPN or RN asks the patient questions about his or her health history. The nurse then visually checks the patient's overall state of health by examining the skin, doing neurological checks, and checking for the patient's level of consciousness and cognition.
Many hospitals and nursing homes employ qualified CNAs and ward clerks to perform the nonprofessional nursing duties, which greatly improve the working conditions for nurses. Nursing assistants work together with licensed and registered nurses to help the unit run smoothly. The ward clerks, or ward secretaries, are hired to document all the nonprofessional data into the patients' charts. In many nursing facilities the CNAs and ward clerks also pass fresh ice water to all the patients, providing their doctor has not withheld ice and water from their patients for medical tests. Working conditions for nurses would be compromised if it weren't for the staff working together. The LPNs who perform the technical nursing care, the RNs who deliver the professional nursing care, the CNAs and ward clerks who deliver the nonprofessional unit operations all have a hand in promoting good working conditions for nurses.
Published: 2009-09-07
