Nurse/Healthcare Mamas

[z2akids]

So, are your hospitals crazy busy this winter? We have been on census alert almost every night I've worked since Thanksgiving. I could SO use being put on call for a night, but I don't see us having the staffing for that for a ling time.

I'm at an 800+ bed hospital in a large city and from my conversations with nurses at other major area hospitals, they are comperably busy. It makes the nights go fast, but wow!

[kimb96]

I don't work as a nurse anymore but friends of mine still do work at the hospital I worked at. I think it is busy all over right now because of a flu outbreak. It has been on the news about the flu in so many states and ohio is one of them. If I recall you have recently graduated? Hospitals always go through this at some point in the winter. I worked nearly 10 years as a nurse and every winter there was a period where we were bursting at the seams. ERs used to reroute patients to other area hospitals but they aren't allowed to do that anymore.

[MrsCrafty]

Yes, we called it 'surge' at my hospital, some nights every bed is filled and patients have to stay in the ED until someone is discharged or they can be transferred.

[mmlsmom]

I am Director of Nutrition Services and an RD and my hospital is bursting at the seems!!!!!! We have Flu/ upper respiratory coming out of our ears. I do not envy the nurses at all.

[Numommy]

I'm a travel nurse and my phone will.not stop. I'm going back for a 4w contract in a nearby (2h) city. 980 bed facility w at least 4 more same size hospitals in area. I hear they are busting. I didn't get my flu shot as I expected to be off. Guess I'll get it tomorrow and sport the mask.

[tasbaby]

I work in IT at a hospital and our census has been high all fall and into winter.

[va703]

I work in the ED and we have been swamped since Christmas, though it's not been worse than years past. Our census has been high in the hospital, and we're holding a lot of patients in the ED, which stinks.

[z2akids]

Yup, I am new. But, I am told that we are particularly busy. We have influenza cases, but honestly that's only a small fraction of the population. We have continued to be full with census alerts nearly every night and our ED has gone into diversion twice in the last two weeks. Fortunately, they've been doing a better job of staffing. Although we had 5 sitter cases on our unit last weekend and staffing was really tight. I suspect that our staffing is going to get worse with them trying to make up for those low productivity numbers with all the sitter cases.

[ParamedicMama]

I'm a paramedic and generally work 24-hour shifts in Upstate NY (Ithaca)...and we are...always...BUSY...In fact, it's 314 am and I'm still working on a chart. I've been up since 6am yesterday! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (rant over)

[twinmomstl]

Jan-Mar is normally a slow time for us and census was down for a couple weeks but we are back to being full again. The hospital I work at is super full too. I work in NICU so we don't see the rsv/flu kiddos but we are still busy busy.