Another week of work facing me. Our office has been so busy the past few weeks - none of us can see straight. Generally, an RN Case Manager in our office has no more than 12 patients on their caseloads. We’re required to see those patients at least twice a week (more if their condition requires it). So, usually we do about 24 - 28 one-hour visits per week. Leaving the remainder of our forty-hour workweek for drive time (usually about 250 - 300 miles per week), meetings and paperwork requirements.

The past 3-4 weeks, however - we had a surge in referrals and admissions to our service, leaving the RNs with about 16 - 18 patients on their caseloads. Giving us approximately 32 - 38 visits per week - - which leaves us roughly 2 hours for drive time, meetings and paperwork requirements. So, lots of overtime, to say the least.

But a week ago - they hired a new RN to help spread the work around, so that is a good thing. We just have to get her trained decently before she takes her own case load. Hopefully they will give her a decent training period before they send her out on her own. Nothing worse than the hope of a new RN to help spread out the work load - then have her quit 2 weeks later because she’s been shock and awed! That’s happened more than once - so hopefully they have learned their lesson.

Even as busy as it is at work - I seem to be the only one not complaining about it. The other nurses I’m working with have been so negative - I actually try to avoid going into the office because the atmosphere in there can just bring a person down. I never understood the negativity that is so rampant sometimes. It isn’t as if nurses aren’t in incredibly high demand everywhere. For us, job security is locked and solid (at the moment). There are places offering RN’s a $10,000 sign-on bonus just for committing to a 6-month contract. My question for these nurses who are so, utterly, negative every single day is why do they stay? I don’t get it? It isn’t as if this job is their only option - - as an RN they have a gazillion options, and yet they stay in this job that they seemingly hate and complain bitterly about every single day.

It baffles me.