Being a new nurse can be scary
and you will get into your own routine in a few weeks. What I have always done on a new floor is make my own list of things I have to do and the times they are to be done then mark them off as I do them. This way I dont forget anything. You should do the diabetics first before they eat. When your doing the tubes always check your residual first. If a patient is not processing the last feeding they can choke. But more than likley they just coughed and when that happens the formula is pushed back up into the syringe. So take it slow ,let it flow to gravity . Always make sure the head of the bed is up at at least 30 degrees. If it is the first thing in the morning ,I always ask the night nurse when the last feeding was. Sometimes she gets behind and if it was due at 4am but she gave it at 6am and the next is due at 8 am ,you need to wait a little longer before feeding that patient again.Does that make sense? You will always get back on track with the feedings. Who is passing the meds, I hope you have somehelp with that because that can be overwhelming if you do it ALL. My routine is diabetics first, then pill pass if I have one, then Gtubes. As Im doing my meds I do the assessments (if they are Medicare). I always do my charting between 10a and 2p then I start treatments are 2p. ( we do 12hr shifts) . By that time it's around 4P and time to do the BS again. I take care of my patients first and dont bother with who is at the desk or who is on the phone. It is hard to get it all done when so-in-so expects you to stop what you are doing for their emergency which is "Mom lost her blue pants and you need to find them"
... All the crap admin hands me to do ,I shove off to the side to do between 6-7 (if I have time). Of course it is not always like this and I sometimes have to jumble up my routine to make it work. And Ill tell you it does not work as well if I have to do that
. If I get an admission I do what I absolutly have to ,the nursing assessment, physicians orders ,papers signed by the family , verification of orders then everything else goes in the 6p-7p file. At my job we pass the things that didnt get done to the next shift (paperwork). It always get's done. I am the only one that works 16 hour shifts so I do alot of playing catch up for folks. It is hard to get used to and 6 days of orientation is better than most places give. I wish you luck, I do alot of nurse orientaion and watch their faces
when all goes wrong. they look at me and say "How do you handle all of this " I go with the flow ,do what I can but get the most important stuff done first. I also do a whole lot of damn laughing ,sometimes that's all you can do.LTC can sometimes get utterly ridiculous.......You will get a routine down and do just fine.
Originally Posted by April_LPN
Well, I just started LTC on Monday. Today will be my third day on the floor and I find myself crying every night after I get off. I am still orienting with a nurse and I can't imagine what it will be like after she is gone. I only get 6 days of orientation which just doesn't seem like it will be enough. I know it will be better when I get a routine down but for now I am stressed beyond belief. I have 30 patients, 2 have g tubes, 1 new colostomy and a few diabetics. Last night I was doing a g tube feeding for the first time by myself, and thought that I could handle it but as soon as the other nurse walked out of the room the lady starting acting like she was choking. The fluid in the tube came up and started spilling all over. I immediatly panicked and thought that I had done something wrong. I ran to the hall to get my nurse and she wasn't around so I yelled down the hall and got the other nurse on duty, she came in and said that was normal and that she wasn't choking it was just (sp) choric movements. As soon as my nurse came in the room I just started bawling, and I think she felt really bad for leaving me alone. I just hope this gets better with time. I am so scared.
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New LPN in LTC
Hint...pinch or kink the tube. 
I agree with the other posters, a routine is very helpful to stay on task.
