Did You Know?
allnurses is the largest community for nurses on the web. We now have over 388,806 members! Join today to network with other nurses, laugh, share, and much more.
| |  I hate being a LPN in LTC. The horror!
I'm a LPN, and I'm conflicted about whether to leave the LTCF I work at, even though I'm still on "orientation." I loved working in LTC as a CNA, but ever since I've been on orientation as a LPN, I hate it!
Although I'm still supposed to be on orientation, I've been on the med cart by myself a few times without warning, as there is usually a call out. I was told that I should be able to "figure things out" myself, as I'm a LPN (though a recent grad!). The other times, the LPN I was supposed to be with would take breaks away from the facility, leaving me panicked. I still don't have a clue about 90 percent of the paperwork/forms that I'm supposed to fill out as a LPN, because it has never been explained to me; I've been thrown on the cart to "improve my speed." My requests to learn more paperwork have been ignored. I feel overwhelmed and stresed out.
In addition, I've been told about some of the "interesting" habits that I've read about on this site, which I'm told is nursing-home gospel, such as:
combining meds from different times into one pass ("you won't get done, otherwise")
borrowing meds ("everybody does it; you can get in trouble if you don't give the med")
no supervisor, except on dayshift ("there are hardly any emergencies on 3-11 or 11-7")
signing that a med was given, when it wasn't even available, and couldn't be borrowed ("you can't write 'not available'")
I know there's more to list, but based on my experience, I seriously long for the days when I was a CNA. I wanted to be a nurse, but after this, I need to get away to another place where I have a better breaking-in period. I don't think I can last another day at this place, and I'm scared for my license, to be honest. I want to quit, but some of my friends think I should just tolerate the madness because I make more money. I can always work as a CNA until something better comes along, but I am still struggling with what to do. Any ideas, thoughts, or other horror stories would be appreciated. I apologize for the length.
 Search Tags None  | 
| | Advertisement Sponsored Links | | | | No. 2 | 
Sep 02, 2009, 07:47 PM
Re: I hate being a LPN in LTC. The horror!
Dear Plaqueis-
Hey I feel your pain - I'm a new RN and there are days I feel I'm drowning too! Big difference is I have an AWESOME group of nurses that answer all my simple and complex questions and are very good to me. It's still hard and I've cried over my patient's suffering and stress out over my lack of knowledge at times but honestly if they're not going to support you - you need to find another job. You CAN find another LPN job even though new grad - let them know you'll have to give your notice if you can't have more time WITH a preceptor. God's peace to you!
| | No. 5 |
Sep 02, 2009, 08:00 PM
 Re: I hate being a LPN in LTC. The horror!
Plagueis,
I too am a new LPN and feel your pain, I was just started a LTC job not quite 2 months ago, all of what you detailed I am seeing also.. Perhaps we work at the same facility. LOL. About Borrowing meds, recently this came to a not so nice FRONT at our facility, it is considered insurance fraud and you should not do it.. WE do put n/a well at least I do, if we dont have it for that resident and its not in the backup drug box, then that is exactly what I write. The facility may not like it but you have a license to protect and if they dont allow that well then they are asking you to commit fraud? (seriously) I sure wish there was another option out there besides LTC for LPN's its truly unreal what we go through on a daily basis. I too was "thrown under the bus" and while on orientation my "nurse" was out on smoking breaks etc the majority of one of my orienting days, which I was supposed to get 14 days since I had not ever been a CNA but after 9 days, I was on my own. There is still a lot I feel that I do not know. I find myself checking the schedule to see which nurses are also working, some of them are great, I can ask questions and get treated with respect while others, well I may not be young but I've been eaten more than once.
I want to thank you for posting exactly how I have been feeling but I am sorry to know that you are experiencing this unpleasantness too. I purchased liability insurance shortly after being thrown under the bus, its only a small percentage of peice of mind but if you continue working there I would suggest you get it too.. I found the information on this fabulous site. I wish I had some ingenious advice to give you but I too struggle with this, feel free to IM me if you need to vent some more.. I can take it. Hugs to you to help ease the stress, but please remember to do what you must to protect your license. ((hard to know all those boundries right out of school though)) thats how I feel.  | | No. 8 |
Sep 04, 2009, 12:38 AM
Re: I hate being a LPN in LTC. The horror!
Thanks to all of you who responded.  I'm trying to stick around, but I'm still worn out from work.
Need2Wings, I have purchased liability insurance. Not taking any chances. Sorry to hear you were thrown under the bus, too. Unfortunately, this seems to be a common trend in LTC.
As far as not having the med available to give, I've been told that writing "med not available" is considered a med error, and that a facility could be cited for that, not to mention the nurse getting written up. Nurses I know who work in other LTCFs tell me that their employers have a similar "rule." Hence, the borrowing. I don't see how it all falls on the nurse, especially if the pharmacy fails to deliver a med in a timely fashion.
SuesquatchRN, I'll guess I'll be saying "uh huh" quite a bit when I'm with particular nurses! 
ItsTheDude, at least as a CNA, I didn't go home and stay awake for hours wondering if I missed something, or didn't fill out some sort of summary/form, or whether I missed signing one spot on a MAR/TAR.  | | No. 9 |
Sep 06, 2009, 03:39 PM
Re: I hate being a LPN in LTC. The horror! HTML Code: In addition, I've been told about some of the "interesting" habits that I've read about on this site, which I'm told is nursing-home gospel, such as:
combining meds from different times into one pass ("you won't get done, otherwise")
borrowing meds ("everybody does it; you can get in trouble if you don't give the med")
no supervisor, except on dayshift ("there are hardly any emergencies on 3-11 or 11-7")
signing that a med was given, when it wasn't even available, and couldn't be borrowed ("you can't write 'not available'")
Hello! don't give up! I have been a LPN in LTC for 8 years, I agree its is a LOT of info and work, but I love it. Just takes time. And for the "interesting habits" you do what is right remember it is your liscense that is on the line! If a drug is not available and not in our back up box, I call our pharmacy and they will call the med into a local "back up pharmacy" and then we get it from there. I don't combine meds, even though it take me forever to do the 8am med pass! I am almost always done after the one hour window. And I have seen nurses fired at my facility for signing for something that wasn't done, that is fraud! My DON would freak if she saw this post.
Maybe another facility would work out better. There are good ones and bad ones. You just have to find the right place. I worked in a couple of LTC places before finding the one I am at now, its not perfect, but one of the better places I have worked at, I have been here for 9 years.
Good luck!  )
|
| 270 members
2,390 guests 2,660
| 46 | | | 1 | | | 13 | | | 2 | | | 10 | | | 17 | | | 11 | | | 16 | | | 16 | | | 42 | | | 14 | | | 21 | | | 23 | | | 20 | | | 24 | |
|
Nursing News