LVNs: Your duties?

0700: Get report, check skin books, tx books, the calander to see
who's to be LOA for the day.
0800: I am fortunate enough to have med aides, so I start tx's while
the med aides give meds, but I assess for and give breathing
tx's.
0900: Still working on tx's and doing assessments.
1000: Finish (hopefully) tx's and go to lunch at 1030.
1100: Begin calling/faxing MD's for new orders, or order changes, and
start charting.
1200: More of the above. Cover blood sugars.
1300: There always seems to be a skin issue that appears now, so
begin paperwork/family notification/MD call.
1400: Interestingly, around 1450 is when MD's like to call/fax new
orders in, so away I go with those.
1500: Go home? Yeah. Right.

The above is by no means how it goes, that is a very rough estimate of the day. While it sounds manageable on paper, in reality I hit the floor running and don't stop until I'm in the parking lot on my way home. Nothing in LTC "goes as planned", at least not for me. I think LTC would be a fabulous arena to learn time management. Oh, FYI, Friday's and Monday's are...well...just don't plan to be anywhere directly after your scheduled time off. I hope that helps some, though reading back at what I wrote, I have somehow not put across how hectic it really is. Imagine juggling, while on a unicycle, on a high-wire, in the dark. That's how some days feel. Overwhelming. To get through, I tell myself, "They have to let me go sometime today."