Hi, I am a new grad LPN, just started a job in the middle of January at a LTC/special care (HIV/AIDS...so not all of our patients are geriatric). The work is ok, but i'm really starting to feel overwhelmed. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing and everyone is talking about me not knowing what to do!! They left me alone as the "charge nurse" to make assignments for 3 CNAs and 3 CNA orientees, with some patients going out to clinic with escorts and so on and so forth, then going to morning report, and the patients asking me for pain medication the first thing I walk thru the elevators at 8am. I couldn't even start my 10am med pass til 10:30!! And on top of that, because the CNA's were understaffed, they were complaining about their assignments. The time they spent to sit there and complain they could've used to start their assignments!! I've never had a bad day like yesterday, but I was just overwhelmed. This facility also has issues starting from management downward, even with scheduling. Schedules come out 1 month in advance, and sure enough, when there are not enough nurses, they are calling people at the last minute to float. SO there will only be 1 nurse on a floor. I find this ridiculous, and I'm really starting to think nursing is not for me. I want to try pediatrics, but I don't know how to get into it. The thought of starting all over somewhere else frustrates me. I wanted to get into the union first and then leave. Now the facility is worse, trying to catch up on a year's worth of paperwork because the state survey is coming anytime soon. So the pressure is on the nurses. I am attending school for my RN, I would really hate to leave the field and know that i wasted so much time on my RN. I think my issue is the field I'm in, any advice on how to bow out gracefully from this LTC after just 2 month of employment? And where I should go?
