Stressed and Depressed Graduate to Be

tothepointeLVN, LVN · May 21, 2008

While I can sympathize with the lack of choices out there for LPN/LVN's out there I have to wonder if you weren't aware of this going in? This was one of the first things I learnt when I was researching LVN courses and I am fine with it.

Do you plan to progress to Rn?

shining_star28463 · May 21, 2008

i do understand that there are limitations as to what the lpn can do, so i definitely did not go into this thinking that i was going to graduate and get a job in an icu or anything, but i did think that i was going to get a well-rounded learning experience especially now that we've moved on to a peds/maternity i assumed that we would get at least some hands-on experience, not another semester in the ltc facility. i feel like it's being pounded into my head that this is all i can do, but i am certian there are other options out there for work as a lpn. i am worried that i will have no clincial experience in anything but ltc facilites and once i start doing interview rounds, i have to say i didn't learn to do x-y-z, that i was supposed to have learned by now.

i already know that from the experiences i have had in the ltc facilities during clincials i do not want to work in one, so i feel like once i graduate i have no idea of what i am going to do. ultimately i do want to return to school and continue because i want to work as a nicu nurse but until then i still have to live and i want the satisfaction of saying that i like my job.

i guess i'm just feeling a little disenfranchised.

Price 2002 · May 21, 2008

I feel your pain. I am at the end of my LPN program and totally stressed out and very depressed...its almost like you go to my school the way you are describing things. lol We are not going to any hospitals thus far for clinicals and I don't see any in our future and all of my rotations to date have been in LTC but I am pretty bored with them too. I know that is where I am going to work when I graduate and I do plan on continuing and getting my RN immediately but I would love to get some clinical expirence else where also. Well I said all of that to say this...Good luck and stay strong! :redbeathe

peridotgirl · May 22, 2008

Shiningstar, I feel your pain and I sympathize with you too. I know how you feel abput TLC. We have done that for a about 2 yrs and may I say that I am tired of it! I want a change. I love the hospitals. In my LPN program at my high school, we are also during Maternity. But we are in a hospital setting. What I don't understand is why aren't you guys in a hospital? I'm pretty sure that your instructor knows that you guys need hospital experience. I mean how on Earth are you gonna do OB w/o going to a hospital. You certainly aren't gonna find any mommies and babies there! lol! :uhoh3: :banghead: :nurse:

AntFlip7395 · May 22, 2008

Check with your state BON, but I was under the impression that ALL nursing programs, be it practical or registered, MUST have a certain number of clinical hours in OB/PEDS. It is somewhat problematic in getting pediatric clinicals, but is there a long-term pediatric center or MRDD facility that has residents under 18? I live in Ohio and I believe there is a school that is on probation with the state because they tried to substitute LTC clinicals for OB/PEDS. The excuse was lack of opportunity. Well, that won't fly with the state, the regulations are set up for a good reason. Although you most likely will work in LTC once you get your license, you still need OB and pediatric clinical experience in order to be a well rounded graduate nurse.

Price 2002 · May 22, 2008

Check with your state BON, but I was under the impression that ALL nursing programs, be it practical or registered, MUST have a certain number of clinical hours in OB/PEDS. It is somewhat problematic in getting pediatric clinicals, but is there a long-term pediatric center or MRDD facility that has residents under 18? I live in Ohio and I believe there is a school that is on probation with the state because they tried to substitute LTC clinicals for OB/PEDS. The excuse was lack of opportunity. Well, that won't fly with the state, the regulations are set up for a good reason. Although you most likely will work in LTC once you get your license, you still need OB and pediatric clinical experience in order to be a well rounded graduate nurse.

You are probably talking about the school that I go to in Ohio. That is what they are on probation for....it isn't fair that we have not gotten that expirence...I am not sure if I will before I graduate.

bluegeegoo2, LPN · May 22, 2008

Oh, do I know how you feel! I graduated July '07 and have been in LTC ever since. I hate it. Really. However, after I gain a year of experience, more doors will open, such as hospice care, (which I'd like to do for a while), we have an adult psychiatric hospital, a children's psych hospital, agencies, a sub-acute hospital that runs on LTC regs, on and on. I am biding my time in LTC and learning as much as I can while I'm here. Y'know what they say: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I know that's a tired old cliche, but it does apply well here. I try to focus on what I like here, like the residents, the experiences, and so forth until I can do something else. LTC is kinda growing on me though, (not like a mold or anything), but it's getting better.

lvnhopeful · May 24, 2008

Once again, you could almost be describing my school. As a matter of fact, we graduate July 11th. My group is in Mom/Baby right now, and we are in a hospital setting, so at least we are getting that experience. However, as a group, we are coming up against RN's that really don't want us in that setting, so we spend a lot of time just observing, if the patients door is not closed to us.

There are a lot of opportunities out there. You might want to work in home health, for a medical supply company, try for a county job and work in a school or clinic. I am in California, and I just read an article that spoke about the call for RN's going down as hospitals were suffering a shortage and LVN's were being hired instead.

Don't let anything get in the way of your dream. Look around and investigate. The Internet has a wealth of information.

As we near graduation most of the students in class are expressing similar feelings to what you have mentioned, including myself. Just know that everyone has the same basic training, and if you pass that NCLEX, you must have been listening and absorbing what you need to practice. Makes me feel better about myself just writing this! :yeah:

Miss Cola, BSN, RN · May 25, 2008

Hi Shiningstar! I feel for you-MAJORLY!!! There is so much anxiety and stress, especially in the home-stretch of the LPN program. You can put yourself in a grave going through all the "what-ifs"!!! :banghead: Try to take one hurdle at a time, though.

After graduation, studying and passing the NCLEX was ok for me-but the stress of searching for a job and doubting myself due to the lack of clinical skills I received in school was almost too much to handle. I looked and looked-checked out the LTC's in the area-which were not appealing at all to me-I felt like I hit a dead end. I had filled out tons of apps. even though the facility wasnt hiring, went to job fairs, you name it. :bowingpurLuckily though I checked out a local job listing website and I found the coolest job at an assisted living facility!! Let's face it-job searches are the PITS! Look for jobs with an open-mind, or else you will drive yourself nuts!

Although an ALF isn't even close to where I imagined I'd be fresh out of LPN school, it fits into my life right now. I'm learning valuable things each day, the schedule is awesome (I can go to RN school simultaneously), the pay is great, and the atmosphere is so nice! I couldn't have asked for more in a first job! The silliest thing is, now that I have a job, the other places i had applied to are called me now! How crazy is that!?! But anyhow,..

My heart goes out to you and all of the people still finishing their schooling. I was at the hospital the other day and I saw some students from my school, going through the same days I did-I just wanted to give them big HUGS!! :icon_hug:When you finally go on for further education, just be confident that you have a great foundation of knowledge and skills under your belt!!!! GOOD LUCK & TAKE CARE!!!

inservice2 · May 26, 2008

i am currently an lpn( going for my rn) but.. i graduated in 05. since then i have been a team leader, a nurse manager , admission nurse, and now director of education/ inservice it all depends on what your facility allows a lpn to do. yes it's in ltc but the experience is amazing. i have worked in an hospital and we are very limited in what we can do. we are not not allowed to do iv"s and heaven forbid we go near a baby:chuckle. that's why i'm going back to school: so that i'm not limited to what i can do or where i can go. just stay focused, finish school the rest will come i guarantee it.

babycakes78 · May 26, 2008

i graduate (hopefully) from my lpn progam on july 30 and i am so stressed out and depressed. we have just returned from our break today and out class work for the 10 week session is overwhelming, and now the whole "okay, so what's next" dread that i'm feeling now that it's almost over is breathing down my neck.
i have worked very hard to get through the program and i have maintained a 3.0 gpa (so far), but now that it's getting down to the wire i don't know if i will be able to find a job that i will enjoy doing. i am not very interested in working in ltc facilites, but that seems like the only type of experience that i have received. we are in our peds/maternity rotation and we're doing our clinicals in a ltc which means basically no peds/maternity hands on experience at all. i was so happy at the end of the last semester because i thought that we would finally be out of the ltc facilities and moving on to something else, but alas here we are again. i am supremely depressed about that. we still haven't done an ivs or trach-care and it's only 10 weeks left before we graduate and i feel overwhelmed and under-prepared. the nclex is right around the corner and then real life and i am afraid that after working soooo hard i am going to be stuck in a job that i hate because it's all that is offered to me because i am a lpn. seriously, all that we've learned is ltc care.
i am tired. i am stressed. i am depressed. i keep looking online and in the newspaper for jobs in my area to see if there is something that i would like to do, but all that i can find advertised is ltc jobs and as much as i love the elders, i don't want to work in ltc. i am beginning to feel like i have wasted an entire year of my life learning skills to work in an area that i am going to hate.
i don't know if it is just fatigue setting in but i am begining to question everything about my choice to a lpn. i am already unhappy with the way that this semester is going and we just started.
i guess i just need some uplifting words, because right now i feel really down.

your school is putting so much emphasis on the clinical skills needed to work in a ltc setting because those are the only places that hire lpns. well, maybe not the only places...here in jersey an lpn might also be able to find a job at a prison, a home health care agency, or a clinic. but the best chance for employment is at a ltc or assisted living facility. if you don't want to be "stuck" in nursing home then i would suggest that you continute on with your education and become an rn. that's what i plan on doing after i graduate next spring. there are lots of lpn to rn bridge programs out there. imo becoming an lpn is a great way to get started in a career as a nurse in a relatively short amount of time. but the downside is that the opportunities for employment are somewhat limited. i think that this is something that prospective students should consider before enrolling in an lpn program.