Nurisng Injuries and Workers Compensation? Please need advice!!

[lpnornot]

I was working as a CNA in Assisted living and hurt my back. Probably just muscle strain because the psin is under control for the most part. Too prescription NSAIDS and for 3 wks and it's pain almost gone-just intermittent at times.

Had to lift 170-250 immobile pts wiht one assistant!!!! crazy. So much unethical illegal practices goin on in that place. Are they allowed to call themselves assisted living with so many wheel chair bound residents. Only 3/15 could rise out of chair with little help!!

They cut my hours to nothing but didn't fire me. treated me soooo rudely all of a sudden. insulting accustations, hostility.

Filed injury report and workers comp claim.

Don't trust lawyers, they just want you to rack up a bill right away with MRI, PT, orthoped when my doctor wanted me to see if meds work first, to see if its just muscle strain.

employers insurance agent filed supeona for medical records. I filed refusal to provide.

What am i obligated to give the insurer? The relevenat medical bills from my doctor? One lawyer told me don't talk to the adjuster. She tried to get me to have a recorded interview-watch out for that. You're not obligated to do that.

Thanks

[lpnornot]

I'm sorry about the injuries I'm reading about. I'm feel hopeful reading about policies in the UK, hopeful that they are enforced and will one day be enforced over here and prevent such suffering.

I feel fotunate that my injury is apparently jsut muscle strain and not spinal injury. Raeding about nursing injuries has lead me to down a differnent career path. Medical lab technology.

I'm trudging along in my medical lab tech couse, chemistry and introto lab science. its interesting but... I love my work with elderly in home heatlh except it is medically and mentally unchallenging.

I can;t seemt to let go of the idea of being a nurse one day. But only if I can have a job thats safe physically. I'd go for LPN first becasue the RN program I was in, I finished 1.25 semesters of the program, was crazy int terms of lack of time you had to learn the material and lack of emphasis on applying the fundamental underlying principles fo A and P to what we learnt. The LPN program is nights and weekends,I still have elem school kids.

But when they are older its my dream to become an LPN-as long as I can work where I don't have to lift over 35lbs of a pt Limit suggestd by OSHA and ANA). Does anyone know in what area of nursing that is possible. I Love the elderly population, assisted living where they are mobile? Pediatric doctors office?

Thanks.

[NJLaurenRN]

:typing:banghead:

I feel fotunate that my injury is apparently jsut muscle strain and not spinal injury. Reading about nursing injuries has lead me to down a differnent career path. Medical lab technology.

I'm trudging along in my medical lab tech couse, chemistry and introto lab science. its interesting but... I love my work with elderly in home heatlh except it is medically and mentally unchallenging.

But when they are older its my dream to become an LPN-as long as I can work where I don't have to lift over 35lbs of a pt Limit suggestd by OSHA and ANA). Does anyone know in what area of nursing that is possible. I Love the elderly population, assisted living where they are mobile? Pediatric doctors office?

Thanks.

I'm sure you heard it already before, skip LPN and go for the gold. go for your RN. i work with a few girls that have worked at my hospital for a few years. they both graduated LPN school, and even though they both worked as CNA's at my hospital they can't find work and are struggling (you would think after working at a hospital that u would have your "IN" but it didn't work out for either of them and several others that just finished their LPN degrees and have passed their boards a yr ago. most hospitals are phasing out LPN's and are even leaning to making RN's who have their associateds degree in nursing go back for their bachelors. the older nurses(like those that have been there over 20 yrs and are close to retirement) from diploma and associate degree programs will be "grandfathered in" for the remainder of their career. they took most of the LPN's (which i think is down to 11 lpns) and took them out of theri units and now are covering float pools or are floating to units to give meds (well except pushes). most nurses hate floating everyday they work to a different unit. others took it as an obvious hint that they were getting phased out. it seems that locally the only place lpns work is nursing homes, acute rehab facilities, and ECF's. its not really fair because some of the LPN's have excellent assessment skills and i trust their judgement over some rn's i have seen. hopsitals (the suits) often see lpn's as a liability. blah blah blah. not fair. they are now making the minimum requirements for new hires and new grads is to have their bachelors in nursing (RN). my suggestiion is skip the LPN and struggling to find work (apparently what my hospital is doing seems to be the trend across the country. get ur associates, get hired on a non heavy lifting floor like L&D or pediatrics, or even some tele floors. alot of tele pt's are (walky-talky's). thats my suggestion. granted its a long rambleing story but seriously thing about it. then if u want to persue a hgiher degree and perhaps get off the floor and teach or adminstration. there are tons of onling courses RN to BSN/MSN; some RN-MSN. and some RN-BSN-MSN. you have ur ADN then go itno this course working towards BSN and some of the course are graduate degree credita and carry over towards ur masters. some go from ur ADN (associates degree of nursing ) directly to Masters of nursing in an accelerated online program. seriously take some of my rembling suggestions to heart. you can use an online search engine and search RN to BSN; or RN to BSN etc... lots of luck....Lauren RN (jersey shore):heartbeat :redpinkhe

[lpnornot]

Thanks NJLauren for your advice.

I can't see getting through the Comm college RN program.I tried. Made it past 1st semester and then failed med-surg clincal, doing well in the exams. Some kind of panic attack, really strict and critical, unrelentingly critical instructor. Didn't feel prepared wiht my skills. i was sleep deprived on lab days after 4 nights of 5hrs of sleep by then, nothing much sunk in. My blood pressure went from 100/90 to 138/100 or something like that.

I see LPN as the only way I could manage to do nurisng. at least to start. I don't want to work in a hospital unless maybe in Psych, would be happy with assisted living or doctors office. They still need them there right.

I"ve heard alot of people say that LPNs are being phased out of hospitals and BA is the way to go. I hope there is still a niche for LPN's. If not I;ll be in the lab the rest of my career.

[nerdse, MSN]

there is now a federal safe lifting law that hc facilities had to have a committee in place by early 08 and a lifting policy to reduce injuries by 7/08 and it was 2 include things that make the place little or no lifting by hcws. that's not a lot of help 4 u all but facilities have been presented w/ more than enough information that lifts etc. pay off in decreased WC claims.

n they never seem 2 include the cost of all those legal types and all those hearings n stuff 2 get claims heard, i bet it costs more 2 deny than it would 2 just take care of it b4 it gets worse...

the ppl who play the system seem to get stuff out of WC no matter what:nono: the legit claims seem 2 b the ones denied...we have a really messed up legal system...

[lpnornot]

Wow. I didn't know any federal law was passed. I work in home health as a CNA. I just pick the patients that don't need lifting. Luckily I don't have to work fulltime (going to school) it could be restricting. I live in MD too.

[ilmbg]

nerdse- Do you know anything more about the laws that were supposed to be implemented? I am very curious to see what has happened. Thanks.