Dismayed

Hi all,

I am currently an LPN and I am employed at an assisted living facility. I have been at this facility since I graduated nursing school almost 2 years ago. I thought I fully understood that "real life" nursing would be much different then nursing school. However I was not prepared for the daily ethical compromises I feel forced to make. The facility I work for has nearly 60 residents and there is one nurse assigned to them per shift. As many others here have posted, "assisted living" is a very ambiguolous term and many people with varying degrees of care needs fall into this category - bluntly put, as long as someone has the money they are appropriate for our facility. The DON does not make the decision as to who is appropriate for the faciility, the "intake coordinator" who has no medical background does. Med passes are difficult to finish due to the increasing acuity level of residents, constant interruptions from Dr's, families, pharmacy, etc and when challenging situations arise, the lpn is always put on adminstrative leave by management --nurses rarely come back once that occurs.

I have looked for other positions but have found that already I am pigeon-holed because I have done "only" assisted living. Not to mention the job market here like most areas is very challenging. I worked hard through nursing school and graduated at the top of my class, but I am quickly realizing that I won't be in this industry for long - -