First LPN Job, 5 day orientation, 1:40+ patients...advice?

[inky-york]

It's my first job as a nurse...hurray! But holy crap I did not expect it to be this difficult. I haven't finished my orientation yet but I feel that a week is definitely not enough for any novice nurse to learn the routine in LTC facilities. I did fairly well in nursing school but I don't think anything could've prepared me for this. I'm eager to get the routine down but the time given is really limited. Any advice?

[SarcasticLVN]

I had a month of orientation.. A couple weeks of paperwork like helping with doctors orders and weekly charting and then the last two weeks I was on the floor with a co nurse which was like 5 ams and 4 pm shifts (I work am fulltime). By my 3rd week of orientation I could have used more orientation but I really wanted to get the first week or two over with so I could get my routine down. I float so I am at different stations every week so it's hard because stuff is changing constantly. The hardest part with me was pouring meds and trying to put a face to the name. After knowing all the residents on each station it got so much easier. I'm 7 months in and still need help lol. After you get down your medpass amd treatments the rest will come- all the orders, chartings, faxes, etc.

[johnybhoi24]

I know how it feels.. Ive been there & ive done that ?

Just tell yourself every single nurse been through on that hardship.. Nursing is a difficult career but its definitely rewarding.. You'll get used to it.. And if there's something that you're not sure of, dont hesitate to ask.. There's no stupid questions.. Its better to be safe than sorry.. As a new grads you tend to make more mistakes so dont feel embarrass.. All of the nurses been there.. Even the best nurses in the world.. We all learned from our experiences.. Good luck ?

[Anne36, LPN]

I have gotten med pass and treatments down now so I can do it all on time. It usually takes me 3 hours to do the first med pass on 20 residents, including blood sugar checks, insulins, tube feeds, etc. I try to eat a quick snack and use the restroom, no more than 10-15 min. Then I go right into my second med pass which is usually a lighter than the first. After that I try to squeez in the treatments and hope to get time to chart. This scenario only works if I dont have New Orders, someone become sick, have to call the DR, etc. Worst case scenario, I save all my charting for the end and clock out late, or have to chart off the clock because they want no overtime at all and have a warning flash on the screen to remind us when we clock in. I dont see why they wont pay us for the extra 30 min it would take to do this job the way they want it done.

[shamrokks, ADN, ASN, RN]

write it all done and organize it. Get an address book and write in things so that you can find it easily. For instance, with labs, they can be called more than one name and have many ICD codes. I will write Phosphorus, PHO4, Phos, and then the codes in the P section. I will write all door codes under C for codes. I will write anything that is new to me down, so I never have to ask a 2nd time. You wouldn't believe how much time that has saved me. Good Luck LTC is fast paced, as you already have found out.

Great idea!! I am going to buy a phone book to do this with and one for my boyfriend who is in nursing school right now. I work in a clinic but could still be useful. I'm also trying to make the move to a LTC so it will come in handy.

[grace.z]

I am in a similar situation; new hire at LTC. It's overwhelming and disheartening. I have almost 50 residents on 3-11 shift, with the other nurses showing me "tricks" to get things done on time (most of which are illegal). I am feeling very uncomfortable working there and waiting for another job to materialize.

[jagged777]

good info

[withasmilelpn]

Don't work off the clock. They owe you that money and it's illegal.