I am a new LPN

[Rain Gutierrez]

I am a new LPN and I am in my second week of orientation at a nursing home. It is a nice nursing home with a 5 star rating. I am so excited that I got this job but I am very overwhelmed. I have only trained on day shift so far and there is so much going on that I don't know if I can do it by myself. There are 24 pts to 1 nurse during the day. The floor I work on is skilled. I have not been able to get the morning med pass completed by 10 am yet. I have done it twice by myself and I don't finish until 11 or 11:30. I am trying to go quickly but I am afraid if I go to quick that I will mess something up.

What are your tips on getting the med pass completed on time? (the more detail the better) Do you bring several pts their meds at one time? Do you stand there and watch each pt take their meds before you leave?

I also feel like I don't know anything. A pt said they had mild chest pain today. I couldn't even think of what to do. I had to go get my preceptor and ask her what to do.

Also a pt choked yesterday on her meds that were crushed and mixed in apple sauce and she was turning blue. I was watching 3 other nurses deal with it so that I would know what to do if it ever happened to one of my pts. They didn't do the heimlich maneuver. They kept trying to get her to cough. Then they went and got a machine to suction her. I am confused. Why would they do that? I feel so dumb.

I hope this gets better. I don't feel qualified to work without my preceptor...

[Brea LPN]

You won't feel qualified until you handle some "disasters" on your own. When something happens, pause for just a sec and think. Remember what you were taught in school. Even experienced nurses have to ask questions in situations they have never dealt with.

P.S. Your state BON thinks your qualified. That's got to count for something.

[as3866, LPN]

Hello New Nurse, I feel ur drama. I had some of those same problems, but believe me it will get better. It is a daily process that gets better with time. The longer you are working in the field of nursing your skills will develop and then here comes knowledge, along with that experience that takes charge. So, take one day at a time. Because, we experienced nurses still faces difficult shifts. I'm new in Dialysis, which is a whole world away from traditional nursing. It was like I was in a new country, learning a new language. Simply, because I was not taught Dialysis in the Practical Nurse Program!!!........Believe me I KNOW it will get BETTER as time goes by....

[cecilsgirl]

Abd. thrusts ( Heimlich sp?) should not be done if there is any coughing at all, or noise being made from the patient/resident. Was there? Good luck on your new job, it will get better, and I know you will shine. 22 years and still going ;-)

[systoly]

It sounds like you work at a great facility. Your feelings are quite normal and expected. As a matter of fact, any new nurse who doesn't share these feelings leaves me quite concerned. The good news is, it definitely gets better and one day you'll be the preceptor.

[caliotter3]

I got hired to be the only nurse at a facility on the night shift. Understandably, I was scared to death. This is what I did. I made myself some cheat cards. I took 3 X 5 notecards and wrote out situations and what to do. Death of resident, Change of condition, hyperglycemia-symptomatic, hypoglycemia-symptomatic, fire, resident fall with injury, etc. Every bad situation I could think of, then I discussed them with my former supervisor, and wrote out the steps to take in each case. I wrote everything in pencil in case I needed to modify them. Put them on a ring and carried my cheat cards in my pocket. Helped me to relax. Suggest you start your own stack to keep in your pocket.

[Anne36, LPN]

caliotter3, I think that is a great idea. With that in mind, I am only a student nurse who has yet to attend her first clinical. (next week!) This subject came up in clinical orientation. We are not allowed to bring anything with us. No cheat sheets or paper. We just need to memorize everything. It might seem easy to experienced nursing students or nurses, but I am brand new and worried I will forget something.

I would love if we could bring a cheat sheet for baseline , assesment, all those lab skills we have never used, and our Gordons. How does a new student collect a ton of data and record it at the end of the day without being allowed to write anything down?