LPN New to LTC

wyogypsy, RN · Aug 23, 2012

Get a roster of the residents you will be caring for and make notes for each one - whether they need blood sugars, BPs, pulses, insulin, updrafts. Include treatments. You will be overwhelmed at first because LTC nurses generally pass meds to more patients than any other nurse except correctional nurses. Do not get in the habit of skipping steps or you will develop bad habits that are hard to break. Patient care comes first, you can do the paperwork last. It will be hard till you develop your own routine, watch the other nurses and ask questions and choose what you think will work well for you.

I carry a stethoscope, a couple of pens, a yellow highlighter, a black sharpie, and always a pair of scissors. lol I also always have some type of chapstick and lotion in my pocket. We have blood pressure cuffs in the med cart after I nagged and nagged and said I wanted them in there before state came so I didn't look like an idiot trying to find a working blood pressure cuff.

I take a few minutes at start of shift to organize my OTC's so they are easier to find - laxatives together, vitamins together, minerals together, pain relievers together (even though the aspirin a day isn't for pain).

The other thing I do, that I learned from more experienced nurses, is to label a plastic med cup with the name and room number of each patient that I will be passing meds to. That way, I don't have to keep flipping back through the MARs to see who I missed, if I have their cup on my cart I know I still have to give meds to them. Some nurses make some type of mark on their patient rosters to track who they have given meds to. Find what works for you.

You will do fine, it just takes some time to get a routine down!

Nurse1044 · Aug 24, 2012

Thank you so much for the advice. I am very anxious...Older patients are my favorite and I have a huge soft spot for the elderly. I think I will be able to adapt easily ( I Hope)...I'm just anxious about making sure I do things the right way--especially when there are emergencies. What kind of tips do you have in those situations???

Pat2012 · Aug 24, 2012

Be prepared to understand that there is text book nursing, and real life nursing. Understand that you will never make everyone happy or be able to be on everyones own little schedule. Expect to be interupted all of the time, and that just when you think your day is actually going good, something will go wrong. Understand, that since you are new most of the CNAs will not trust you and can make or break your hall. And most of all, realize that while you had plenty of time to talk to patients in clinicals, you will be lucky if you get in a "hi" as you pass meds, and that if you don't keep it short and sweet, you will never leave. Sorry to sound either cynical or negative, but I am new to LTC too, and I wish someone would have mentally prepared me better.