LTC LPN: Nervous!!!

[rjsnowlpn]

Hi. Thank you for taking a minute to read my post. I am an LPN with (only) one year of experience in long-term care. I was just hired by a staffing agency to fill in per diem in nursing homes. I am very excited about the flexibility and compensation, but I am nervous about whether I will be able to do this job well. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice to me about how to work in unfamiliar environments with very little orientation.

I would really appreciate it if you could tell me how your day as an agency nurse in LTC unfolds... I would like to make up a checklist and a rough schedule for my day...I know I need to go in, get report and an orientation to the unit, assess any unstable patients, check blood sugars, get vitals and give meds, perform treatments, chart... am I forgetting anything? Do you think my one year at one facility would have prepared me for this job?

Thank you so much for your help!

Rebecca

[darkbeauty]

Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca

There is nothing to worry about. A year's experience is good enough to explore other waters. I was just as nervous when I started doing LTC agency work. I thought I wouldn't know a single thing. Soon as I got report, I went around residents' rooms familiarising and getting to know them(just a little!) Then I did my accuchecks. The aides in this particular facility were super helpful with identifying residents when they were having meals. I checked on my tube feeders, the critical VS, etc. Basically, once you are half way down a shift, you are home. And since then, I've been waiting for a dreadful shift because I haven't had one. And Ikept thinking because i'm lucky, but turns out, I'm a decently prepared nurse so I can handle any situation.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I'd say much depends on the particular facility. Some places welcome agency nurses with open arms. Some look at you like you've got 2 heads.One year is not a lot of experience these days in long term care where the residents are sicker and more complex than ever before.If you can,arrive 15 or 20 minutes early so you can find where things are. Take your time since you won't know the residents or their peculiarities.If you want to be asked back, you shouldn't say "I don't do......" I've had agency nurses tell me they don't do admissions, don't do discharges, don't do IVs. And then they wonder why there was animosity between them and the staff nurses.