Medical clinic LPN

andreasmom02 · Aug 1, 2019

On 7/28/2019 at 10:01 PM, Kristi Garner Blakely said:
Any LPNs here work in a family medical clinic? What is your day like? I am suppose to start my new clinic job this week and I am so nervous. I have only been employed in LTC and home health so I am afraid my skills won’t be up to par. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Congrats on your new job & good luck! I worked in a family dermatology clinic for a few months in one of my first nursing jobs. My day typically consisted of: making sure exam rooms were stocked with proper supplies and clean; looking at the doctor's schedule for the day that the receptionists printed out & handed to nurses; calling patients back, putting patients in an exam room, briefing the doctor on why patient was there to see them before doctor entered room; calling patients with results; calling in medications & refills to pharmacy; giving injections; sterilizing and cleaning surgical tools for the doctor for outpatient dermatology procedures; setting up surgical trays; assisting during surgeries; helping sell dermatology products that were displayed for sale in office, etc. etc. All while making $9.50 an hour with no benefits, yes $9.50... I took the job as it was one of my first LPN jobs for experience... I left after just a few months though as the doctor was very anal and hard to work for. Plus, I wasn't making near what I should for position & no benefits. That office has a very high turnover of LPNs/MAs. As a matter of fact, I saw a job opening for a nurse there this week! lol

Best advice I can give is: make sure you are treated fairly and making fair pay for what you are doing in any job; ask lots of questions from seasoned nurses there & how they do things there; stay to yourself when needed (don't get involved in office drama); and make yourself stand out in a positive way that makes the office appreciate you! I did help implement a certain way to document patient check-ins in the EMR at that dermatology practice when I worked there that I think the practice still uses today! ? Wasn't a big deal to me, but the doctor loved it! I would have stayed there had they not worked me so hard, paid better & offered benefits! Best wishes & good luck..

Kristi Garner Blakely · Aug 1, 2019

Thanks for your response! I have been in orientation all week and will finally get to the clinic next week. Very nervous about all of the things I don’t know how to do. I stress about everything anyway. That pay is ridiculous! I can understand your reason for leaving.

jasnxs84 · Aug 7, 2019

I worked in a Family Medicine clinic for 10 plus years, but as a medical assistant and when I look at the description of LVN/LPN in a medical clinic it is the same stuff I did as a Medical Assistant. My best advice is ask questions, that is how you learn a lot! I always ask questions and people may get upset about it but remember you have a license to protect and you worked hard for it. A usual day consisted of taking vitals, giving injections/immunizations, answering phones, refilling medications or making sure the rx were correct and sending them to the dr to get approved, getting prior authorizations on medications or medical procedures like MRI's and CT scans, stocking exam rooms, running in house tests like rapid strep or flu tests, performing urinalysis, assisting in pap smears, assisting in small procedures like cysts and mole removals, sterilizing instruments we used in clinic, scheduling follow up appointments, processing referrals, performing EKG's and spirometery tests, and phone triage.