I'm an LPN, 10 yrs in the field. I followed my instructors around like a puppy dog during clinicals and hounded to do every and any procedure I could get in on! I would even ask the staff nurses at the hospitals/facilities we were at, if I could watch them, help them and eventually DO it on my own, with my instructor present of course. Certain classmates were mad but you know what? I didn't care, it was MY education and I was RESPONSIBLE for learning!!!
Get out there and do it while you have supervision! Good Luck!
Libran 1984,
While I sympathize with your bad experiences in LTC, I could'nt read every word. WAAAAY too much Dear. You sound young & inexperienced. There isn't ONE single area in nursing that is perfect. You'll find idiots, short-staffing, short supplies, poor communications, illegible documentation, rude pts, family, co-workers and Drs ...BLAH BLAH BLAH...
You either need to SUCK IT UP or PICK YOUR BATTLES....OR GET OUT OF LTC AND TOUGHEN UP GIRL. IF I WORKED WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU I'D EAT YOU ALIVE!
AND NO, "I'm not an eat your young" kind of nurse. I earned my PN license when I was 38, have been in nursing only 10 yrs. I've tried the office setting (family practice & pediatrics) I've tried the hospital, private duty, hospice, LTC and a center for mentally & physically challenged young people. It's fair to say I've" been around the block". And every area of nursing has its pros & cons. You LEARN TO COPE! Or get out of nursing altogether!!!
On that note-I'm happy & excited to say that I've just accepted a job offer in a spa/salon...as I was a beautician/nail tech prior to nursing. Always good to have a plan B.....Best of Luck to you!
I live in Erie Pa. I became an LPN @ age 38. I love giving care, am good @ it and have empathy & sympathy for the ill & frail. Unfortunetly in this town there are no good jobs really. I work in a LTC facility, county owned no less. The staffing is always short, unionization has created all kinds of problems, scheduling is a joke (in nursing period). I also work in private duty home care. I have been on a couple of "normal" cases. I've also been on cases where the nurse is treated like a servant, a housekeeper and a slave. I've been lied to, yelled & sworn at by ungrateful ignorant family members and bitten by the clients dog more than once. My supervisors are RNs who have worked in the hospitals and for the agencies and they say it sucks there too! I had a past LPN classmate tell me don't go back and waste 40K to get my RN cuz it sucks being in charge and he makes LESS money per hour than I do ( as a perdiem) in the same LTC place.
I would tell you to LOOK CAREFULLY at the availability of jobs in your town. I would like to be a resp. therapist but already know there are no jobs available in this town. I love the "concept of nursing" and all that it stands for, but if I could be even 37 yrs old right now, I would go back to school for another degree altogether. God Bless and Good Luck!...and YES, have some fun & live alittle while your'e in school, you can never get back your 20th, 21st etc years of life.
Beautiful story. and a reality I deal with daily. LTC, family dynamics, staff opinions, dr's opinions, loved ones inability to let go...very stressful. Yet I get something else out of it. I do what I can do, and do it THE BEST i can do it...and pray for Gods strength to do it even though it may not be what he or I would want. My heart is comforted knowing HE will ask the questions, if they need be asked, HE will have the final say, if there's a "say" to be had...Leave it all in his glorious wisdom, for only HE will handle it as necessary. God Bless all the awesome nurses out there, for it is WE, who these folks really need and appreciate in their final hours! S. Kinsey LPN LTC/Private Duty <3
I'm not an ER/OR nurse...nothing as exciting, educated or interesting. In fact, I work mostly in Geriatrics. One of the most important/imperative places to me, that the gift of human touch is needed and needed so much more of...I'm often late for lunch or skip breaks (and yes I know I must take care of myself, and I do) to fetch extra tissues, look for that "misplaced" change purse or triple check w/ Mrs So & So to "be extra sure" she really doesn't need a pain pill after all.
Much of my best life experiences and knowledge has now/is now coming from taking that extra time to sit & chat, even for a few minutes, with my residents. I hear about life, work, love & even sex...I almost forgot that my "elderly" residents did indeed enjoy long marriages, family & ALL the aspects that make my own life sweet...
Most importantly, it is those few extra minutes each shift, making me late for lunch...that seem to make the biggest & most sincere differences in my elderly residents lives..they have kids/grandkids who are "victims" of this "yesterday, hurry-up, can't find the time to visit" world..Happily, some of these family members have bought/taught gramma to use a computer and communicate with them electronically, which is better than most..
The bottom line for me is..I agree, human touch is a priceless, appreciated, requirement in our profession...and the patients DO realize it and DO comment on it and it never hurts when your reputation is of kindness & compassion.
I think this article was great and I'd seriously like to give a free seminar to new grads and maybe some current "professionals". It amazes me that I work with and meet new medical profs all the time who can't read, write, speak or articulate their thought in an intelligent manner. It's sickening really. I've worked in a LTC facility, where the charge nurse was 400 pounds, rude to staff, residents, families and everyone else, sat on her lazy butt @ the nurses station and slept, ate or talked on the phone..and she was allowed to work for several years, because she had no life and therefore would work any day, any time, any shift...She had tons of money because of it...and you know...she filed for bankruptcy and eventually was fired. Karma is a beautiful thing! But, back on subject- because there are so many unprofessional doofuses out there, it makes it much easier for others to obtain jobs...sad but true!
Really Viva? I find your story redundant and rather selfish. You are a self-described "super nurse"...we have those where I work...none of us can stand them! You bounced from place to place and never mentioned realizing how grateful you were to even have a job. You obviously don't value your patients/residents that much or you'd have realized long ago that consistency and continuity is extremely important for the ill and elderly.
Frankly you bored me and made me wonder why you stayed in nursing in the first place. And oh BTW, I'm 47 yrs old, proud to be an LPN for 8+ yrs now, have a good reputation and comradeship with my co- workers, have worked at the same places for several yrs. I work per diem in LTC and in Private Duty Home Health Pediatrics. And I admit, there are patients, patient family members and co-workers I'd rather not deal with some days. There is vomit and poop and psych issues but I was born to be a nurse and love it all...the good, the bad and the ugly.
AND THERE WILL NEVER BE A SHANGRA LA NURSING JOB...WAKE UP FOLKS!
Hi Wildlaural, I'm an LPN of several yrs, LTC, love it! Unfortunetly I have experienced some of your frustrations. My best advice to you is, if you are a good, compassionate, thorough nurse...have a good relationship with your charge nurses, supervisors, ADON & DON. You are creating a reputation with all these folks every shift you work. If you are perceived as such, then when a patient complains excessively or makes false or exaggerated statements, you can then explain the situation to whomever and more times than not, your word will be taken as truth (and tell the truth, it's much easier).
In my experience, there's many facets to patient "attitudes & perceptions". Many feel "entitled" to individual attention & "special" privilege and when we are caring for 40-50 patients in a shift, that is simply not possible. We do owe our residents & patients the best attentive care we can provide, but people are quick to forget that we're on duty and doing our personal best for them. Hang in, talk to your superiors for more advice!
Wow to whomever it was that posted the 1st answer. I'm an 8 yr LPN. I almost went back to school at age 47 for my RN. Fortunetly a male RN with whom I'm friends with, work with and went to LPN school with- was honest and forthright enough to warn me against it. He said, and I quote..."Don't do it, it's not necessary. In our town (Erie Pa) you will learn very little and pay very big bucks for a very long time. Thank You again Don, for you were right. I don't have the option of travelling to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to work for higher wages, so I work in LTC. I LOVE being a nurse, LOVE my job, LOVE my co-workers and LOVE many of my elderly residents.
I have/do perform as a charge nurse and deal with the Drs and all the paperwork & supervisory duties that are included. I don't care if I can't "hang blood or push narcs by IV"...I do EVERYTHING & MORE that our RNs do and am respected for it.
Thankfully I listened to my friend and didn't put myself into 40K more debt!!
And by the way, I WAS trained in "extensive critical thinking"...actually it's the "extensive common sense" that seems to be missing in many RN's, they try to "overthink" things and end up making the issue MORE complicated than it really needs to be!
I'm an LPN, 10 yrs in the field. I followed my instructors around like a puppy dog during clinicals and hounded to do every and any procedure I could get in on! I would even ask the staff nurses at the hospitals/facilities we were at, if I could watch them, help them and eventually DO it on my own, with my instructor present of course. Certain classmates were mad but you know what? I didn't care, it was MY education and I was RESPONSIBLE for learning!!!
Get out there and do it while you have supervision! Good Luck!
Libran 1984,
While I sympathize with your bad experiences in LTC, I could'nt read every word. WAAAAY too much Dear. You sound young & inexperienced. There isn't ONE single area in nursing that is perfect. You'll find idiots, short-staffing, short supplies, poor communications, illegible documentation, rude pts, family, co-workers and Drs ...BLAH BLAH BLAH...
You either need to SUCK IT UP or PICK YOUR BATTLES....OR GET OUT OF LTC AND TOUGHEN UP GIRL. IF I WORKED WITH SOMEONE LIKE YOU I'D EAT YOU ALIVE!
AND NO, "I'm not an eat your young" kind of nurse. I earned my PN license when I was 38, have been in nursing only 10 yrs. I've tried the office setting (family practice & pediatrics) I've tried the hospital, private duty, hospice, LTC and a center for mentally & physically challenged young people. It's fair to say I've" been around the block". And every area of nursing has its pros & cons. You LEARN TO COPE! Or get out of nursing altogether!!!
On that note-I'm happy & excited to say that I've just accepted a job offer in a spa/salon...as I was a beautician/nail tech prior to nursing. Always good to have a plan B.....Best of Luck to you!
I live in Erie Pa. I became an LPN @ age 38. I love giving care, am good @ it and have empathy & sympathy for the ill & frail. Unfortunetly in this town there are no good jobs really. I work in a LTC facility, county owned no less. The staffing is always short, unionization has created all kinds of problems, scheduling is a joke (in nursing period). I also work in private duty home care. I have been on a couple of "normal" cases. I've also been on cases where the nurse is treated like a servant, a housekeeper and a slave. I've been lied to, yelled & sworn at by ungrateful ignorant family members and bitten by the clients dog more than once. My supervisors are RNs who have worked in the hospitals and for the agencies and they say it sucks there too! I had a past LPN classmate tell me don't go back and waste 40K to get my RN cuz it sucks being in charge and he makes LESS money per hour than I do ( as a perdiem) in the same LTC place.
I would tell you to LOOK CAREFULLY at the availability of jobs in your town. I would like to be a resp. therapist but already know there are no jobs available in this town. I love the "concept of nursing" and all that it stands for, but if I could be even 37 yrs old right now, I would go back to school for another degree altogether. God Bless and Good Luck!...and YES, have some fun & live alittle while your'e in school, you can never get back your 20th, 21st etc years of life.
Beautiful story. and a reality I deal with daily. LTC, family dynamics, staff opinions, dr's opinions, loved ones inability to let go...very stressful. Yet I get something else out of it. I do what I can do, and do it THE BEST i can do it...and pray for Gods strength to do it even though it may not be what he or I would want. My heart is comforted knowing HE will ask the questions, if they need be asked, HE will have the final say, if there's a "say" to be had...Leave it all in his glorious wisdom, for only HE will handle it as necessary. God Bless all the awesome nurses out there, for it is WE, who these folks really need and appreciate in their final hours! S. Kinsey LPN LTC/Private Duty <3
I'm not an ER/OR nurse...nothing as exciting, educated or interesting. In fact, I work mostly in Geriatrics. One of the most important/imperative places to me, that the gift of human touch is needed and needed so much more of...I'm often late for lunch or skip breaks (and yes I know I must take care of myself, and I do) to fetch extra tissues, look for that "misplaced" change purse or triple check w/ Mrs So & So to "be extra sure" she really doesn't need a pain pill after all.
Much of my best life experiences and knowledge has now/is now coming from taking that extra time to sit & chat, even for a few minutes, with my residents. I hear about life, work, love & even sex...I almost forgot that my "elderly" residents did indeed enjoy long marriages, family & ALL the aspects that make my own life sweet...
Most importantly, it is those few extra minutes each shift, making me late for lunch...that seem to make the biggest & most sincere differences in my elderly residents lives..they have kids/grandkids who are "victims" of this "yesterday, hurry-up, can't find the time to visit" world..Happily, some of these family members have bought/taught gramma to use a computer and communicate with them electronically, which is better than most..
The bottom line for me is..I agree, human touch is a priceless, appreciated, requirement in our profession...and the patients DO realize it and DO comment on it and it never hurts when your reputation is of kindness & compassion.
I think this article was great and I'd seriously like to give a free seminar to new grads and maybe some current "professionals". It amazes me that I work with and meet new medical profs all the time who can't read, write, speak or articulate their thought in an intelligent manner. It's sickening really. I've worked in a LTC facility, where the charge nurse was 400 pounds, rude to staff, residents, families and everyone else, sat on her lazy butt @ the nurses station and slept, ate or talked on the phone..and she was allowed to work for several years, because she had no life and therefore would work any day, any time, any shift...She had tons of money because of it...and you know...she filed for bankruptcy and eventually was fired. Karma is a beautiful thing! But, back on subject- because there are so many unprofessional doofuses out there, it makes it much easier for others to obtain jobs...sad but true!
Really Viva? I find your story redundant and rather selfish. You are a self-described "super nurse"...we have those where I work...none of us can stand them! You bounced from place to place and never mentioned realizing how grateful you were to even have a job. You obviously don't value your patients/residents that much or you'd have realized long ago that consistency and continuity is extremely important for the ill and elderly.
Frankly you bored me and made me wonder why you stayed in nursing in the first place. And oh BTW, I'm 47 yrs old, proud to be an LPN for 8+ yrs now, have a good reputation and comradeship with my co- workers, have worked at the same places for several yrs. I work per diem in LTC and in Private Duty Home Health Pediatrics. And I admit, there are patients, patient family members and co-workers I'd rather not deal with some days. There is vomit and poop and psych issues but I was born to be a nurse and love it all...the good, the bad and the ugly.
AND THERE WILL NEVER BE A SHANGRA LA NURSING JOB...WAKE UP FOLKS!
Hi Wildlaural, I'm an LPN of several yrs, LTC, love it! Unfortunetly I have experienced some of your frustrations. My best advice to you is, if you are a good, compassionate, thorough nurse...have a good relationship with your charge nurses, supervisors, ADON & DON. You are creating a reputation with all these folks every shift you work. If you are perceived as such, then when a patient complains excessively or makes false or exaggerated statements, you can then explain the situation to whomever and more times than not, your word will be taken as truth (and tell the truth, it's much easier).
In my experience, there's many facets to patient "attitudes & perceptions". Many feel "entitled" to individual attention & "special" privilege and when we are caring for 40-50 patients in a shift, that is simply not possible. We do owe our residents & patients the best attentive care we can provide, but people are quick to forget that we're on duty and doing our personal best for them. Hang in, talk to your superiors for more advice!
Wow to whomever it was that posted the 1st answer. I'm an 8 yr LPN. I almost went back to school at age 47 for my RN. Fortunetly a male RN with whom I'm friends with, work with and went to LPN school with- was honest and forthright enough to warn me against it. He said, and I quote..."Don't do it, it's not necessary. In our town (Erie Pa) you will learn very little and pay very big bucks for a very long time. Thank You again Don, for you were right. I don't have the option of travelling to Cleveland or Pittsburgh to work for higher wages, so I work in LTC. I LOVE being a nurse, LOVE my job, LOVE my co-workers and LOVE many of my elderly residents.
I have/do perform as a charge nurse and deal with the Drs and all the paperwork & supervisory duties that are included. I don't care if I can't "hang blood or push narcs by IV"...I do EVERYTHING & MORE that our RNs do and am respected for it.
Thankfully I listened to my friend and didn't put myself into 40K more debt!!
And by the way, I WAS trained in "extensive critical thinking"...actually it's the "extensive common sense" that seems to be missing in many RN's, they try to "overthink" things and end up making the issue MORE complicated than it really needs to be!