i just graduated as an lvn a little over a month ago and haven't started working . i have been offered a position at a nursing home but have since learned the following: i will be working in the "heavy load" hall, i.e the medicare ward. there is a med-aide, but no admission nurse. i am told that the shift i will be working is when the most admits take place. they gave me an example of the current condition: there are 8 wounds, i would be doing the breathing tx, skin tx, 3 g-tubes (currently). i'd have to assess all the patient's skin nightly and chart on all of them nightly as well. however they said it would be a good learning opportunity (hmm...) for me as i go through excelsior for my rn as i will be trained on iv's and something else (can't remember). i was told these will be patients who have just come in from the hospitals. also the families can be very demanding (aren't they all), but that families are very involved at this facility.
i'm due for orientation on monday and i am just so unsure as to whether to take this or not. there's a certain thrill that comes with the idea of a challenge, but at the same time, being a new grad, i don't want to chew off more than i can bite. any advise? is this what is normal for an ltc? they did say that they will try to get one of their more experienced nurses to take the floor, but they doubt that she would .
It's called being baptized by fire. You have to start someplace and you have to learn someplace. I hope that you have found the job that you took to be workable for you.
update: i decided not to go for the position. i found out that they can't keep anyone on that hall. one guy worked that hall for a week and quit. no one that currently works there will take it, even for higher pay. so i figured as a new grad, it may not be the wisest thing to do. also...i called in to say i will not be accepting the position, only to find that the person that interviewed and hired me, and who was to start with my orientation today no longer works there! i was shocked, as i had only spoken to her about 3 days ago...not really sure what happened. i will say however that the other halls are apparently ok, and those that work there love it.
so i went to a different place to look for a job and the hiring nurse/staff co-coordinator asks me whether she can count on me to show up and work because the last hire they had just walked out after a week. i laughed to myself a little wondering why she would tell me this...it leaves the question in my mind...what happened that she just up and left? ltc seems to be a different type of ball game than i was briefly exposed to in the hospital setting during my clinicals.
with all that said, i did find another job, i start tomorrow. wish me luck! i really don't know what to expect :uhoh21:
sounds like fate rescued you, be thankful you escaped, although not having to pass meds is a great thing, but i bet that they promise a med tech , then you never actually get one. same old, same old. good luck.
caliotter3
38,333 Posts
It's called being baptized by fire. You have to start someplace and you have to learn someplace. I hope that you have found the job that you took to be workable for you.