New Graduate Assisted Living

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Good Morning My Fellow Nurses;)

I, after several threads of complaining finally got a job, the only thing is that it is not a skilled facility, it is an Assisted Living Facility. We administer meds, assess , do admits, fall risks are big of course. I want to work for a hospital. Does working for this type of work hurt my chances of getting a job in a hospital setting? I would love skilled nursing but NO ONE is hiring. Thank you in advance for reading;)

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Also, I was going to work per diem but the DON Asked if I would like to take some extra shifts and work as a Med-Tech, is this a safe move for my license ? For those that don't know Family members provide the Medication cassettes pre filled with their loved ones medication list and the Med-Techs administer them! I had concerns that as a Med Tech I can lose my license because I am administering meds that I myself have not personally administered. The DON assured me through Company contracts that there is no effect whatsoever on my license because the family and Resident sign contracts saying that the staff have NO RESPONSIBILITY if harm is caused to the Resident by medication errors. The DON said that they would NOT assign me a position that would put my license on the line, nor their own! He showed me several contracts that the family has to sign because my concern is that Med Techs do not have to be licensed, and as an RN I do have a license, any advice would be great!;)

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Congratualtions! Working in an assisted living facility may not be the perfect place for an RN just starting out but it is a definite step up from unemployed and inexperienced. Am I correct in assuming that they've offered you the Med-Tech job in place of the RN position or did they offer you the RN per-diem with a few shifts of Med-Tech? My advice is to keep the per-diem job as an RN. That's the only way for that experience to count so that you can eventually look for work elsewhere. After about 6 months, I would definately start to look elsewhere.

I'm not sure if you can do both, hopefully there is someone else here that can give you advice on that.

Once again, Congrats!

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Hey WaterSamy,

I have a Per-diem shift as an RN, the facility offers pretty good benefits at Part time, so the DON asked if I wanted to take some Med-Tech positions to make me officially Part-Time on paper. I have 2 weeks to decide.

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You might want to contact the board of nursing, or maybe consult a medical lawyer. Technically, you are always a registered nurse, so you must always work within the scope of practice when doing "nursing" tasks. People are allowed to self-administer their own medication that they acquired through their doctor. So long as you are not dispensing it to them, you should be fine. In that situation, I would not hand it to them or tell them what it is. Just remind them that they should take their medication that they have brought with them. Actually, after writing that out, it really seems fishy to me. How could you, as a nurse, watch someone take meds and not be somewhat responsible, especially if they have an adverse reaction. Suddenly you are thrust into a nursing role, and you have no idea what they took. Sounds like a mess.

My gut says you should look into it more. The company having a contract cannot override any existing laws. Imagine if someone signed a contract saying that you were allowed to stab them to death. Would you somehow avoid prosecution for that? Contracts have to work within the laws, and cannot go around them. Use your instincts. If it feels like nursing, then act like a nurse.

As far as working in another capacity, if it makes sense for you financially, and you are unable to find other work, then go for it. You don't have to put it on your resume. Just always be aware of when you are crossing that line into providing nursing care.

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I would never administer meds that I did not personally prepare or that were prepared ahead of time. Doesn't matter if you are operating as a med tech or if families sign contracts. There is no way to check five rights adequately if you don't know what the meds even are, never mind the doses, etc. This is why many facilities don't hire nurses into other roles, even nursing asst., because you are still operating under your nursing license and as such are liable as a nurse if something happens. Contact the Board of Nursing for clarification.

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I also work for assisted living in Massachusett and we the nurses are NOT allowed to do the sAMM residents - if you don't know what you are giving, and you didn't prepare it yourself, do not give it

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So, I've got 6 months of experience working in an Assisted Living facility, and I am physically/mentally drained! Not by the job (dont get me wrong, Im running like the Road Runner) but I keep going to these interviews that are great. I mean, I've been subliminally told I have the job and to keep my phone on THAT afternoon. But I have had no call backs, told "the position has been filled, I'm sorry I didn't get around to calling you." It's getting really frustrating. Any advice? Im strong willed trust me, but I'm losing hope. ;( I don't know what to do;(.

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