NEW LPN

laughing weasel · Feb 28, 2011

I did home health right out of school because I was brave and dumb. DO NOT DO IT!!!!!! I am lucky that I did not lose licence or hurt a patient. I would suggest hospital (try the VA the patients are cool). If not at least try nursing home or office.

emjunk · Mar 2, 2011

I am also a new nurse and I would say go to a hospital if possible, it's a much easier transition from school, however if you're like me and live in an area where there aren't a lot of nursing jobs you can't be choosy. I personally am working in a Nursing home with the 20-30 patients per LPN... But a lot of it isn't as hard as people make it out to be, of course that is mostly determined by the nursing home. For example, where i work, during the day when we have the most meds there is a treatment nurse that does all the wound care, colostomy bag changes, etc. All the med nurse has to really worry about is meds and flushing tube feeders and doing breathing treatments. At night when there are less meds you have to do it all, however like i said it's much less meds, the majority of patients have the most meds in the day time. At night that nurse has few meds, mostly the occasional pain pill in the middle of the night and the 6 am meds, which are mostly things like nexium, protonix, synthroid, etc. And this is all still extremely overwhelming to begin with though... Especially your first day when you have 20 patients lined up waiting for you to give them their meds and complaining cause you can't get it done fast enough and you have to go set up a breathing treatment for the woman down the hall and someone's wife/husband/daughter/son is coming to you complaining that their whoever hasn't gotten their meds yet and they pressed their call light 20 minutes ago... lol but it does get easier with practice.

So far I have to say I really love my job in the nursing home. It's very rewarding when I'm able to visit and help the elderly and disabled where I work. Many of them just want someone to talk to or listen to them. But it's not a job for everyone...

But to reply to your comment about losing your license, unless you really do something stupid and really get someone hurt, the likelihood of losing your license isn't that great. If it's a good nursing home than the staff will most likely help you, at least at first, and they will keep you afloat enough until you get the hang of things, after all if you're not their working they have to fill in your job until they find someone else to do it. Just remember what you've learned in nursing school and regardless of what they all say, do what you know is right and not what they say is easy and you'll be fine.