New LVN: Best place to look for work?

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Dec 24, 2013

Corrections. You just started, so I wouldn't recommend home health or PDN.

BishopLPN, BSN · Dec 24, 2013

I'm not in Texas but a field I've come to really enjoy is working with individuals with developmental disabilities. My facility works with individuals who have been diagnosed with a severe or profound developmental disability. Google ICF/DD (Intermediate care for the developmentally disabled) or ICF/MR in your area. They are such a protected class that you won't have the heavy patient load associated with nursing homes. Look for a non profit. Patient care tends to come first over everything else at a non profit. The only thing I miss is the conversations I would have with my residents at the nursing homes. The individuals I work with now are unable to carry on a conversation.

There's also home health (which tends to pay the best for LPNs in my area), Clinics/Dr Office, Assisted living, skilled rehab facilities, Flu shot clinics are mostly finished but start back up next August, Find an agency that provides respite care for families, A lot of places are looking for HEDIS nurses right now (but that requires prior training), Hospice facilities , Prisons, Look for some of your state run facilities like mental health facilities and the VA (Great benefits but low pay for LPNs).

Best of luck!

Oedgar · Dec 24, 2013

I am in Texas as well, in a small rural-but-growing community near Houston. Opportunities here are largely nursing home, corrections, and home health. However, our local hospital is growing into a health system, with several outpatient clinics that have just opened. Our county also occasionally has health dept openings. The VA just built a clinic here a few years ago, and I see occasional LVN openings there. Our hospital also still has LVNs inpatient, which I gather from reading here is not too common. LVNs and MAs are in physician offices here, though I don't know the chances of getting hired as a new grad. I would urge you to spend some time working as a floor nurse, so that you keep all of those skills that you learned in school. I worked Pedi/Pulmonary floor for two years, before going to allergy clinic. I have been out of the hospital environment so long that I could not work inpatient if I wanted to... but I don't want to. I am in an OB/Gyn office after many years at home. To be honest, my resume' would not have received a 2nd look, but ... it turns out the resume I sent to a very generic newspaper ad was in the office of someone I knew who worked in the same building when I was at the allergy clinic. If you know someone who works in a physican office that may help.