New LVN grad, any advise?

ComeTogether, LPN · Mar 28, 2021

You want to take the SNF job to build your skills

just remember that you “don’t know” what you don’t know, and LTC nursing is NOTHING like school prepares you for.

it’s overwhelming at first but give it several weeks before you decide.

take no ones advice or statements at face value - confirm everything by looking it up.

don’t be afraid to speak up when you don’t know something, even in front of patients. You’re not expected to be perfect - you just have to know where to get the answer.

go with your gut - if you think a med is off or you don’t understand why it’s ordered; why you shouldn’t or should hold it - STOP and look it up or ask the provider.

expect to be exhausted at the end of the night - that just means you did your job and you can sleep well at night.

Floor_Nurse · Mar 30, 2021

Don't "job-hop". It takes time to build a decent resume. Even if you're locked in with a good job, longevity is a plus.

Read the orders several times when dealing with dangerous drugs like Coumadin.

kbrn2002, ADN, RN · Apr 3, 2021

Since you are fortunate enough to have options I'd go with the position that most appeals to you.

School nursing has the advantage of school hours scheduling, this means no afternoons, no night shifts, no worries about mandatory overtime and extended vacations. Depending on the school district it can also mean less pay and depending on how your contract is set up maybe no pay during the extended Summer break making it possibly essential to either budget carefully or take a Summer job.

A SNF will no doubt give you plenty of skills to develop. That setting can be extremely rewarding or extremely stressful. Heck, usually both. I worked LTC for 20+ years and if you take a job in a good facility it can be a great job. There are way too many less than good facilities out there though so in my opinion success in that field is too dependent on the quality of facility so do your homework before accepting a job there. Staffing is almost always an issue in LTC but can be acceptable if there is supportive staff and management.

The one area I would never suggest to a new grad is home health. You are just on your own too much. There's nobody but you in that home, so no one handy you can ask for guidance or advice when you have questions and as a new nurse you should have lots of questions.

It may come down to just a decision based on compensation package so don't just look at hourly pay when deciding which direction to go. Factor in insurance, PTO/paid vacation time, education assistance if you are considering continuing your schooling. The possibility for OT and/or bonus pay if that is important to your budget can also be considered.

Anonurse01, CNA, LVN · Jul 14, 2021

On 3/20/2021 at 2:48 PM, Lexi1020 said:

Hello all,

I am a new LVN grad, passed my NCLEX in early march 2021. I've worked as a CNA & med tech for many years and have made lots of friends in the nursing world. Now that I have my license a few friends have reached out and offered different positions with companies that they currently work for. One is a SNF, another is school nurse, and another one is palliative care/home health. My issue is, being a new grad I know it is difficult to find jobs, because not many places will hire new grads with no experience. So being fortunate enough to have friends reach out to me is truly a blessing, I know, but what I am having trouble with is choosing a nursing path. I want to get experience and use my skills, but I am not too sure as to what would be a good choice for me. My fear is choosing a job, and being stuck there for a while and never using my skills at all. Any nurses out there who have any input or advise for this new grad? What would be a good move to make? Any advise or guidance would be welcomed.

Thank you all.

Hi there,

A bit of time has passed since your post, so I was wondering what you eventually decided on? I'm also in a similar position; I decided on contracted school nurse, but I feel like I'm losing my nursing skills because I'm mostly responsible for basic triage. There will be a few students with special medical needs such as diabetes or g-tube feeding but other than that, it's mostly clerical work. I'm thinking about applying for assisted living positions for LVN, but I'm still thinking about what to do. Thanks ?

Lexi1020 · Sep 27, 2021

Hello Anonurse01,

Sorry it took me a while to reply to your question.

So, I actually decided to stay at my current job and work at the assisted living on the weekends as a supervisor, however I quickly realized that I was losing my skills, but was gaining great leadership skills. I then began to look around for more jobs and applied at several places. Finally, my prayers were answered, and I was offered a position at a hospital. The issue was the pay, naturally, and I had always said I wanted to avoid med-surge. However I still accepted the job, and recently started orientation. I went in with an open mind and really wanting to become a better version of myself, however, from just orientating for 3 days, I quickly learned that hospitals don't care about their staff, or staffing ratios. They put me to orientate, and quickly I was pulled from orientation to pretty much become a sitter for 2 unstable and erratic patients. Then I also noticed that other staff members don't help at all. Everyone was watching me and my trainer drown and no one even bothered to ask how they can help, even the charge nurses. I went back a few days later hoping it would be different, and again, another RN asked my trainer if they can pull me from training to babysit a violent patient who was going through withdrawals. The RN trainer quickly said it was OK with them. My advise, is really look into the different jobs being offered, prioritize what you want in a job and what you can bring to the table, lastly, make sure that you think about your educational goals as well.

Good luck.

Ilargia99, LVN, RN · Sep 28, 2021

8 hours ago, Lexi1020 said:

Hello Anonurse01,

Sorry it took me a while to reply to your question.

So, I actually decided to stay at my current job and work at the assisted living on the weekends as a supervisor, however I quickly realized that I was losing my skills, but was gaining great leadership skills. I then began to look around for more jobs and applied at several places. Finally, my prayers were answered, and I was offered a position at a hospital. The issue was the pay, naturally, and I had always said I wanted to avoid med-surge. However I still accepted the job, and recently started orientation. I went in with an open mind and really wanting to become a better version of myself, however, from just orientating for 3 days, I quickly learned that hospitals don't care about their staff, or staffing ratios. They put me to orientate, and quickly I was pulled from orientation to pretty much become a sitter for 2 unstable and erratic patients. Then I also noticed that other staff members don't help at all. Everyone was watching me and my trainer drown and no one even bothered to ask how they can help, even the charge nurses. I went back a few days later hoping it would be different, and again, another RN asked my trainer if they can pull me from training to babysit a violent patient who was going through withdrawals. The RN trainer quickly said it was OK with them. My advise, is really look into the different jobs being offered, prioritize what you want in a job and what you can bring to the table, lastly, make sure that you think about your educational goals as well.

Good luck.

I’m sorry you’re going through that. It sounds like they are taking advantage of you because you’re new, while also keeping you from valuable/necessary orientation time that you are entitled to. Is this a place that you want to stay at or are you considering looking for a position elsewhere?

Lexi1020 · Sep 28, 2021

Thank you,

I honestly thought that I wanted to work in a hospital, that was always my goal, but this experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I am definitely looking at other places.

Ilargia99, LVN, RN · Sep 29, 2021

6 hours ago, Lexi1020 said:

Thank you,

I honestly thought that I wanted to work in a hospital, that was always my goal, but this experience has left a bad taste in my mouth. I am definitely looking at other places.

I hope you find something much better very soon!