Nursing registry....???

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2005

I would be very shocked to find that a nurses registry would send you, a new grad, to work as a charge nurse at nursing homes, because that is the kind of work you would be expected to do. There are a number of things nursing home charge nurses need to be aware of and these 3 nursing homes are not going to teach them to you. They are going to expect that you know them.

I've got a better idea for you. If there is such a need for LPNs and nursing homes are calling the nurses registries for them, then that means they are probably short of help. Try applying for jobs at a couple of nursing homes. Once you have a year or so of experience as a charge nurse under your belt then you can work with the registries.

How did this nurses registry find out about you? My mother ran a nurses registry for years and I am shocked that they would even consider placing a new grad in any kind of staff relief position. You would be at a high risk of making many mistakes and I'm surprised that this registry might be ignoring this. You need to be in a regular job where you can get proper orientation to your role as an LPN first.

ecko_3420 · Oct 23, 2005

They contacted my school and got the list of newly grads and those who have taken the NCLEX. I asked the lady that i spoke to about how my orientation would go and she said that i would be paired up with an RN. I dont think they were asking me to be a charge nurse. I will meet with her on monday and see what the terms are. I have talked to a couple of my friends that has worked with registry and they said its ok as long as its not in a acute setting. What do you think? Thanks for the info in advance.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Oct 23, 2005

See my post above for what I think about this. Working registry is the same as floating. You can't learn well when you're going from place to place to place every day or so. Facilities that hire staff relief from registries pay big time money for those services. I can't possibly imagine that any facility would be happy to have a new grad with no job experience working for them. I don't understand what they mean by being paired with an RN. Most states have a law that requires an RN to be in a nursing home for part of a 24 hour period. About the only "good" thing I could see from this is that the agency might have some kind of deal they've worked out with these nursing homes where they bring in new grads and if a nursing home likes you they pay the registry a fee (like an employment agency) if they want to hire you to be on their staff. Most registries have their nurses sign an agreement that you will not take any full-time employment from any of the facilities they sent you to as staff relief for something like 90 days since you last worked there. This is a really curious thing. As I said, my mom ran an agency, and I know a great many of the tricks of the business, but this is a new one to me.

tferdaise · Oct 24, 2005

Pro- More money... :yelclap:

Con- Being "dumped" on by the place you are going to work at. Most of the time agency nurses get the worse assignment at the place they are going to work. As a new grad you have LOTS to learn, working LTC (Long Term Care) you have to have very good assessment skills, you learned the basics in LVN school. Paperwork, learning the papar work is tough, and trying to get the med pass done in rough since you don't know all the meds thier trade names and generic name, because on the MAR;s some might have written thier trade name, and on the med card they have thier genaric name, gets very confusing. If you have to look up every med to make sure you are handing the right med out, you well NEVER get your med pass done in time. I have been a LPN now for 3 yrs, have worked, Home Health, Step down ICU and now LTC. I feel confident enough to go work at agency, but I'm getting paid more then what most registary get paid anyhow, if you include Benny's and PTO...:uhoh21:

Tony

i am a newly grad.lvn and jst recently got my lincense...now it time to go job hunting. I was called by a nursing registry and was offered a position. If any of you guys know the pros and cons of working in a registry as a new grad i would apprecite some info. So far they've offerd me 18 an hour and would only be sent to 3 convalecent homes...I will meet with them on monday to get more info but maybe you guys can help. Thanks in advance.