NVLPN

I had a goal of finishing school to become an RN. Moved to Las Vegas in 1998 and was quickly cured of that goal after working in a hospital & multiple nursing homes out here combined with the minimal educational opportunities of LPN + RN bridge program (singular....in the WHOOOOLE state of Nevada, there's ONE program that's regionally accredited and it's at the College of Southern Nevada). The rest of the regionally accredited programs to get your RN (few & far between) are full of flaming hoops of fire nonsense. They control your life. List of mandated vaccines. Absolutely insane restrictions. I left nursing and went to a completely different field. Close to retiring, I missed patient care and thought I would go back to my original goal of becoming an RN. Started working part time as an LPN & volunteering. I thought 'certainly, 20 years later the educational opportunity is better'. No. Still only one LPN to RN bridge program, same location, Monday through Friday in classroom day shift. What working person can do this? Zero part time courses. Zero night school. Zero online programs and even worse restrictions now as the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) wants mandatory RONA shots (let's call it what it is....experimental shot, not a vaccine) for everybody simply attending college or university - even for basic general freshman classes. Nevada is f***ED with these kinds of "leaders". NSHE is a joke. The NV State Board of Nursing is a joke. I found a LPN to BSN online program through Indiana State University. Looks to be an excellent program and I was SUPER excited to find it and get started on it. You do the course work online, partime even....which is PERFECT for me then you go to the hospitals to be prevented. I'd be willing to pay a good nurse directly to share his/her knowledge with me. But guess what. This program is only open to certain states and, OF COURSE, Nevada is not one of them. I spoke to the director of the program at ISU and asked her what was wrong with me living in Nevada and getting a Utah license (where the program is accepted), traveling to Utah to precept? Whole host of issues. But bottom line, it boils down to our Nevada State Board of Nursing as the problem. Honest to God, I've never felt like such a 2nd rate nurse in any other state because I am "just an LPN". Nevada treats LPNs as of they are worthless. They don't even look at us as a nurse under our own license....they consider us "pre-licensed". To show you the stupidity of NVSBON....I work with babies and kids on ventilators. NV law....LPNs are not allowed to change a trach. But, if there's an emergency you can. HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO HANDLE AN EMERGENCY TRACH CHANGE WHEN IM NOT ALLOWED TO CHANGE TRACHS IN NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. It's the brilliant law makers and lobbyists for the NVSBON. Idiots. So. I've OFFICIALLY given up. I'm done. I'm going to become a bartender instead. Possibly a semi truck driver as well. And lemme ask you burned out RNs of NV. How many of you would much rather precept a LPN with 15 years of varied experience under her belt compared to a new grad? Nevada can suck it. This LPN is fully leaving the healthcare field because of the ridiculous restrictive lack of educational opportunities and the outright incompetence of the NV State Board of Nursing. I'm sorry for all you RNs miserable & with the velvet handcuffs on. God bless you and may God guide your next steps.

I am an LPN who attended school in another state 20+ years ago. I was trained in school to do narrative charting, but in clinical, it was all computer charting (yes, no joke). I move to Nevada in '98, and it's all ancient paper charting. IN THE HOSPITALS. To include lab work being completed with a runner. I had never witnessed such a thing. I let my license lapse as I made a career change. I decided after 15 years, I missed nursing, refreshed my license, did a very strange modified mandatory "clinical" that was a complete nightmare, and got my license back. I'm working in home health care now—handwritten narrative charting. Just shoot me. I am so uncomfortable with my charting. The sheer fact of it is that I'm just very rusty - honestly can't even remember some of the acceptable abbreviations, so I write things out. Can anybody recommend a nurse charting boot camp? I need more than what a CEU will provide.