Nmbeck

I have quit a couple jobs in my nursing career and in hindsight found those decisions led to so much better, even though at the time it felt like fear and failure. Rely on faith to guide you. Trust yourself. You know you. And remember, employers don't care about you. They'll throw you under the bus in a heartbeat. Give them two weeks notice as a courtesy to coworkers and the scheduler....heck I gave 24 hrs notice one time, just long enough to finish my mountain of paperwork, because that was the best for all involved. Your loyalty is to your own mental health, and to your patients.

Yes, private duty is a safer environment for LPNs, in my opinion, if you're with an agency dedicated to training you before you're alone. The agency should have a clinical manager on call at all times to help you make decisions when you detect changes in condition. Be sure you follow another nurse until you know the patient's routine, meds, and can perform all skills, before you are left alone. Excellent post. Thank you. You should train nurses ?

"Home health" means driving from patient to patient to quickly assess, do a lab draw, or wound care. Then HOURS of OASIS charting! I quit! I prefer "Private duty," providing direct patient care instead of walking out after 10 minutes. There ARE agencies that hire private duty nurses and require NO OASIS charting, just an electronic or paper checkoff of care and meds given.

I didn't find anything disagreeable about your post. I was replying to a new grad who's wondering whether private duty is the way to develop skill or begin a nursing career. I don't recommend private duty for young, ambitious nurses. It does not provide the wide range of clinical experiences a new grad needs to build her practice. Clearly you've proven my point that advanced skills are learned on the floor and then transferred to private duty. I do recommend private duty for mature nurses like yourself, but also for lesser-skilled nurses in special circimstances, for whom the hospital environment is not a good fit. I re-entered nursing after decades of being a homemaker. Private duty was a safe, low-pressure place to re-start practice. As you said, the clinical manager is always there for me. Another example I know is a new grad who is an immigrant with a language barrier. She's unwilling to navigate a hostile hospital environment. She is also a mom to a young child and a private business owner. It is not her goal to become a badass nurse, just have a second job. She is great at her nursing position and has been with her patient several years. I assumed the new grad I was addressing here is hoping to become a badass like yourself. The best way to do that is like you did, starting on the floor, not in private duty, unless one is simply not a good fit for hospital nursing. There's a variety of patients with a variety of acuity levels in private duty. A good agency is careful to match patients with the right nurses, and provide training.

Yes, private duty is a safer environment for LPNs, in my opinion, if you're with an agency dedicated to training you before you're alone. The agency should have a clinical manager on call at all times to help you make decisions when you detect changes in condition. Be sure you follow another nurse until you know the patient's routine, meds, and can perform all skills, before you are left alone.

Private duty is a gentle way to re-enter nursing if you've been out for a while or have anxiety issues with acute care. Private duty is a place for older nurses to get off their feet. I've also seen younger nurses do private duty as a second job. It's a safe place for LPNs who don't want to deal with unsafe staffing shortages. Private duty is all these things, but it's not the best place for ambitious R.N.s whose main goal is developing a large array of advanced skills.

I made just shy of six figures last year, and I'm at the bottom rung! Don't let anyone tell you there's no money to be made in nursing! They don't know what they're talking about. Factors affecting pay are locale, nursing shortage, experience, and education. I have been paid huge bonuses just for picking up extra shifts in addition to overtime. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are going to be covering physician shortages (thank you Obamacare/Medicare). There is money to be made in nursing if you have the aptitude for it, but it's NOT a job that can be done well for money alone. Nursing experience and education can also translate into many other well paying careers besides bedside care. Hope this helps you make the best decision for you.

I heard somewhere that nurses today still make more money than the average female college graduate, so it's a decent living. It's also a great career for parents who want flexible schedules or decent part-time pay while raising children. I would however advise someone like you to leave nursing school because you simply don't LOVE it. It's way too hard and too expensive to not love it and be proud of being there. I was so excited to be IN nursing school, I am SO PROUD to be a nurse...that isn't you! And that's ok! You're just here cuz you're afraid to risk the unknown out there and find where you really belong. I myself did other things, the inverse of your situation, because I was afraid of nursing! I was afraid of not being admitted to a school, I was afraid of math and chemistry, I was afraid of the awesome responsibility of nursing! While working in business and avoiding my calling, I gained life experience, confidence, and maturity. By the time I went back to nursing school, I had no doubts! Don't be afraid to do what you really want, get aptitude testing if need be. If you love what you're doing, the money and success will come. Take care.

You have an excellent resume; you're not "lost!" Also, I don't care WHAT anybody says, you DON'T need another bachelor's degree, especially since you have one in Biology. I got my B.S. in Public Administration (with courses in Health Education and human biology), THEN became an LPN after one year of CC! My very first hospital interviewer LOVED my background and hired me, even though I had not yet finished the R.N. program, and the hospital had quit hiring LPNs! Friends have had similar experiences...easy admission to nursing schools due to already having a degree...and employers loving their educational/work/volunteer background. Get your R.N. the cheapest/fastest way you can (ok, even if that's a bridge program to BSN). Then go for a masters in an area of nursing (or business!), after you've worked and have a sense of where your career is headed. You're obviously studious, a hard worker, and well prepared. You got this. It's just a matter of finding and applying to programs in your locale, and picking the one that is the most cost and time efficient.

What ever happened to the two-nurse dose check for insulin? That used to be standard practice everywhere, but I hear many hospitals have stopped. If this poor young lady had been protected by that, or at least had known it used to be STANDARD for a second nurse to double check insulin doses, she would've thought of it as NORMAL or correct to ask for a double check on insulin instead of feeling embarrassed to ask! I mean a second nurse should literally LOOK at the order, the filled syringe to check units, verify the vial (correct type of insulin and expiration date), and co-sign. (Diabetic patients with good management at home are good resources, but I haven't met one yet in the acute care setting who a)has good control and b)could give me accurate info about their insulin regimen! Margo's patient is a case in point.) My heart goes out to Margo, and I'm so grateful her hospital was supportive by helping her recover and stay in nursing. There are many take aways here. Thank you!

I'm sorry, what is PACU?