ponderingDNP

Reapply....there and elsewhere. Once you get their response, then you'll have your answer. It could be that policies were altered after your initial application in that they now include LPN years as qualifying experience. But always, always, ALWAYS keep a back up plan. Sometimes the Almighty throws us curveballs that forces us to move when we'd otherwise sit still.?

My short sprint through home health didn't reveal any pros to this pay model. I found it to be, in MY opinion, only beneficial as supplemental income where it co-exists in a household with a full salary, and a significant need for a work-life balance. My revelation came when two of my ONLY TWO scheduled patients for the day cancelled/rescheduled: ZERO dollars for the day even though I reported for work. As the sole source of income in my home, given that I live alone, pay per visit model quickly (almost instantly) became one of the very few required nails in my home health coffin.

You lasted one month longer than I did! I was sent into a filthy, smoked-filled home that triggered a major asthma attack. Avoiding the triggers, I hadn't had an attack in nearly 40 years. I quit in the spot!

The key is organization. Set aside designated time for school. I worked 40 hours per week and was 55 years old when I enrolled and 56 when I completed my MSN in Care Coordination. Once I received the assignment, I created the skeleton of my paper on a Word document and saved it to my laptop. Simple, but that's what I did on Mondays after work. On Tuesdays, I searched for key articles specific to the subject and included those on the reference page that I created on Monday. Wednesdays through Fridays, I'd began reading those articles and entering key points in annotated form into the body of the paper, including any pertinent thoughts supported by those points. Set aside a period of time for this (ex: 2-3 hours) and stick to it, paying close attention not to go over. Your brain will need the rest to avoid ramblings in the paper (at least mine did). And your family, if you have one, will appreciate the consistency. On Saturdays, I brought the paper together, deleting any articles that I decided not to use, and polishing up the paper so that the information flowed seamlessly from one thought into the next. When I was completely satisfied with the finished work, I submitted the paper before bedtime Saturday night so that my Sunday was free for 'life'. I never tried to work on any schoolwork during work hours. Everything had its place and time slot. Fortunately, my online MSN program didn't require any exams, but those papers more than made up for it and they had to be on point. I took two courses at a time and was able to complete my program in 18 months. Half of that time was spent searching for a preceptorship site for the practicum experience; otherwise I would have finished in a year, maybe less. I hope these tips are helpful for you. For what it's worth, there was 24 years between my LPN to ASN; 4 years between my ASN to BSN; and 6 years between the BSN to MSN. So, forget about the years away from school and just go for it if this is what you want.

Well! I feel the frustration and anger in your words and I can empathize with them because I was you prior to becoming an RN. My thoughts back then were that I should have been allowed to take the NCLEX-RN and IF I didn't pass, then and only then should I be required to enroll in an RN program. How's that for ingenuity?? But that is seriously how I felt and what I believed. I'd been an LPN for 24 years. You definitely are not a glorified CNA. Depending on the hospital, as an RN (with a MSN, BSN), I've been treated as a glorified maid, jack-of-all-trades, etc. You name it, we play it. Aside from the income, I can truly say that I was happier as an LPN than I am today. The added responsibilities will NEVER parallel the pay we get. But even today after nearly 40 years of combined nursing experience, I am still learning a lot of the 'why's' behind the things we do as nurses; and being able to translate the reasoning to patients in language that they understand is soooo gratifying for me. My MSN is in care coordination for this very reason. I absolutely love seeing the lightbulb come on when I explain the purpose of an ordered test or approach to care. Some of the things I've learned, I didn't get as an LPN for many of the reasons that you outlined above: we, as LPNs were too busy completing tasks and being subjected (sometimes unintentionally) to a gross lack of respect. So I get it. But trust and believe that on this side of the tracks, it's is still the same treatment, if not amplified. I've heard all of the statements: you're just an LPN, we want an RN; you're just an ASN, we want a BSN; you have an MSN, when will you get the NP or DNP? Now, in the way of the world, MDs are giving NPs and DNPs a hard time. There are battles being fought and won, but the ones you're enduring were in effect when I bridged from LPN to RN 15 years ago. I didn't forget those battles...just been too busy fighting these over her. I walked through the RN doors ducking and throwing punches.? But guess what? This is just my opinion, but I feel that eventually, Artificial Intelligence is going to negate all of our battles against each other; and then it will be 'man against machines'. I hope some of what I've said helps you to feel better. There are some places that value LPNs, and other places utilizes only RNs to do the work of RNs, LPNs, CNAs, AND housekeepers. I recall a thread on this forum where one hospital required their nurses to strip the beds, and clean the rooms (yes, sweep and mop!) after every patient discharge because they were so short-staffed a few years ago. Hopefully that has changed by now. Do what you can to keep putting one foot in front of the other and fighting for the profession. It's not just about the letters because I know a nurse who went from LPN to RN when I did, then on to FNP, step by step and still cannot find a job in my state because this person NEVER spent one day working as a nurse, yet felt the need to complete preceptorship hours as pointless. The compensational checks and balances can be improved, yes, but they are slightly better than my LPN days, depending on locale....same as RN.

So, when you left the building, you took the narcotic keys with you?? In a total of 7 minutes, the DON was already onsite and a CNA was summoning you back to the building? The CNA had your (an agency nurse) personal cell number? Is the CNA a personal associate of yours? Was the DON lurking in the shadows waiting for you to drive off? You've worked 100 facilities and you never made rounds before accepting the unit to make sure there was adequate staffing in the building in the interest of patient and YOUR safety?? As an agency LPN, you didn't bother to check who your partner(s) was/were should there be an emergency situation with a resident? Speaking of which, did someone code in the 7 minutes you were out of the building?? There's so much more to this story in my opinion. An experienced nurse does not make these types of mistakes. But then again, you mentioned being in healthcare for 15 years, not being an LPN for 15 years. Even a new grad would want to know who the resource person is should she or he encounter trouble. The total lack of critical thinking in your account of what happened would disqualify you for ANY of the positions that Nurse Beth mentioned if I was the hiring manager. (Mind you, I said "in your ACCOUNT of what happened", not that YOU lacked those skills). I think you are purposely omitting key details...details that might refer you to McDonalds, and the like, versus other healthcare opportunities.. I say this as an RN of 15 years, who worked countless shifts as an agency/float pool LPN of 24 years. Some things are so second-nature after working "100 facilities" that there is no way they could happen over a cup of coffee. I think you are planning for a future that no longer includes licensure and if so, that same future may or may not include healthcare altogether, depending on actual events that were uncovered. Again, my thoughts mean nothing in your world or anybody else's other than my own. Just be mindful that advice based on half-true or untrue scenarios will only waste your time.

Trust me, the powers-that-be fully understand why certain nurses are selected for shift cancellations. Should the unit be slammed with admissions or multiple extremely critical situations at once, they'd need to utilize the best bang for the buck in those situations. I was a med-surg acute care LPN with 23 years of experience. But when staffing needed to be cut per shift, I always made the cut because as wonderful as I thought myself to be (?), having me on board with low census would still require an additional nurse that had to be an RN to oversee and co-sign. If they needed only 3 nurses for the patient load and I was one of the 3, they would have to bring in a 4th. My shifts were cancelled so much that I became and RN in the downtime. THEN, one of the 3 was me.?

Perhaps your preceptors are waiting for you to 'make that connection' with the patient during your task encounter. Take a moment to talk with the patient, notice and comment on something about the patient that is specific, yet not necessarily associated with the task. Get the patient talking to see if there is some new information that can be revealed. Once the sharing begins, proceed with the task, but with a listening ear. Hopefully, the preceptors are fair, appropriately nonjudgmental, and have your and the patients' best interests as one of the focal points of the residency. I can't help but to recall my LPN-to-RN competency exam. My evaluator gave me report and told me that no one has been able to convince this particular patient to get out of bed in the two weeks that he'd been hospitalized....not even her. Not only was I able to get him to sit up in the chair, when I went back to check on him, he refused to go back to bed. Guess what? The evaluator failed me on that scenario for placing the amount of milk intake on page two of the care plan instead of on page one. That was Saturday, February 13, 2010. I'll NEVER forget it. That carton of milk was more important than the impossible being made possible. But the main thing is that I made that connection that got the mountain to move even when my evaluator (preceptor) could not. You can do this. Good luck, Guys!

That's the type of commute I make for my fulltime position. I transferred witjin my organization from an hour commute one way to at least a two-hour minimum, on the night shift. My pay jumped from $86k to $120k. I have an ASN, BSN, and MSN. The $120k is for my experience, having the BSN, and specifically the location of the job. I'm hoping for a WFH position as well, even if the pay is a little less. But sometimes we have to give up a little comfort to get to where we want to be BEFORE the end. Remember, the end justifies the means. Having a little one is definitely a motivating factor. Sweet and cuddly needs will turn into baseball or soccer practice, competitions, tournaments, vacations, proms, graduations, college, etc. It's never going to be a good time to be uncomfortable. Have you considered traveling to the nearest city to secure a PRN position? That ways you can get the extra coins on your own terms after the initial orientation shifts.

I would say that the medications were not already paid for. The OP stated that the resident's name had been removed from the PYXIS. The PYXIS system tracks removals for patient safety AND accurate billing. This tells us that every resident's name that the OP pulled a medication under was double charged for the medication pulled. Some systems provide explanation selections for pulling an additional dose: dropped on floor, refused earlier, new order, etc.. The supervisor clearly took full advantage of his or her authority while taking advantage of the innocence of a new grad. The problem with this as well is that the new grad DID and DOES know better, as evidenced by this post. Unfortunately in today's nursing climate at many organizations, it's brazenly clear that to walk through the door safely, that T-shirt that reads "Today ain't the day, and tomorrow's not looking too good, either" should be worn....and MEAN IT.

I'm so very sorry for the loss of such a wonderfully spirited soul. I've lurked here more than posting in recent times. But when I was actively posting in my 'BSNintheWorks', 'BSNbeDONE', and a few other username days that I can't remember, I learned so much through reading her posts. I'm in such disbelief right now. Viva will be truly missed. My sincerest condolences and prayers are extended to her family.

Hi! I used to be a regular contributor on this site during my educational pursuits. But life happens and tends to push many things aside. I'll share one my most unforgettable forgetful situations: I'd been an agency/float pool med-surg nurse (LPN and RN) for many, many years. The one time I took a two-week vacation, I was so relaxed upon returning to work that I couldn't remember all the equipment I needed to start an IV. I knew I was missing something but for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what it was. So, I proceeded to start the IV, knowing that what I needed would soon come to me (probably tape or a pen to label the IV). So, I began the process, explaining the procedure to the patient, reassuring him that I've done this a million times. I identify the site, apply the tourniquet, and prep it with the wipe. Then lo and behold, NO INTRACATH (needle)!! The patient and I got a good laugh off that one! I was only away from the bedside for two weeks. You've been away for a number of years, if I understand correctly. For you, reading is fine but you can't 'cram' what you need. My advice is to think about the type of work that you're doing. Brush up on key points and keep a notepad with you at all times. If questions are asked of you, write it down and ask the patient to give you a minute to go get the answer. Your patients will love the thoroughness and accurate response versus guessing. Nearly 40 years in and I still keep that 'brain' in the pocket of my lab coat. Depending on the assignment, I will carry a clipboard (a larger brain), and explain to the patients that if they see me without it, they can ask all the questions that they want, but don't expect any answers until I have that clipboard in my hands. They love it!? The things that you do repeatedly will stick, including the practice of writing down what you may have forgotten over the years. Nursing practice is just that. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!….until you master the art of nursing practice. Then you can continue to practice some more.?

I went step by step from LPN to MSN, and heard the "just an" insult at every level. I now expect to one day meet Optimus Prime/Primette in business attire saying, "you're just a human; we want..” Oh but wait! Artificial Intelligence is tapping into some healthcare positions, right? Well then, there you have it. Over my nearly-forty year nursing career, I've seen several higher-degree-level nurses in key management roles that were relieved of duty for incompetency in the positions that they occupied. My approach to nursing is to just focus on the role you were hired to do until you resign, retire, or are terminated.

A counselor who recommended you fail a class should be reassigned to the community. Pass the course with a C if that's as good as it's going to get at this point. Then, retake it to improve your score. Nursing programs are very competitive. You'll need to compete for a slot with a student who got an A or even a B. Whatever your grade is, it will be reflected on the transcripts and will impact your GPA. Do your very best!

Your answer rests with your school and its policies....not with the board of nursing.