doingourbest

Cool. Where do you work? I mean not specifically; but hospital, LTC, Rehab?

:wink2:Thanks for your expression of understanding. Unfortunately, everything that you said was done. She was spoiling for a fight. The only thing I had said to her prior to her being 2 inches from my face yelling was "I am so sorry she didn't get her vitiman drink this morning. Pharmacy hasn't delivered it yet and we don't have it in the E-kit. Would you like for her to have it as soon as it arrives?" She said no she didn't want her to have it because it says once daily BEFORE BREAKFAST!!!! She would not allow anyone to rectify any situation or console her. I understand her position. My dad was diagnosed with parkinsons 30 years ago and has since fallen broken limbs gotten MRSA multiple surgeries and lost a limb to MRSA. He has been in and out of multiple nursing homes, hospitals and rehabs. He has been at 3 of them I was working at while I was working there and even after I was working there. They need to be reasonable. If they want one on one care or 5 on 1 care they need to pay for that wherever they may go. We don't have that kind of staffing. Also, I have never seen a nursing home that had an in house pharmacy. They should be happy that all they were missing was a vitiman drink that next morning. Thanks to all of the arguing and pressure we had to put on pharmacy to get her meds there immediatelly, all of the other admits didn't get any of their meds that first evening, and very few the next morning. She had all of the other new family members so upset that they were very angry and nasty and running around causing trouble themselves. When I said to one angry family member while assessing her mother; "you seem very upset, and very angry, If you will tell me what I can do to help or to make you feel better about your mother being here, I will do everything I can to help." She said well my mother has been in her pajamas all day and had her meals in bed. And actually the mother had refused to get dressed and get up. She said that she didn't know how those girls thought they were going to get those clothes on her but she had'nt worn anything but a housecoat for months. She had also not yet been evaluated by therapy for transfers so I told the cna who asked what she should do that she could not make her get up if she was refusing, particullary if we didn't know if she could transfer or needed a lift. Well this family member said but it is not nearly as awful as what they have been through. When they had really been through nothing other than missing a vitiman drink and had caused everyone else to miss real medication that they needed. It was just crazy. I kind of wonder if they came there intentionally to create a lawsuit so that they can get money. The mother is there because she is weak and needs strengthening. No real skilled diagnosis. She could get strengthening through home health. They are harming other patients by being there.

What's a tab? I thought it was a typo in the first post, but then you wrote it several more times.

better knock on wood

I too am an LPN and have met and orientated many RNs who are clueless when they get out of school as far as actual patient care. Many have never even inserted a catheter. I think it depends on what school you attend. RNs have just learned more about disease processes in school and if they were smart they can put more together about if this persons disease is this and this lab says that then this must be happening. But, nurses aren't allowed to diagnose anyway, so the RN would also be required to notify the physician about everything an LPN would. Practical nurses are just that. We know how to do the practical aspects of nursing. The physical aspects and the paperwork aspects. We do not diagnose, but neither do RNs. Nurses implement doctors orders, therapy orders, dietary orders, ect. We do not issue orders. Several of the people I have encountered who have asked if I would go back to school to be a "real nurse" have implied that they thought that practical meant the same thing as practically. So I am under the impression that a lot of it is out of ignorance. They just assume that it means you are not yet a nurse. Don't let it get to you.

We have the same kind of issues. I work in a skilled nursing unit of a long term care facility. Last night we had five admissions. One of the five had family that was on a rampage from the minute they arrived.:argue: They also recruited the family of another new arrival in their quest to destroy. This family was still on a rampage this morning and actually getting in our faces and yelling at us. They were directed to me after a coworker was trying to assist them in finding out if their mother had received her vitiman drink this morning. The family member was yelling at him that she did not receive it and the medication aid with 60 residents to pass to and 5 new admits said that she didn't remember for certain if she had gotten it but that she did not sign it so it probably wasn't there from pharmacy yet. The nurse was just looking to be certain. Then she said so you ar telling me I can't beleive anything my mother says and that she is lieing. We got a whole rampage about that and despite his protests that that was not what he meant at all, she proceeded to tell everyone she spoke to after that that he told her she couldn't beleive what her mother said. She insisted on having all of her mothers medication records right that minute and insisted that I go get the administrator from his office right that minute. I told her I would call him and tell him she wanted to speak to him. Before I had even went from her room to the nurses station, she had marched off around the corner to his office herself. Fortunately, I am at a facility where the DON and the administrator are more than willing to tell them that if they are unhappy with our services they are welcome to go somewhere else and that we will provide transportation. Unfortunately they didn't take the invitation and are taking turns with other new resident's families pressing the call lights for no reason and timing how long it takes for it to be answered. They even said that is what they are doing. They have got every one in the facility so busy explaining and proving things and giving them information that they are actually causing delayed care for their family member and everyone elses. Hopefully they will just leave so that we can actually get back to the business of taking care of people.

I also had 75 questions and passed. I felt on every question as if I were guessing. The whole "best answer" thing, you know. Apparently I chose correctly. I was pretty concerned, but I thought that since I graduated with honors from nursing school; that would be crazy for me to fail so horribly that I wouldn't get more questions than that. I mean, if you get 75 and failed that means you basically got everything wrong. Still, it worries everyone I've spoken with about it. Congrats, Shana

The owner/DON of my facility called in two of my cnas who were doing a particularly good job c many resident and family compliments and not only told them so, but gave them each ten dollars. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but it meant a lot to those cnas to be recognized for their hard work. They both really deserved it.

I hope you're joking.:uhoh21:

To me it is a sweet yet sour smell. I havn't noticed it being stronger in patients with renal failure, but I have noticed it being stronger and beginning much sooner in patients with hepatic failure. Much like how an alcoholic retains a certain smell. I have a patient who is actively dying right now, but who has been doing so for over a week. We called the family in from many states away a week ago. They were planning on coming in last friday, but we called them on wednesday saying we didn't know if she would make it that long. One of them had to get leave from the military even, so we weren't just jumping the gun. We all really thought she was going. One of the main indicators was that death smell. Not to mention BP60/40, Spo277%on 3L. This patient has renal and hepatic failure. Quit dialysis last week, but I don't think it's the kidneys that are the problem. The ascites was horrendous prior to that. Anyway, just one opinion.

Gosh! who has time to chat? I would be telling her "Sorry, but I need to focus on my work.":o

It works best for you if you maintain the same schedule(ie sleeping during the day). If you have a family, obviously that wont work for a plethera of reasons. You are fortunate it is only 5 weeks.

Night shift is horrid. Avoid it at all costs. But, generally that is where new folks start. Are you a male or female. If you are a male you have a good shot at getting a day shift position to start. You just have to go in and say that is all you will take. They will also give you however much money you say if you are a man.

You can tell someone where you live without being too specific. If it is an uncomfortable situation you can lie about where you live. I mean, I don't know where you are from, but around here there are a zillion suburbs to name, or you can say no I live about thirty minutes up north, or wherever. I certainly wouldn't say "You don't need to know that". You can maintain boundaries without appearing to do so.

I hope the aid who told the residents they couldn't drink anymore was immediatelly fired! That is horrible cruelty and against the law.

It sounds like you are on the right track to be a good cna. Obviously you care. Often there are residents who will say such heartbreaking things. None of the places I have worked would allow someone to sit and cry if it were unusual behavior for them. It is likely that this woman cried all of the time and despite everyones efforts could not be appeased. At the moment I have a resident whom I love to pieces that continueously says "help me oh somebody help me" which I'm sure you can imagine makes a wonderful impression on visitors and prospective residents and family. Unfortunatelly, she is unaware that she is doing this. When you ask her what is wrong or what you can help her with she will say she is fine. When you tell her she was calling for help, she says she wasn't or that she didn't know she was. She is a wonderful lady who I care about so much. I would not allow her to suffer at all if there were anything I could do, and I give her special attention. But according to anyone just walking through, I sure that they think we are neglecting this poor woman who is calling for help. I am often told by visitors that someone is yelling for help, but she is okay. I think that you will see when you are the one providing the care that most all of us love our residents and do anything within our power to make them happy and comfortable.

Absolutely! These people will be the nurses you could have to work with in the near future, or they could be the nurses taking care of your parents or grandparents or children for that matter. You would be wrong not to tell. I had the same situation in my nursing school. We had a large number of students from a certain country. One smart girl from the group did all of the work and gave the rest of them the answers. Many people in our class told the teachers what was going on. It took awhile, but eventually the teachers were able to catch them in the act and most parties were expelled.

I have been the night shift supervisor at my last 2 jobs. This one I make $19.00 and hour, last one $17.59 an hour. What tends to happen to me is that I will take a night position even though I hate it, stating that I will do it untill a day shift position opens up, they will hire new nurses in from outside and give them day positions and leaving me on nights. When this happens 10-20 times while I am anxiously awaiting my promised dayshift position, I finally give my two weeks notice. Then they come back with a night supervisor offer. Mostly convincing me to do it with the flexible hours(basically work when I want as long as the job is done) and promising huge raises in three months that never materialize. When that happened, I just justified staying because it was good on a resume and good experience. Now, I know that I should never ever take a night shift if I don't want it because once they have it in their heads that they need you on night shift, they will never let you off.

wow that sucks!

Is registry the same thing as agency?

How do you join? Who do you join? I am an LPN and don't have it nearly so good.

I work in nursing homes and rehab facilities in Kansas. I get offended if offered less than $19 an hour. Although at my first nursing job I got $14 an hour because I didn't know any better. I had origionally applied at hospitals after graduation and was offered $11 an hour. I worked at the first nursing job for about three months. Had 120 residents and 2 cnas and myself and that was it. For $14 dollars an hour! I heard of a place from one of my cnas that paid their cnas $14 an hour and applied and was hired on the spot for $20 an hour and they let me pick my schedule. There I had only 30 residents with 2 cnas and many other nurses in the facility. So, from experience, ask around and apply at a lot of places before you take a job.

I spent about $200 on a littman cardiac stethescope. I am very glad I have it. Anytime I am in a situation where I do not have my own stethescope and have to use some cheap one, I feel that I cant hear what I need to hear. It is well worth the money. You can get a relatively cheap littman that will work well.

I work in a rehab facility, and sometimes it takes hours for the doctors to call us back. Sometimes they dont call us back at all. Sometimes we get an answering service that tells us the doctor didn't leave a number for our facility for the weekend, which means we don't have a doctor. I always place the page to the doctor and then take whatever measures necessary while waiting for a return call. I just have to chart that the doctor ordered it. Whenever the doctor does finally get back with you, they know that they should have been available and will of coorifice agree to any measures taken.

I know I spent all shift working on my first one, just to be sure it was done correctly. It always depends on the patient. Some adimissions are really quick and easy and some are just full of problems.