ohlpn

I submitted my resignation today at the ALF where I've worked as a "part time RA" and "prn LPN" for the last 3 years. I showed up for work yesterday to do the month end audits and was told that the week-end nurse (who broke her leg last week) was being replaced by a recently hired LPN from a "sister facility." He will be given all her nursing hours & RA hours until she can return to work. This action by our Executive Director is an obvious ploy to get me to resign. Several years ago the parent company fired and forced resignation of 90% of their "older" employees which saved the company tons of revenue. I suspect I became the latest statistic...honestly though, I've had such a sense of peace & relief since turning in my 2 week notice today! It will just have to take us a little longer to pay off some bills & I can live with that.

I've been an LPN in ALF for 3 years after retiring from a skilled nursing home position after 13 LOOOONNNNGGGG & painful years. This past year I was "asked" to return to a "part time position" as an RA (resident Assosiate) in order to retain employment hours. In other words, I had to go from $19 an hour (LPN wages) to $12 (top aid wages) an hour if I wanted more than 3 days a pay period. I am just curious if other nurses have had to accomodate the "corporate machine" in this way. Our ALF has gone from 25 residents to 44 residents since January of this year. We have not been given any more nursing or RA hours or staff since corporate implemented these changes. Staff is resigning at phenominal rates & the company is unwilling to fill these positions. Unfortunately, those of us that have been loyal & stayed with the company through thick & thin are being worked to the bone! At 62 years old (& in compromised health....diabetes related conditions) am I really being taken advantage of, as many of my co-workers suggest? Unfortunately, if I don't continue like this for the next 2 or 3 years I'll have to become a Walmart greeter until I'm dead! Just a rant, friends. I think I REALLY know what to do...

I don't want to be a whiner or complainer, but Diabetic peripheral Neuropathy absolutely inhibits physical and mental/emotional cabilities in the field of nursing! After working as an LPN for over 15 years (plus 5 years previously as an STNA in a skilled nursing home) I have joined an Assisted Living Facility with my parent company! I was denied Social Security disability benefits for my debilitating DPN last year. Since I will turn 62 this year, I will take early retirement this summer. I'm hoping that I'll be able to continue working a few hours a pay-period in order to pay into payroll taxes this year.A couple of my paychecks were $0 last year due to the voluntary deductions from state & federal income taxes withdrawn & limited "on call" scheduling. I was a stay at home mom for most of my life & my DH earned enough that would take of our family until the late 80"s until Reaganomics kicked in & I was obligated to go back to work (at minimum wage) to put food on the table & help with a a house payment. I realize I have it "good" because I still have a job (with some pretty good 'job security'), but i really empathize with those that are struggling with this disasterous economy. I honestly believe that things will get better within the next year or so.....I wish the prosperity will come much sooner, but I'm not that optomistic. I empathize & pray that those in dire straights are able to recover from this miserable situation. You folks are absolutely IN MY PRAYERS!!!

My company does not allow Crocs, yet they are the only shoes I can wear comfortably throughout my shift. I've found Easy Spirit walking shoes offer comfort, but they don't last as long as Crocs. I've got Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (a severe case) & I'm limited in footwear choices. I have a co-worker who swears by Z-COIL (http://www.zcoil) footwear, but I'm reluctant to pay out about $200 bucks for work shoes! I seem to manage with my Easy Spirit walking shoes, but I'd really prefer something that would make me feel like I did 40 years ago!

I graduated (LPN ) in 1993 and made $9.50 straight out of nursing school. After a few years I discovered our company was paying $2 more an hour to the "kids" than I was getting. Get this...I was training these children straight out of high school who made at least $2 more an hour!! Anyway, depending on your location (political environment), I suspect a recent LPN/LVN graduate can earn $11 to $22 an hour. I recall working a stressful & unrewarding position in a skilled NURSING HOME for many years before I "fell into this Plumb job." Please note: Even an Assisted Living Facility can rip the life out of you....

I haven't read many of the previous posts concerning this issue, but my unbiased opinion is that the US needs some type of Universal Medical Coverage. My story is a case in point.... My DH had PRIMO medical coverage while he worked, we were "young" & with minor children living at home! He retired 2 1/2 years ago & our insurance coverage took a dump! I'm still able to work in an Assisted Living facility, but at age 61, I still have a few health challenges that are difficult to deal with. When we were young & healthy, we didn't need most of the coverage offered...now that we're retired/semi-retired the "Active Plan" sure would make our life more comfortable. We've lost DENTAL, VISION & much of our CATOSTROPHIC coverage....uhhh, these are issues that we are facing for the first time in our lives. When we were 38 this stuff didn't even enter our minds! I don't wish to get political, but NOW might be the time to really evaluate who the candidates for PREZ are & vote accordingly. I don't wish to preach, but you guys who aren't thinking about your "retirement years" yet, need to take a second look at where you're headed. DH and I DID NOT & my career is still in FULL SWING after 45 years of getting up at 6:30 am every day & dealing with people who think they "know it all." All I can say to the 30-somethings of today....do YOU want your future supervisor & "master of your career/life" to be some little 6 year old of today to be calling the shots for you in 20 years? Please think long & hard,,,,

Diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 1997, & contracted diabetic peripheral neuropathy in 1999. I've been working as a nurse with this syndrome for the last 11 years & it really doesn't impede my abilities too much. Though it's painfull & uncomfortable while at rest & at home, I'm able to work on my feet all day without too much discomfort.. Go figure!!! I applied for Social Security Dis- ability last year & was denied, I'm hoping I will be considered this year, because I'm 61 years old!

In the LTC arena (& probably in hospital venues, as well) how nasty & demanding some families can be when family members are patients. Many of these folks project their anger & guilt towards LTC staff. This is an ongoing problem which most RA's in our Assisted living handle exceptionally well.

I think I've posted this one before, but here goes! I was a fairly new nurse in a nursing home & we had a bedridden patient with an enormous abcess on his back...it actually looked like an infected zit. All shifts were dressing & cleansing this wound, he was on ATB's as well. I had to change the dressing & cleanse it one day & the (male) aide I had asked to assist me in holding this fellow on his side told me "I can take care of this problem, RIGHT NOW!!!" Ronnie proceded to apply pressure around the abcess & popped that sucker right open! It shot across the bed & landed on the wall behind me....it looked like someone had thrown a raw egg against the wall! I was horrified! It took a couple days to quit draining & heal up, but it did in less than a week. After many weeks of "treating" this nasty thing, an aide (& not a really good one for that matter) remedied the problem in a day!

I started nursing (in '93) vigorous, healthy & overwhelmed with optimism! I am now 61 yo & my priorities & abilities are challenged beyond what I could ever have dreamed! I recently received my handicap placard for my car, I work prn as an aid/LPN in Asssisted Living & enjoy my career more than I ever did. My residents appreciate that I "relate" to them so effectively compared to the "kids" that care for them full time. I believe my "disabilities" enhance my caregiving abilities to my 96 yo and 103 yo residents that "youthful" energy & education can not compare. No matter what our capabilities, in nursing we all contribute & offer something to somebody in need.

i agree, but as a semi-retired lpn, deals like this are very enticing to me & my dh! it's times like this that sway me toward socialized medicine.....

In LTC, we frequently check blood sugars without an order. Behavioral changes & other physical symptoms often require "nursing judgement" where chem sticks & other procedures help with assessments of acute changes that need to be addressed to the doctor. Good luck...

i feel for ya! i finally got out of "nursing home" craziness because of this kind of "administrative" mandates thought up by pencil pushers. i'm now working prn in an asisisted living facility & having the time of my life! don't know what kind of advice to give in these situations....sometimes the idiots are running the show & there isn't an easy way out.

When I was a CNA in LTC 20 years ago, a female resident died. The nurse called the son but learned he was on a cruise. The 17 year old grandson answered the phone & a loud party was heard in the background. The grandson wouldn't tell the nurse how to contact his dad & he rushed over to the nursing home with a drunk friend. They were observed rummaging through grandma's jewelry in her room & were asked to leave. They left & showed up a few minutes later with handguns....fortunately, our nurse had the forsight to call the police who greeted these little thugs at the front door. Our facility filed weapons charges & theft against the kids & I was delivered a subpoena to testify. When the subpoena was withdrawn, I later learned the charges were dropped because "daddy" was good friends with our Representative in the US Senate. Just your typical story of the rich kid getting away with bad behavior.

Thanks so much for all the reply's. They were all so informative & re-inforced what I think I already knew. As a post script, my son-in-law says that this nurse was mistaken about the military not being given PPD's. He says all new recruits are given Mantoux tests & he said at least 50 guys in his battalion have tested positive for exposure. I mentioned to the Infection Control nurse with all the soldiers & their dependents being transferred from all over the world I thought the Army would routinely conduct Mantoux testing. She stuck to her guns about there being no active TB, so it was pointless to test for it. What a dope! My daughter & her husband have been doing some follow up on this situation, but I haven't heard anything back on it.

I've just reviewed some old posts on this subject & found many of them to be very informative. However, I still have a couple of questions I hope can be addressed. I retired from LTC in Dec. 2003. In Nov. of 2003 I was given my annual PPD with negative results. August of this year I applied for a PRN position at an Assisted Living facility and tested positive for TB exposure. I am assymptomatic; I had the x-ray & am currently on INH. Questions: 1. Can some people have "false" positive results? The nurse that gave me the test elevated the needle at the injection site while giving the test, resulting in a good bubble, but immediate redness & swelling to the site. Two days later I had a raised, red, itchy spot the size of a quarter. I've never had a nurse give me a mantoux like that in the 15 years I've been tested. 2. Last February I was visiting my daughter on an Army post & while in the Commisary an older man (who looked to be either drunk or sick) coughed forcefully on me as I passed in front of him in the grocery aisle. There was spray & phlegm on the side of my face, in my right eye & hair.... actually, pretty gross! Last month I contacted the Infection Control facility at the Army Post & spoke with the civilian RN director and she pretty much blew me off. She stated that there were NO MALE active TB patients on post or in the nearby city & that the state has one of the lowest incidents of TB in the country. She even said that her department doesn't even give mantoux's anymore because the incidence of TB is so low. What a crock! I still think if I were exposed (& not a false positive) this is where I probably was in contact with someone with TB. I realize this is lengthy, so if you didn't get bored or "lost" while reading this maybe somebody might know about "false positives" in mantoux testing & have some familiarity with the way I was given the injection.

A lengthy treatise follows on magnetic therapy quackery: http://www.quackwatch.org/04ConsumerEducation/QA/magnet.html

In the nursing home I worked I had a male CNA holding a bedridden/nonresponsive resident on his side so I could change a dressing to his back. We had been treating this resident for over three months for this huge boil/carbuncle/abcess thing the size of a baseball. The CNA commented on how the boil looked like it was getting bigger despite all efforts at treating it.... numerous ATB's, soaks & dressings were not effective. Before I knew what happened, the CNA reached over & squeezed the darn thing! It sounded like a shotgun blast & flew right by me, landing on the wall.... it looked & smelled like someone had thrown a rotten egg at the wall. Now I would never condone or encourage this as a treatment, but doggone it, the wound was dry & healed by the next day!

My story is similar to yours Dixielee but I was sidelined in the middle of nursing school.... got married, had kids & was a stay-at-home-mom. Went to a 10 month LPN program when my youngest was a senior in high school, then worked 15 years in LTC. I've seen enormous changes in nursing in the short 15 years I've been a nurse & the last 5 years were increasingly stressful due to changes in corporate values & goals. Staffing shortages, all manner of "cover-ups" & a substantial decrease in the employee work ethic has taken it's toll in a career which I truly felt I could make a difference.

I left my nursing job in Dec. '03 (stress=health concerns) & have put in a couple nursing applications since then. Declined the jobs after I was hired, because I recalled the stress I was under when I left my last job. Just put in an application at an Olan Mills (at 1/3 the pay) & I'm really looking forward to the interview this week. My first job (30 years ago) was at a photo studio & I loved every minute of it. After 15 years of nursing, I believe I should have stayed with photography..... :uhoh21:

I could be wrong, but I was told by a school nurse a few years ago, that in the state of Ohio you must be an RN with a teaching degree. However, I am aware of some LPN school nurses in very small, rural school districts here. I too wanted to be a school nurse, but I had to opt for the higher salary in our community. Recently retired from long term care.

Last year the nurses got a catered luncheon from the Olive Garden. Sounds great, huh? Yeah, if you work 1st shift! I worked 3rd shift and we got two large containers of salad (it had been unrefrigerated since noon) & breadsticks. The DON had worked 2nd shift, so she left when we came on & a couple of us noticed she walked out with several containers of leftover pasta's, seafood & soup. I guess position has its perks! Nance

My incompetent nurse is a retired RN recently hired at our nursing home. She is often the relief charge nurse on our shift but prefers to be called the supervisor. Heaven help us when she is our "supervisor!" She rearranges the hall schedule so that her two halls are always fully staffed with STNA's at the expense of the other four halls . . . one night recently, she pulled aides to her halls resulting in 5 aides for two halls. That left 3 aides to cover our 4 halls. Our 4 halls had greater patient accuity & the census was greater. There is no reasoning in any of her decisions. Many of the A&O residents complain that she does not do their wound treatments, yet she signs for them. On a night that she was our "supervisor," a fairly new nurse called on her to help with a resident who was possibly stroking out. The supervisor sat with the resident and "held her hand," did no assessment, and kicked the new nurse out of the room. Luckily, she came to me and together we notified the physician who ordered the resident be shipped to the hospital (resident was a full code). Turns out, the resident had a massive stroke & was in ICU for 8 days. Needless to say, I got lectured by the "supervisor" about going behind her back . . . I had to inform her that the residents nurse notified the doctor with vitals & other pertinent information, something SHE should have done. There are problems with this nurse every time she is scheduled; she fails to notify families when conditions change, she tries to talk residents out of taking pain medications when they need it & like I stated earlier there is evidence she is not doing all of her treatments. I have spoken with the DON & Admistrator about these problems (several other nurses have reported her as well), and she is still employed here. Apparently, she has not even been conferenced about some of these concerns. Oh well . . . Nance:rolleyes:

I work third shift in LTC and have been faced with a problem regarding a co-worker who is dangerously incompetent. I think because of staffing shortages on our shift, her incompentency is not being addressed by the DON & administrator. I am curious to learn what nurses in other fields (hopitals, home health, corporate, etc) have been able to do about those in their midst who don't measure up. Nance Never enter into a battle of wits with an unarmed person. Anonymous.