stillstudying

As a new grad (just a few weeks ago!) I got 3 nights orientation on a 32 bed sub-acute unit. The 4th night I was on my own as charge nurse with 2 CNA's. Tube feedings, tons of blood sugar checks and insulin shots, dressing changes, flushing iv's, standard med pass at 2000 and 0600, svn's Q 2hrs and somebody ringing for pain meds every few minutes. Night shift is also responsible for completing the 24 hr report, filling out all the lab reqs (and obtaining some specimens) for the next day, cleaning out the staff fridge, monitoring the temps of the med fridge and the specimen fridge, filling out the daily accucheck test log, stocking the med carts, signing for and stocking the carts with the pharmacy med delivery, supervising the cna's, making sure my diabetics have an hs snack so they won't crash during the night, ordering med refills, answering and forwarding calls for the rest of the facility since the receptionist is gone, making sure everyone has their cpm machine on for however many hours they need to make up because they were "too busy" to wear it during the day, and whatever else needs doing...... and then there's charting. Be open to suggestions on how to prioritize and be more efficient and ask, ask, ask questions on anything you don't have a clear understanding of. Have confidence in yourself that you will develop the skills you need to improve your performance and hang in there! Don't freak out - with the amount of orientation you're getting you'll be pretty well prepared to go it on your own. You can do this!

I am a new grad LPN and was just hired to work a sub acute unit. I was offerred $20 an hour starting with benefits after 3 months, no shift differential and the unit has 34 beds. Hope that helps.

I sympathize with you!! I just finished my first orient night on 6pm to 6am shift - and my head is still spinning!! I have two more 12 hr orients - then aaaallllllllllllll 35 patients are my responsibility - acckkkk! (and I just passed NCLEX-pn 2 weeks ago) It makes me question how much the facility truly cares about the patients. Hang in there - I wish you the best!

HIYA !! I took my test today, (6-21) left feeling like a total idiot, came home and am trying not to throw up. I studied as much as I could - which was hard with 4 kids running around (and it has been too hot here in Phoenix to send them outside.) Plus DH hasn't been felling very well the last 2 days and just left work to go to the ER with what I think may be angina. I don't know how I'm going to get through the next 48 hours.

hi all! i'm in week 6 of micro. ick. we're using microbiology, an intro by tortora. so far, so good. not an easy class, but way easier than my pharmacology classes have been! good luck to all!:roll