Im in the same boat, Im going on my 3rd week and work the 2nd shift at an LTC facility. I only received 3 days training as a new grad. Its only been 3 weeks but it feels like I have been there for 3 months!!!! The stress is unreal !!! There are some nights where I stay over 2-3 hours. Some nights I dont take a break at all! Everyone I work with are really nice and supportive, some more than others. What makes it even worse is I dont have a regular set, they float me from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor different units so I'm not able to become familiar enough with the residents. There are sooo many frustrating things about working in an LTC facility, but like the other posts have mentioned we must hang in there. It will get better!:) I have some days where I feel like I did an ok job...also what I have found that helps me is I have a clipboard that I keep at the nurses station and on it I have a schedule written out, for example (2-3:15 get report, count narcs, load cart, get labs and pull charts, do rounds 3:15-5 do bgms and pass meds, etc)...this schedule has allowed me to stay on track and do more than just pass meds, such as call doctors and fax to pharmacy. In the beginning all I had time to do was pass meds, when I would finish my 4pm's it was time to do the 8's but with my schedule it keeps me focused. Maybe you could give something like this a try...I think we have to find something that is going to work for us or we will drive ourselves into an early grave. Good Luck and keep us posted!
