Need2Wings

Systems monitor- fancy name for computer troubleshooting in a retail setting! Best no stress job ever.

I spray mine with either theives or purification oil to kill anything that might be creepin! Sometimes I use a bleach wipe or damp paper towel for a quick clean up but my shoes are black (danskos). Never considered putting them in the washer.

Too funny!! We had a particularly colorful lady whom we were always redirecting away from the door! On this day I was bringing her back down our hall and she was cursing at me. She said "you are a whore!" Of course one of our male residents was coming up the hall at that time and says "I didn't know that about you" to me. So I said "well I didn't know that about me either, what do you think I should tell my BF?". He replied well silly you tell him now you have to charge!! Roflmbo

Great idea for a thread! Thank you for starting it, really enjoying reading them! I have 2 teenage girls! Just got the oldest off to prom tonight, boy does time fly-she sure is beautiful and even though I'm a nurse I have no idea how that happened. LOL. I'm a joker, love to laugh at myself! Also run a bit into sarcastic with humor. Those girls keep me running with an inherited love of horses,( 4H), (I love teaching them about their horses-and especially love seeing them smile when interacting with their magnificent steeds! (That's where my money goes)) haha. I love planting flowers and am planning a hunting expedition to take out those rodents who are stealing my tulip bulbs (all gun toting nurses welcome to help or throw me an idea to keep them away!! Several times a year I do small home improvement projects, really love Lowes and Menards, go figure. You will also find me lost in a good book or occasionally writing, mostly poetry or random thoughts. My favorite retreat is the beaches of Lake Michigan, watching the waves recharges my battery in an amazing way! I confess I love my days off and have been known to loaf a day away on occasion just because I can! Nursing doesn't define me but it surely has changed how I think about things, now you all admit that you assess people wherever you go- please so I know I'm just one of many! Lol. Yeah really no confessions needed I know you do! So there's the short on my life! Have a blessed day!

All great posts really, **it does roll downhill and I currently work in one of these toxic environments. Where do I begin? At the top we have so much unprofessionalism, gossip, backstabbing.. One of my co-workers told me that just last week the Administrator was bashing the DON, joking about the night nurses etc. The list of horrors went on but you get the idea. The last time I worked our DON mentioned to me that surely I had heard the latest gossip about her?? I said no, I don't listen to gossip, like to stay out of others business and I prefer that people stay out of my business as well. (( Ok I lied yes I did hear the gossip about her sleeping with a co-workers ex something or other, what was I supposed to say Yeah, seems to me that your staff think you're a @#*&! )) Everything that you have mentioned is going on currently at the facility I work at.. Yes I am seeking employment with an organization that exemplifies professionalism and team work. The stress and tension are so high at work that you can feel it the instant you walk in the door, it radiates off all of the staff and probably some of the residents too. 4 nurses have left in the last 2 months along with support staff and several more are working on getting out. The veteran nurses who have been there say it has never been this bad, it certainly has gone downhill since I started just about a year ago. How do we deal with it? I don't work any more days than I have to (survival) and I am taking a kick bottom exercise class to help with the stress. I vent to my nurse friends who don't work with me but understand the situation. I only vent to 2 of my co-workers that I am absolutely sure I can trust with anything I say.. guess that doesnt say much for the rest of them. If you are still curious and want to know more feel free to PM me.. Good luck with your research and I hope a cure is found.. (one can always hope)

Not only do I learn new things or find clarification on this site but sometimes when the day has been long and rough there is a post that exactly describes how I feel--now I have validated my feelings and probably also found something to laugh about.. This keeps me soldiering on knowing I am one of many who share this profession with its difficulties and triumphs.

We have to get a second signature on any sliding scale insulin but are not required to do so for Lantus. Of course its to reduce errors but its a necessary evil and I am glad the nurse I normally have to track down checks mine just as I check hers.(yeah a huge pain as we do have up to 30 residents to pass meds on and have to take the page out of the book, take the syringe, the bottle of insulin etc) Sometimes I do them all at once and take them all with me, I have even put tape on the syringe with the persons name so I dont confuse them.. talk about time! ... I know there are some nurses at our facility that sign for each other but dont check, sorry not my policy- worked to hard to get this far!. You know how long administration takes to implement things, well maybe not all but from where I have stood lots of talk goes on and little action is taken unless its state mandated or something of the sort..

Thank you for posting this, the song is familiar to me as well... I also work LTC/rehab. I thought of a few extra things we are responsible for but the only thing that now comes to mind is checking O2 tanks q 2 hrs with documentation of such. There are days I go home feeling like I got beat with the ugly stick. Having been in this position for less than 6 months, I don't know how some of my fellow nurses have time to smoke 5 x a shift but I am certain it isnt because they are so efficient or thorough but that they have developed some super short cuts. (not that I want to follow if this is the case) I count down the days of class left for me to finish classes for the RN degree which I hope is my ticket out of here. The sad thing is I really enjoy our residents and will miss them but the stress and feeling of my license being gambled each time I work takes away any satisfaction felt. :angryfire. One of our vocal nurses has talked to administration about this situation and was told that its our job to get over it. I have myself considered talking to the DON about how I feel, there is still a billion things I do not know and feel my orientation was cut short which is something I wanted to address BUT it will all fall on deaf ears. Oh, not trying to avoid the initial question but we have 23-30 residents to care for and like your facility there is no backup all of the nurses on our second shift have about the same number of residents and honestly no time to back each other up. This is the first time I have worked in an environment that does not have the "team concept" (keep in mind also this is my second career and the first time in healthcare facility as a nurse-- this statement itself is SAD).. PM me if you wish.. I would love to beat this subject further. oh... I might ask why there are attempts to set patient limits in hospital settings but not LTC? (just curious)

Plagueis, I too am a new LPN and feel your pain, I was just started a LTC job not quite 2 months ago, all of what you detailed I am seeing also.. Perhaps we work at the same facility. LOL. About Borrowing meds, recently this came to a not so nice FRONT at our facility, it is considered insurance fraud and you should not do it.. WE do put n/a well at least I do, if we dont have it for that resident and its not in the backup drug box, then that is exactly what I write. The facility may not like it but you have a license to protect and if they dont allow that well then they are asking you to commit fraud? (seriously) I sure wish there was another option out there besides LTC for LPN's its truly unreal what we go through on a daily basis. I too was "thrown under the bus" and while on orientation my "nurse" was out on smoking breaks etc the majority of one of my orienting days, which I was supposed to get 14 days since I had not ever been a CNA but after 9 days, I was on my own. There is still a lot I feel that I do not know. I find myself checking the schedule to see which nurses are also working, some of them are great, I can ask questions and get treated with respect while others, well I may not be young but I've been eaten more than once. I want to thank you for posting exactly how I have been feeling but I am sorry to know that you are experiencing this unpleasantness too. I purchased liability insurance shortly after being thrown under the bus, its only a small percentage of peice of mind but if you continue working there I would suggest you get it too.. I found the information on this fabulous site. I wish I had some ingenious advice to give you but I too struggle with this, feel free to IM me if you need to vent some more.. I can take it. Hugs to you to help ease the stress, but please remember to do what you must to protect your license. ((hard to know all those boundries right out of school though)) thats how I feel.

I sure am glad that our facility schedules us with a half hour overlap.. so no one is volunteering time to come in just to get report. Of course it's my first job but I like that I come in,punch in on time and then get report, count narcs.. We are not rushed nor are they running out the door when I come... Now sometimes when the night shift comes in it takes a little longer as they get report from 2 nurses and count 2 carts but overall if I get held over its paperwork or charting.. thank goodness so far ..

Our school uses the ATI Programs but we get a book with each course. I have found them to be helpful. However if your school doesnt provide them with the courses not sure how you could get them. ATI has practice tests on their website for all the comprehensive exams they offer. I didn't take the predictor practice exam online, as I wanted a clear picture of where I stood for the NCLEX-PN. We have to complete a proctored exam after each course/semester.. Wish I could be more help. Feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. Best of luck to you.!!

Hostess of Dirty Jobs or The barn manager at dhyser96's camp

You know your a nursing student when your rolling backpacks wheels break in the second week of classes.

Keep at it, it takes time but you will make it.. I start in March after working on pre-reqs for 3 years (part time) and now have to leave my full time job and change my entire way of life. It will all work out somehow( I hope)) lol Good luck to all of you.. Dana

Morning to all, thanks for the additional support and information. We continue to talk to and touch him as much as we can. He is not sedated at all, he's in a vegetative state. They tried the feeding tube but it appears he's not tolerating it, so last night the nurse did stop it. He was not in an accident, its a long story really but he had several health issues and one of them was the kidney problem, apparently he was having difficulty breathing, an ambulance was called and when he got the the ER he was unresponsive. They did CPR and this is where he has been since. I think the dr's have been pretty up front, the ICU dr was pretty honest last night. The issue of DNR did come up last night, although since he is married his wife obviously makes the decision, she wishes to wait 4-5 days to make a decision. I thought the dr and nurse last night did a good job of explaining. We have had those discussions and I am sure he discussed it with his wife also. She hopes he will improve today since they did the dialysis yesterday. Its a waiting game at this point. I do want to thank you all for your kindness and support!! Dana