labvampire

I understand. Nursing is top heavy, and women are different managers than men. But, LTC will suck the life out of you. It is a very emotional and physically draining type of nursing. All aspects of nursing can be draining. It's the job, it doesn't matter what type of nurse you are. There will always be someone in another healthcare profession who thinks they can do your job better. I just quit an office nursing position because the office manager and respiratory therapist THOUGHT they were nurses. No one is walking in your shoes and you know what you have to do to make ends meet. We don't have the right to judge her, we need to support her and her frustrations. The CNA who is going to get her BA will find out soon enough the frustrations. Everyone who graduated intended on using their license for changes for the better. We soon find out we are beaten down by the system, and we are warm bodies filling positions. Don't let that cloud why you went to school. Take a deep breath, and remember why we all did this career to begin with. I am here if you need to vent, just email me.

I agree with the second post, it has to be your area. I would expand my search and consider moving. Secondly, by your post, did you go through class because of the love for nursing or because of money? If you wanted to be a nurse, endure all those classes and clinicals, sweat during the state exam, pass, then want to go back to your old job? Job opportunities don't come looking for you, you have to go get them. I think you should take a deep breath, blow it out, and really think this through. Prioritize. Make a list of pros and cons about being a nurse vs your old job. You have children, this effects them also. I understand you are frustrated. You will be frustrated alot as a nurse but you can't give up or quit. If you can endure nursing school, you are a strong and outgoing person. Believe in yourself, buck up, and go forward!

I am an LPN and work in an ER. I do assessments and give meds daily. I participate in all codes and get the meds for the RN to push by IV when she is busy, I do everything except push IV meds and hang blood. I can hand antibiotics if they are premixed. I take chest pains when they come into the ER, follow protocol, etc. I am unlimited to what I can do except the above mentioned. I put NG tubes in and check for placement. That's why the RN's prefer to have us there because unfortunately, even though CNA's work their butts off, they can't give meds and we don't use them in our ER. I wish we did, good CNA's are critical to healthcare. They are the ears and eyes for the nurses and should be treated with upmost respect!

i am an lpn in the er. that doesn't happen around my area, but this hospital does utilize lpn's. i am so happy i became an lpn first. the knowledge base i have obtained in the past two years is unreal. i feel ready to bridge and start class this fall. i worked with a dr. that called me a jr. nurse and before i could say anything the rn was up out of her chair giving her hell. she told that dr. she would rather work with me than most rn's because she trusts me and doesn't have to worry about me doing my job. that has been the third time a rn has stood up for me and i am a very forward person. it's not the initials after your name, it's the confidence that you exude. i have great respect for my rn's because i see the paperwork load on them and the other crap they get stuck with. they have been my mentors and study partners. they have made me for whom i am today and i can't thank them enough. they don't look at your initials, they look at what type of nurse you are. you follow what is right for you. get experience under your belt and go from there. you will be a nurse period. most people that aren't nurses i find are jealous that you have taken that extra step to better yourself. to hell with them, get your lpn, you won't be disappointed. have a strong backbone and you will go far. nursing isn't for the weak, emotionally or physically. do your job, do it well and stand proud. you will be fine.

I went to Illinois Central College in Peoria, Il.

Hell no! You keep your license and give them a copy. They can look it up online. Mine is on my wall framed. Illinois looks it up online for verification.

To avoid a bunch of air bubbles, while I'm spiking the bag I pinch the resevoir so once the spike is in it sucks the IV fluid in and the air bubbles go through the line, then I open up the other end and let the air bubbles out and when they are gone I roll it shut. It's primed before I hook it up to the patient.

Don't get frustrated, get motivated! Assert yourself and tell them you want! Be outgoing and curious! Tell them you want to pass meds, get familiar with charting, do what you are trained to do! Nobody is going to do it for you! If your employer sees you craving more responsibility it will make you look good and possibly place you in a different position. Believe me, if I don't know something, my employer is more than happy to show me. That is just me, want to know everything, be as efficient as I can, as knowledgeable as I can. Go Get Em'!

I have worked in an ER for 1 1/2 yrs. I am an LPN working on bridging to RN. There is a huge difference between us. The RN's are ultimately repsonsible for everything that happens. Pt. care, charting, educating, etc. I am a damn good Lpn, but, without my RN counterparts I wouldn't have the knowledge base that I have now. Their education is more indepth, knowledge base is bigger, responsibilities are extensive. I just ran a code involving a 1 yr. old on Saturday. It took EVERYONE, Dr., paramedics, lpn, RN, lab, xray. The little girl was sent to a pediatric ICU and is doing fine. The RN was responsible for pushing the meds, I charted everything given and took turns bagging. I filled all the paperwork out to transfer and she trusts me enough that she just signed it. It's not the title, it's how you perform your duties inside your scope of practice. The RN's I work with have encouraged me to go on and get my RN and helping me every step. Walk one day in their shoes and you will see the difference. I am not sure about LTC, I was lucky enough to get into an ER. I worked LTC for a little while and didn't care for it. I don't know what happened in the 80's, all I know is the present. Go on and get your RN!

Stop worrying..........Totally normal feeling. You have to believe in yourself and project that during an interview even if you feel unsure. Just ensure the proper orientation will follow being hired. They understand you are a new nurse. What they taught us in school is just the tip of the iceberg! Feel confident in your skills and project that, your insubordinates will follow your tone!

I agree with alot of the posts. I had problems because I was older and didn't hold my tongue and that got me into alot of trouble. The intimidation crap didn't fly with me at all. I wish there were more male instructors. I had all women and they had their favorites, not to mention how ****** they were. They did a great job preparing us for the NCLEX I will give them that. They made some of us feel that it was a priviledge for us to be in that program. I had a 3.0 all through the LPN program, but I just wasn't a favorite.

I am an LPN in an ER. I do 95% of what an RN does. The only thing I don't do is push IV meds. The RN is paid more because she is ultimately the one everything falls back on. Charting, patient care, medications, supervision, etc. Yes, my RN's respect me and treat me with the upmost dignity. I do the same to them. We may do alot of the same things but she is the one that will get her head chewed off. I need that RN around to ask questions or to show me something I am not familiar with. I plan to bridge over soon to RN, but in the mean time I see where our job defintions are divided and respect them for their knowledge. I believe they are taught more in depth about things that we brush over in school. Do your best, don't think of titles and take advantage of what they have to tell you.

Lighten up on yourself!! You probably have instructors breathing down your neck, scrutinizing every move, no wonder you're a mess! They are supposed to do that. Don't freak out, be prepared for class, think of what you are going to do, take your time. Make your mistakes now! You will be just as nervous after you are done and passed your boards!

Thank-you for this beautifully written piece. You didn't fail this patient. I know it feels like it. Unfortunately, after that tube is placed, DNR is over with. You handled it professionally and the best to your ability. You would have found me in a closet crying after this was over. You allowed dignity to show through in this patient's last breaths. Don't ever feel guilty about having feelings. When you stop having them is when you need to get out of nursing. You are a beautiful person.

You guys also have to remember that 20 of those questions are just throw in questions for future exams. I had 3 med calculations, 20 drug questions of which I have never heard of, and the rest was just the A,B,C's and med surg. I believe the drug questions were my throw in's. My school had a high pass rate and I was well prepared. I also purchased the Lippincott LPN N-CLEX review which was very difficult. The first 10 pages about the test questions helped tremendously!! My school's tests were in N-Clex form, so I was pretty used to the question form. I passed with 85 questions. It doesn't matter, my friend had the full test and passed. You never can tell. Hang in there!!!

Get it together man!! #1 is your health. Look what the stress is doing to you. #2 Look at your career, it's a mess. #3 Let's sort out the priorities! I can tell you right off the bat that a hospital Lpn does not make close to what a nursing home Lpn does. I work in the ER. I am here in Illinois and an Lpn at a nursing home makes 20.00 and up. Nursing homes are depressing enough. You want to help these older people and you can't change the way the nursing home runs or the way these people are treated, I have tried, that will depress a person right there. Not to mention the volume of patients you are responsible for. I had 4 halls to worry about when I worked at one. Secondly, yes it is stress and lack of sleep probably causing your flare up because you are not eating or sleeping enough and you are worried all the tme. You are not stable enough for a girlfriend right now! Third, look into other options that will put you down to one job. Have you thought about agency nursing? What about agencies that do trach/vent care at the home. Or homecare nuirsing? Hospice hires LPN's. Are you IV certified? ACLS? PALS? Do a little research on jobs on the internet. LPN's can make a decent living. We have to get your up and out of your storm cloud! Can you refinance your school loans to get the payment lower? Consolidate loans? You sound like a very outgoing person, now let's use that to get you out of your funk!!

22,000 is too much. If weekend classes work for you do it. Mine was 9 months long, class M-F, two clinicals a week. A week stretch is kind of long, it was difficult enough to keep it together repetitively 5 days a week, but that's what helps retain it in memory, repetition. Whatever works for you. It's difficult to juggle classes and work. There is alot of paperwork involved in nursing. I studied and did paperwork 5-8 hrs a day during class. I was very lucky, I didn't have to work my husband took up the slack so I could finish. I don't know how people work and go through a nursing program, my hat is off to them, I am not worthy!! My nursing program was approx 2500.00, but books were cashy and uniforms were cashy. I went to a community college ICC, but it is the toughest program around central Illinois. Just do what you need to do!!

Hell no girl! Be proud to be an LPN!! I work in the ER and no one has ever said,"She's just an LPN." Instead, my RN co-workers ask, is my other nurse here yet, we need her!" Your pay will be lower in the hospital setting vs nursing home, home health, but, I love my job! My patients ask for me by name! Just be your best at what you do, that's what gets you respect, not the initials. My boss has put me on two commitee's, and I handle the safety for the department, and infection control. Do what you know you are best at, and who cares what other people think. Alot of times people who aren't in health care but want to be will play your status down because of jealousy or lack of confidence in themselves. Your mom sounds like a fabulous role model, she would be proud of you!! Go for it!

I always love it when people say, "Are you a full fledged nurse?", meaning RN. LPN's used to be the CNA, and older people have a problem differentiating. However, this day and age, nurses are nurses. I am proud to be an LPN, I have it on my badge and no one has ever asked me to leave their room in the ER because I am not an RN. My RN's never say that I am just an LPN, and they treat me with the upmost respect as I do them. I do everything they do but push IV meds. I can hang IV's, premixed meds in IV's and piggyback separate packaged antibiotics. I draw blood, put in IV's and NG tubes. I do everything. I know my scope of practice and so do the RN's, if anything if there is something I don't know or can do, they snatch me up and say, "Let me show you how this works because I know you are going to bridge to RN soon." My boss shows no differentiation between the two titles and if she hears someone make a comment she quickly lets them know we are all nurses. When I walk into work everyday my RN always says, "Thank god you are here, we are knee deep in patients and I need help." The quality of work you do and the initiative to learn to improve patient care is all that matters.

I am an LPN in Illinois. I graduated last year and work full-time in an ER. I do everything the RN does but push IV meds. I put in IV's and hang fluids and piggyback packaged medications. I am involved in all the codes, triage, assessment, diagnosis and care of my patients. My RN's treat me as an equal and if I am not sure about something I always ask and they always go out of their way to show me. I am very lucky. I plan to bridge over to RN, but the experience I am getting now will be invaluable when I return to school. I am proud to hold the title of LPN, I am a nurse and that's all that matters to me. I am helping people and making their visit to the hospital as comfortable as possible. It's not about the title, it's about caring for patients. I want my RN so I can push IV meds and learn more indepth about processes and medications, etc. The Doc told me I need to go to medical school, but hell, I am 40 and happy with being a nurse. It's always worth going to school, it just depends on the person with what they do with it!

Get Lippencott's review and take the test soon after you get your testing number! Don't wait weeks! I took mine a week after school was out and passed with the minimum of 85 questions. 20 questions of your boards are not scored, just questions they are thinking about using on the test. You will not know which ones! You will be fine! Good Luck!

Hi! I am a new LPN just finishing last year and received my license last September. I work in the ER at my hospital. I love it! The RN's love it! I am on the list to bridge at my local college, but after talking to people I am thinking about Excelsior or Indiana State online. What do you guys and gals think who are doing that?!! I would love input on the online schools! I work full-time and would love to keep working but get my RN. I am very proud to be an LPN. I do everything the RN does, except push IV meds. I have learned so much and it's just the tip of the iceberg! My nurses teach me anything I want to know and critique what I do know. It's awesome!

i work in the er and i am an lpn. i work in a smaller hospital. the big hospital's in peoria don't hire lpn's but they will make you a patient tech 2. i don't want to be called a patient tech 2, because you can't pass meds, do treatments, etc. you have to have a backbone, be able to react in a code blue situation, chart while the doctor is yelling out medication and test orders, triage patients when they come in, handle psych patients, infuriated family members and keep your sanity! i love it! if you love instability, chaos and mayhem, the er is for you! if you work with outstanding and professional rn's like i do who will show you anything, you have it made. good luck in your search.

Excellent point Vivibonita, stay within your scope of practice, but have the knowledge.

I am an LPN working in an ER. They insist that I take ACLS and PALS simply because I work in the ER. I think it would be in their best interest to allow you those certifications. My hospital wants me to have every certification down the line because you never know when you are gonna need it. I would work on them and insist this is in your best interest because of your department. I think they are making a big mistake not letting you.