chrisjk

I would resign immediately; that agency has no business admitting patients to service when they're unwilling to provide what you need to fulfill physician orders. I've worked for 2 different private home health agencies; mgt bent over backwards to ensure we had all the wound care supplies we needed....if they didn't stock, it was ordered and we got orders from the MD for any substitutions needed. Have they ever been reported to the BON? What do they do when state surveyors come and go out on visits? Wow

When something happens during the course of the day to "bum me out" I find that playing Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" really really helps(I especially recommend the video with the policeman hamming it up).....and practicing mind over matter ie "if you don't mind it doesn't matter" helps also.

I usually read, never respond, but.....I'm a diploma grad(from the same school as my mother and sister). It was a relief to go from school into the work world(my first job was on an oncology floor); work was sooo much less demanding than my school's expectations.(btw, state board pass rate was 99%). I worked for a couple of years and then went back for my BSN(testing out of as many courses as possible). The difference between the 2 schools was startling; I could miss many classes(not allowed in my diploma school) and still come out with a B.....the clinicals were a joke, etc(just a much lower standard). I didn't attend graduation for my BSN and have always proudly worn my diploma pin. I've always worked "on staff"; my sister and mother were management(and they definitely earned that rate by their capability). That's not to say that I haven't worked with some excellent ADN and BSN nurses; I definitely have. So many different factors come into play as well; some nurses go out of their way to learn as much as they possibly can(both clinically & academically): others....not so much. When I was studying for boards, my mother could answer more of the practice questions correctly than I ever could....go figure.

You're kidding, right? Hmmmm.....kind of like an emotional support "object"(vs animal). So......nursing grads could have loaded guns at boards, college students could have their Smith and Wesson there while they take finals, postal workers would ALL carry, etc. Just absolutely dumbfounded here.

I believe everyone needs to use common sense and make their own decision. My parents live in Texas, are 90+y/o and have yet to don a mask unless they're at a doctor's appt(mandatory). I dare anyone on this site to call my mother stupid/ignorant/whatever; she's a diploma RN who could, back in the day, work circles around anyone on this site. All of these responses have their own merit; some of us are Democrat, some are Republican.... and you can always find the "right data/statistics" to back up your personal opinion on this matter. We all know that medicine is not an "exact science"; 2+2 does not always = 4. Until this zebra is finally caught and controlled we all must stay the course as best we can. Keep calm and carry on.

Age 61; 40 years as an RN

It's disgraceful and outrageous! I live in one of the major metro areas in Texas; they have just announced that they will be covid testing all guards and inmates in this county. Yes, I get that, BUT....shouldn't all residents and cg's in nursing homes be tested first(they've committed no crime, unless in our present society it's now a crime to become elderly)!! I emailed the mayor's office and will be calling the county commissioner tomorrow(d/t him appearing at least somewhat sympathetic to their plight). Imho, I believe that our society has more empathy/compassion for prison inmates than the elderly---reflected in the way we care for them. As far as insight on high rates of covid in snf: "we did what we did to get what we got"(short staffing, lack of supplies and sometimes ignorance of appropriate use, burnout, lack of supervision, worker apathy, little to no family involvement...and our culture).

All I can say is that the diploma program I went through(late 70s) was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life; that being said, everyone that made it to the end passed boards and the "real world" was a breeze. Went back for a BSN and it was ridiculously easy; I didn't go to graduation. It's impossible, with present patient acuity/staffing/computer "stuff"(even before china 19) to do nursing the way that I was "trained" back in the day; it's so very very sad. I see nurses great at clinical issues, etc but....it doesn't bother them that no one fed their patient, the patient has dried vomit on their gown, etc. Nursing isn't nursing anymore(imho)

I remember working thru agency at a snf years ago; I had a patient whose pain med prescribed was Tylenol #4. I mistakenly gave Tylenol #3(patient's pain was relieved with lower dose, I documented appropriately/notified the charge and filled out an incident report)....and thought that was all that was needed. Oh, no; the oncoming nurse(s) told me that I had committed 2 med errors(can't remember now how they came to that conclusion.....maybe because 2 T3's would have equalled the codeine in the #4?). Anyway, the look of glee on their faces I'll never forget as they told me that after 3 med errors I wouldn't be able to return(I didn't anyway as I was starting a new job). So I think alot of this negative vibe was because of OP being a temp; some regular staff are resentful(for whatever reason; the $ maybe?--they don't think of the relief from a heavier workload) so if they can find a reason to emotionally dump they will. It is very sad, especially in the present situation we're all having to deal with.

....don't mess with Texas, lady! And honestly, why not call the Texas Board of Nursing and ask them? I have a compact license (living here in Texas) after originally being licensed in the great state of Nebraska. It just seems that going to the source would be best/prudent......

I worked in home health for 10+ years, and I was never asked to do a supervisory visit with an LPN(they are licensed!). Sup visits for CNAs yes, every 2 weeks. As far as being stingy with supplies; if you have to buy any with your own $ you need to then submit a receipt to your company so that you can be reimbursed. They need to provide what is needed for the patient.period. I did have some patients who wanted certain days to be seen but would always be willing to work with me(dialysis patients of course...) For those who are incredibly inflexible I would be asking if they're truly homebound; if not, they need to be discharged. I ended up doing most of my documenting at home as well, but otherwise I would use my phone as a mobile docking site for my laptop(my cell provider charged me $10/mo for that and I had an android phone)---that ensures that your connection is private. Can't help you regarding the other questions; I'm a bit of a "shrinking violet" myself and have always just accepted the pay given....however, since they offered that to you before, I don't know why you couldn't just casually bring it up, especially since it sounds like they're decent people(perhaps they just forgot?). Good luck in your career!

Have you tried looking on the Glassdoor and Simplyhired websites? They have alot of jobs posted usually. Good luck.

You need to go to a class to improve your pronunciation pronto!! Sorry, I have no sympathy if you've been here for 15 years. Living in south Texas, I have a different take on this probably. My last job I was made to feel "inferior" at times due to not speaking Spanish. We live in the USA; IMO English should be "it" as far as what is spoken in the public arena. If people want to speak their native language, do it in the privacy of your home. It used to be called the melting pot; now people feel that they don't need to assimilate. Want to be regarded as a professional? Gotta do the work.....if you have a patient crashing, you'd better be able to tell the doc what's going on clearly and succinctly so that he/she can understand. People put their lives in our hands; it's a sacred trust. Also, it's "hypocrite" and grammar also is important( at least it used to be; I guess things have really changed). Sorry; old-school nurse here.