BerryHappy

Thanks for the support you guys! Your words bring tears to my eyes. And YES, I feel as if I had accepted the assignment, I FOR SURE would have made a med error, and would have felt even worse for hurting that patient, than I did for walking out. If nurses just keep acquiesing, corporations will just keep walking all over us. I live in a "Right To Work" state (non union), so the for profit facilities do the best they can to squeeze the most out of just a few. BTW, this very well known LTC facility refuses to bring in agency so much that our DON has had to start working a cart fairly regularly. SMH

Well, I finally did it. I refused to take report/keys in a LTC/Rehab facility that is critically understaffed. Here's the deal. I was hired as a night shift RN supervisor. Almost immediately after I started the DON who hired me was fired. That left no DON for two months, also no administrator. By the third month, with all the call out's, no shows, and people quitting, I was floating between all carts full time. And STILL expected to be supervisor when needed. So last night was the final straw. This is what I was set up for: 30 pts on THREE halls 5 IV's 2 med passes 4 skin checks 30 full assessments (no one actually does these they just copy the previous) 30 nsg notes 30 chart checks pain pills all night and by the way CHANGEOVER so 30 MARs and TARs. All in an 8 hour shift. The two regular nurses both called out so that left me (totally unfamiliar with the pts, and the MARs), and a day shift nurse helping out, to do the work. The company REFUSES to call in agency, and no one else was willing to come in and help. So, I called the new DON, left a message, hugged all the nurses I enjoyed working with, and left. That was 8 hours ago and I am still STEAMING. How is anyone expected to get good nursing care under those conditions? How is a nurse supposed to make safe decisions under those circumstances? Still so angry I could SCREAM! But sad because I loved my job. sniff.

When I was a LPN in Miami, FL: LPN, agency Bedside continuous care 12 hour shifts $20/hr federal mileage rate only over 15 miles travel time over 1 hour ($20) Don't forget people, Florida has no INCOME TAX!

Yup, my worst have been hepatic related. Lung has been pretty bad too, but for some reason the hepatic encaphaly makes all palliative measures pretty much moot. Either we knock them out so they just sleep until the end, or they are tormented (as well as the family) until they finally go.

OMG you guys are HILARIOUS!!! I once watched a patient drink the VOMIT she had vomited into a cup!!! By the time I processed what I was watching, vomit was gone! Poof! Back to where it came from! I retched all the way back to the nurses station.

Hey ctcpete! I am in southwest Florida. Because of the "pete" in your online name, I actually have wondered if you might be in St. Petersburg, FL just a bit north of me. Are you?

Things have only been this bad since the end of last year. I worked as a night shift crisis/continuous care hospice LPN for many years. My first job was through an agency and I averaged 3-4 nights per week. My second job was with a hospice company full time so I was guaranteed 36 hours per week no matter what (even during the winter when things slow down). Towards the end of my working for the hospice company (beginning of this year), some really scary changes started to happen because of Medicare cutbacks. Our poor PRN's were lucky to work TWO nights per MONTH! We also COMPLETELY stopped using agency nurses. Even us full-timer's would have to sometimes go to the hospice house and work as a cna if the census was low. Medicare is making it harder to qualify as a hospice patient, and are recommending the family provide a lot of the care we were doing which means we stay only 2-3 days instead of until the end. I recommend you either add another PRN position, or work for a hospice company full-time. HOSPICE is my HEART but as with any other job, budget issues can make it unbearable.

A FORTUNE but it took me 4 years, and I had to take the CPNE TWICE !!! Now that I am finished, and have MULTIPLE RN job offers, it was worth every penny! THANK YOU EXCELSIOR!!! (btw, during those 4 years I worked and successfully raised twin teenage girls ) THANK YOU EXCELSIOR!!!

Ok, I graduated from EC 5/17/13. Passed NCLEX 7/5/13. Just got my first job offer 7/12/13 making $30/hour as a night shift charge nurse at a sub acute facility. I have 2 more company's to call back next week, and of the other interviews I've done, not ONE has asked about clinicals! It does help that I have been a LPN for 5 years in the same field, but so does almost EVERYONE who graduates from EC. I feel completely competent in the position offered, and I don't talk around anything. I have been a great floor nurse and plan on continuing. Good luck!

I KNOW!!! RIGHT!!! I felt EXACTLY the same way!!! 75 questions, 1.5 hours of my life and it was over? HUH? I am thrilled I passed but I guess this is why sometimes the journey is better than actually arriving!

I kept my online account active until I passed my CPNE. The most valuable part of having it, I think, was that on the night after I got my first PCS assignment (Fri night), I was able to go back to my room and watch Sherri do Resp Assess and a Neuro Assess and the quick review was a lifesaver! I felt like I had her there with me! It calmed my nerves and gave me great confidence for my first PCS on Sat morning. Don't keep it if money is tight, but if you can it is a godsend!

Girl you passed! Go and scream it to the WORLD! Congratulations on all your hard work!

I had a ridiculously easy EKG strip. It was only 1 question and the question was which of the strips showed probable near death. And honestly 3 of the choices varied just a little bit and the 4th choice looked EXACTLY like a crazy scribble line from the children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon! The correct answer was so obvious I truly thought it might have been a trick question and took the longest to answer that one question. Luckily, somewhere I read that there are no "trick questions" on the NCLEX. I must have gotten it right because it was my only EKG question and I passed! Good luck!

My link also came up about 40 hours after I finished AND that was over a Sat/Sun. Once you get past the 40 hour mark or so I would check the sucker every hour!!! And I agree, the PVT worked for me but I didn't totally believe it until I saw the "unofficial" results. Good luck!

Omg no no no!!! Do not do it! You stated that the patient died unexpectedly so even though right now the family is feeling all kind and nice towards you that could change on a moments notice. What you could end up with is a lawyer trying to use your kind words in return as admission of guilt for either you or your facility. I have spent most of my career in hospice and I have come to (almost) fall in love with some of the families I have worked with, even though they have knowingly put their loved one on hospice there is almost always that one bad apple who see's me as the angel of death and would love to sue me or my company if given the chance. Please do not open yourself to the possibilities. Sometimes for my closure I look for my dear patient's obit, and I have even heard of nurses quietly attending funeral services but DO NOT put anything in writing! I am sorry for your loss but you must protect yourself.