DeDe054

Yes, she does the work, and does a great job. But she also reaps the benefits, not docked when she takes time off, no weekends. She is very Knowledgable and clinically sound, I must say more so than some RN's I have come across. If the RN's don't want to work under her they can always work somewhere else. I , like some, do not believe an RN makes a great nurse. I believe it is whatever you are exposed to, character and personal ethics that make the nurse, not the degree. I have come across some LPN's that know more and work harder than any RN I have met. I am not one to make the distinction between RN and LPN. A nurse is a nurse.

Here in Illinois, my ADON is an LPN. She functions just as I do when I am out of the facility. She is paid $20.00. We share the paperwork duties, on call, and generally split all other work duties in LTC. If she were an RN her salary would be more.

We had the state in on Tuesday for our annual survey. They were 2 months early.There were 6 surveyors and they were there 4 days. We have 152 beds with 62 skilled. We did well. I only got 4 citations and all will be in the scope and severity range of E or less. Kudos to my staff. I always tell the staff why they are in the facility, everyone needs to know. Good luck to all who are waiting.

Annual surveys are done yearly for every nursing facility. There are also complaint surveys. Job descriptions should be given to you upon hire. Emergency procedures should be part of orientation. Ask a co-worker to enlighten you on where emergency equipment is located and how to use it.Also ask about emergency outlets for equipment in case of power failure.