NNNikki

I am a newbie LPN working my 6th week in a LTC facility as the floor nurse on NOC shift with 43 residents. I am still working on my efficiency with paperwork especially and wondered how other people in other facilities handle the load of initials and signatures needed per shift. :wink2: In school I was taught never to sign out a drug or treament without first administering said med/tx. However, when I had my whole 4 days of orientation, no one signed out a med when they gave it, especially the scheduled meds. They all either signed them at the beginning or middle of the shift for all 43 residents. We have cheat sheets that we base most of our med passes on and that's what they use to reference. When there is a change in 24hour report etc. it is the next noc shifts responsibility to update. I guess my point is, I am seeing the benefit, in terms of efficiency, for signing out meds all at one time; it saves a lot of time by the end of the shift. However, it goes against all I have learned in school, and I know that if we were being "reviewed" this method would be frowned upon. I am curious how everyone else handles the signing off procedures... Thanks in advance for sharing! NNNikki:nurse:

NOC shift is the night shift; which for me is 10:00pm to 6:15am..graveyard is also a term for it. I appreciate all of the advice you have given me, and I'm working on the organization. I guess it's just a learning curve. NNNikki

NotWithoutPB&J, You are NOT alone. I am the mother of 4 children and wife of a husband who does not work but does go to college full time. We have come through some very difficult times in the past 5 years and thus I have worked my way into becoming a nurse to help us get out of the very deep hole we have fallen into. I, too, have a huge helping of fear that I will make a mistake and all of it could be taken away from me in one fail swoop! As the only breadwinner in the family, and only a little over a month into being an LPN, you betcha I'm nervous as heck! You are not alone! NNNikki

Our nights and weedends LPN program is basically the first year of the ADN program broken up into two traditional "school years". So, it took me two "years" (approx nine months each) to get through the LPN program. My first semester was August 2005-December 2005; second semester January 2006-May 2006; then second "year" third semester August 2006-December 2006; and fourth semester was January 2007-May 2007. This year I'm going into the days full-time program to finish up my ADN. I have only two semesters left; the Aug 2007-Dec 2007 then the Jan 2008-May 2008 which these last two semesters are considered the third and fourth semesters of the ADN program! NNNikki

:uhoh21:Hi everyone, This is Newbie Nurse Nikki chiming in on the first year nursing. I just wanted to know how many of you other newbies go through this emotional "stuff" at the end of your shift. I bust my butt all NOC shift to make sure all 43 of my residents are taken care of and that all extra documentation that NOC shift is responsible for is done. I only work an 8 hour shift at a time, thank goodness; however, I usually don't even get a break...I know, I know...being a nurse is being without break. :rolleyes:Anyway, I begin to think I have the night licked and on time when all of a sudden somebody's blood sugar is off, or 3 different people need their prn narcotic for pain, or someone is having difficulty breathing, or a skin tear needs to be documented and assessed....etc, etc... My schedule then brings me to the point that at the end of the shift, I have no time to record my report. Well, this is where I get the distinct impression that everyone would rather I did audio tape record my report. Here's why...as I'm trying to go through all 43 residents and which ones had loose stools, which ones had blood glucose readings, which ones had targeted behavior difficulties, who's on antibiotic, which one fell, has increased edema...etc...etc...I get the distinct impression the day shift would rather I give the abridged version of the NOC shift.:uhoh21: :oHow do I do that? I'm still trying to figure out priorities on passing which information that is relavent or not...ya know? I really begin to feel like I've got a handle on things until half way through the night, something out of the 'norm' happens. I'm still trying to name the resident with the face and know where all the equipment is, and what documentation is most important to complete. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but just wanted to air my thoughts and to see if anyone who's in their first months of being a nurse is experiencing any or all of the above said issues? Thanks for your time! NNNikki

Good luck to all of you awaiting the results of your tests! I took mine July 29th and had 85 questions. Thank goodness I only had to wait 48hrs until I saw the results that I passed! You go through such a myriad of emotions! I really feel for all of you and I want to offer you all a big hug and lots of prayers!:icon_hug: Love, NNNikki:nurse:

I graduated in May and took off work/school in June. I decided I needed the money and needed to keep my skills fresh so I got a temporary permit to work as a "licensed practical nurse"/Graduate Nurse until I took my test. I scheduled my test for July 29th which gave me 3.5 weeks of work before I took the exam. After only 4 days of orientation, they put me in charge of a whole floor (43 residents) on NOC shift and I haven't stopped since, working an average of 4 (8hr) shifts per week. I passed my NCLEX-PN first time 'round, thank goodness and for me, working helped keep my skills fresh and kept my mind from obsessively fretting over minute details. I studied some, but was able to rely on my schooling and basic knowledge to pass the exam. To each his own, though! For me, that was a perfect fit. Good luck with your decision! NNNikki

Painthe5thVitalsign, I wanted to let you know I appreciated your post and concur with your message. I'm sorry about what you had to deal with, however, I'm thankful you have chosen to utilize your experience to educate others, especially us nurses, on the dangers of taking pain out of the spotlight when it comes to assessment. It has given me a lot to think about! NNNikki

Wow, so many interesting and revealing stories behind our names! Thanks to all who have chosen to respond to this thread. Gaining insight through something as simple as a name has proved to be an exciting journey! Thank you all for sharing! NNNikki:nurse:

I'll be honest with you guys, I waited until the week or two before my NCLEX to really dig down and study. I had such a stressful year this past year which included my mother passing away in November, my mother in law living with us for the entire spring semester, and these are only a few things. :smackingf I quit my job on June 1st to take a breath, before looking for a job as a graduate nurse and getting back into school this fall towards my ADN. Then, I was hired as a graduate nurse in a local HC and Rehab LTC facility in July. Anyway, the one to two weeks prior to me taking my NCLEX last week I simply read through a few choice chapters in Saunders review guide on test taking strategies/categories and then I just kept quizzing myself randomly on the CDs and the study questions in the books. I only spent an hour or less a day on this and the weekend before my exam, I began to freak out when I saw how many months and hours and questions other people had said they did on studying for the NCLEX. I began to cram 48 hours before the exam, but everytime I tried, I fell asleep. I finally had to tell myself, Nikki, rely on your schooling. It got you this far. Rely on your own common sense and knowledge and relax. I went to bed midnight before my exam (which was 3pm the next day) and didn't think again about studying. I kept a positive attitude and visualized myself relaxed and taking the test and then visualized receiving the "pass" score. It worked for me. After receiving my "pass" score 2 days later, I went to the website of the Dept. of Reg. and Lic. and found my name under the profession "Licensed Practical Nurse". Good luck to all of you, and trust in yourselves!:studyowl: NNNikki LPN

If nursing is what you really want, don't you give up! Try taking it again like the last person who posted suggested. And if that is not an option. Take the extra class and go again! Just because you didn't pass this test the first time doesn't mean you were not cut out for nursing!:innerconf Just think of all the people dieting out there. If they didn't lose all their weight on their first try, wouldn't you encourage them to learn from that and keep trying... and tell them to never give up? Take that analogy anywhere in your life...If you want it GO FOR IT! Good luck and keep us posted!:typing NNNikki LPN

Thanks to all who shared there nicknames and backgrounds to them! Yes, I'm sure this thread has gone around before, but I'm rather new to this board and did not have the opportunity to view said threads. Besides, there are a lot of new people, like me, who have not seen those threads as well! :welcome: Now we are current and getting up to speed....kinda like our first year of nursing, eh? :typing NNNikki LPN

When I was finishing school, they gave me a packet that included instructions and paperwork for a temporary license in case we applied for a job and wanted to work before we got our permanent license. Anyway, I didn't do the temporary paperwork then I decided to find a job as a nurse this summer before I go back to school for my ADN. The school sent me a form and when I was offered a job as a graduate nurse, the DON at the facility signed the form and I paid ten dollars and sent it back to the school to verify my graduation and they sent it off to the state to issue my temporary license. I got it within 2 weeks and then I set up my NCLEX 4 weeks later on July 29. I was trained during my graduate nurse/temporary permit period, then, as of two days ago, I am officially a credentialled LPN in our state and I will hand in a note to the human resource office that my status is changed to active LPN and I will get a raise! Yeahhh! Good luck to you and go get your job! NNNikki

Ok, apnea, you've literally got me in STITCHES! LMAO! I love your breathtaking view! Nikki

I've seen so many different login names and have often wondered why people have come up with some of the crazy nicknames they have. Is it just something to put down; or, is it something that means a lot to them or describes them to a "t"? Ok, I'll go first. The month I was born, my parents had a cat who had a litter of Maine coon cats. They kept one kitten and decided to call him TC. Why, you ask? Because those two letters could represent a vast variety of nicknames based on the type of day or attitude this kitty would have. At times, my parents would call him Terrific Cat, Tremendous Cat, Tricky Cat, Time-consuming Cat. Others were not so endearing such as; Terrible Cat, Tyrannical Cat, Taunting Cat...etc. You get my drift. Anyway, you wonder where I get my nickname based on this info? You see, when I decided to go into nursing, my husband smiled and raised his eyebrows and said, "Hmmm...Naughty Nurse Nikki, eh?" I quickly shot him a look and said, "Why not Nice Nurse Nikki?" What ensued over the course of years in nursing school was much like what my cat TC had experienced. I've been referred to as Naughty Nurse Nikki, Nice Nurse Nikki, Nasty Nurse Nikki, Nimble Nurse Nikki, Notorious Nurse Nikki, Noble Nurse Nikki, Needy Nurse Nikki, Neurotic Nurse Nikki, Newbie Nurse Nikki, and now that I work Nights...I am Noc Nurse Nikki. So take the nickname you choose, and run with it! That's my story and I'm sticking to it. NNNikki p.s. "...but ya doesn't have to call me johnson!";)