Bridey

If it meant being more likely to get into the program. May as well use your time waiting to improve your chances! I repeated several classes and got in last July. Now I'm graduating in 2 days and I don't regret the extra classes one bit!

Sure, just about anything we do that isn't skilled nursing seems erroneous and irritating. I'm not saying it doesn't. My question I suppose is that if you are working in ICU aren't you responsible for the care of 1 or 2 patients at a time... and if so... does making toast for the 1 or 2 people under your care really take so long that you can't be bothered? Most ridiculously busy days that I have worked in ICU have still left me with time to burn. Is your nursing-patient ratio higher in your hospital? I see the point that it's another thing pawned off on Nursing that shouldn't be. I just don't get the time constraint especially when several people in ICU are more than likely not eating.

Not to sound callous, but if the thorn in your side at work is having to toast a little bread for breakfast, then you have it easy sister. When did we start to think we were too good to do things like toast bread and retrieve water pitchers? Why shoud it only be the job of Techs? We're fully capable of doing what some may consider "mundane" tasks just as well as skilled tasks. Sure it'll take a few minutes out of your morning, but maybe you could request 2 or 3 of those 4 slotted toasters to get the job done more efficiently. Because really... in the scheme of things, how long does toast REALLY take? LOL

I suppose I agree with the general consensus here. I think a suit & tie is a good idea for an interview. Also pay attention to the details. Make sure your belt/shoes match and aren't shabby looking. Don't wear a lot of jewelry, go easy on the cologne (if at all), fresh haircut, etc. It's not as much about what you wear, as it is what you have to say, but you have to market yourself. As a new nurse, you want to put your best foot forward so that they consider you over someone with more experience.

I've been a LVN for 5 years now. I've lived here in SE Texas for 14 months. Prior to moving here I was living in Turkey for a year (ex-husband is in the AF) where I worked as the Executive Assistant (glorified secretary) to the Hospital Administrator on the AF base there. And before that I lived in Vacaville, California from 1999-2005. Good ole' cowtown. For those of you who have never heard of it, it's about midway between Sacramento & San Francisco. I grew up in SF. Anyhow, about the cost of living comparison... there really isn't one. Living in SE Texas making only $17/hr is bar-none a better standard of living than living in California making $24/hr (as an LVN). Why? Because of several factors... California has a 8% state income tax... Texas has no state income tax. Average cost of rent for a 3 br house in the area of California I lived in was around $2000/mo. Currently I pay $650/mo rent for a 3 br house in SE Texas. Buying a house? California = $250,000 for a small (1500 sq ft) 3 br starter home. Texas = $125,000 for a decent sized (2000 sq ft) 3 br home. Gas prices in California average $3 a gallon, here in Texas it's about $2.50 a gallon. Utility prices are better in Texas. Food prices seem about the same... although some produce is more expensive here than in California. The trade off from moving AWAY from a largely agricultural part of California. Something I'm happy I can still enjoy are farmers markets!! I used to frequent them in California and Texas has them too! So that's a huge plus for me. Air quality is probably a little less clean here due to the power plants, but it isn't so crowded here. The roads in a lot of SE Texas are often under construction, but I can't recall not seeing CalTrans on the freeways in California. Something about SE Texas that I don't care for is the weather, however I've only been here 1 year... maybe last year was a bad year. I do miss the milder predominantly sunny days. Here sun = humidity. Bleh! I miss being close to an ocean I'd swim in, but in Texas defense there are loads of rivers, lakes, etc to swim in... just look out for gators! There are always festivals, cultural events, concerts and loads of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors here in SE Texas, so that's something I'm glad is abundant here in Texas, as I enjoyed a lot of that in California. As far as work is concerned... there are ALWAYS going to be places that have people who are undesirable to work with. That isn't exclusive to Texas by any means. You just have to decide what's more important to you, providing the best quality of compassionate nursing care YOU can provide... or worrying about what everyone else is or isn't doing. You can't save the world, but you can set an example to follow. In regards to the ratio law in California... it's all smoke & mirrors. I worked in a very large prestigious non-profit hospital in Sacramento that found ways around the 5 to 1 ratio. While the LVN's may have had 5 patients... the RN charge nurse was generally responsible for 10-15 patients... as she oversaw the care of 2-3 LVN's. So while people might think 6 patients is too much in Texas because the nurses in California "never" have more than 5, well that's a farce. There are hospitals here that have bad reputations as far as whether or not nurses like working there. Not everyone who works at them dislike them though, otherwise some nurses probably wouldn't stay there 15-25 years. There are other places whos management sucks, but again that isn't exclusive to Texas. I worked in a hospital in California with a horrid DON and an Administrator who defended her awful attitude... I stayed there nearly 2 years. Shortly after I resigned both of them were fired. Do I wish I had stayed there? Nope, I ended up taking a job in a different hospital making a little more and working with a lot of really awesome nurses. Were there lazy, rude, holier than thou nurses at that hospital? Darn tootin'... Did I let them get under my skin? No. The fact of the matter is, you won't get along with everyone you work with. So long as you keep a professional attitude and recognize you're priority is to work, not make friends then you can work around them if not with them. If you happen to make friends... that's just an added bonus. My 50 cents on the matter as far as Texas and California are concerned... and I grew up most of my life in California.

A long orientation doesn't have to be a bad thing. Use that month and get the most out of it! Know that what you learned in school will greatly differ from how you function on the floor. You have a lot of things to get used to... paperwork is a doozie! There are forms for everything and multiple places to chart some things and it can be very time consuming when you aren't familiar with the type of documentation that particular facility does. Also, learning where things can be found can be frustrating and time consuming... so look in drawers, closets, ask where storage rooms are for oxygen, where the crash cart is, where supplies are kept. Time management is also going to be a challenge. Being organized can make or break you for having a good day. Finding ways to get that in order during orientation will save you a lot of time spent after your shift finishing up things. Get in the charts and learn about these patients you're going to be assuming the care of. Take the time to really establish a relationship with them so that they will trust you when you are on your own. Jump in and offer your help. If your preceptor/proctor has an order to insert a foley catheter, offer to do it for them! Do the dressing changes, if you see a patient who is a fall risk taking themselves to the bathroom, assist them and then take the time to do some patient teaching about why it's important they ask for assistance. Help the nurses aides! I cannot stress this enough. If you build a good report with the nurses aides you will find your job to be so much easier. They are your eyes and ears when you have several patients to keep track of. Scratch their backs and they'll scratch yours. If you come into your new job with the attitude that they are "just" nurses aides, don't be surprised if they don't do a thing to help you. I was a CNA for 6 years prior to going to school to be a LVN. The nurses who treated me well I made it a point to help them do their job as much as possible. The ones who treated me like crap... well lets just say I didn't go out of my way to be nice to them. For your first week or so I'd just shadow the preceptor/proctor and not do much patient care, focus more on the charts, the paperwork, locating things... week 2 jump in there and offer your help with procedures, help the nurses aides, get organized... week 3 take on a few patients of your own, do all of their care, meds, treatments, documentation... by the end of week 3 take on 1/2 of the patient load. By week 4 your preceptor/proctor ought to be shadowing you. You run the show and let them help you where needed. That's the only way you are going to get a REAL sense of how things are. Good luck!!

Yes, but you'll have to take the pre-req's. I went to a private Vocational Nursing Program and wasn't required to take all of the pre-req's prior to starting the program. I'm hoping to continue on towards an RN program, but need to finish up the last few pre-req's I have left prior to applying to a bridge program.

You can absolutely wear a fanny pack. Whatever helps you stay organized. I know of several nurses who wear them. To add to what everyone has pretty much already covered. I have a clipboard that opens and has a storage compartment inside that I keep a lot of my stuff in. I also always have post-its, highlighters of various colors, a Sharpie (for the IV bags, G-tube bags, dressings, etc), at least a few bucks in change for the soda machine, my stethescope, bandage scissors, pen light, hemostats, rolls of tape and an assignment sheet I created in nursing school that helps me stay organized. Everyone has their own method to staying organized, you'll have to figure out what works for you. Maybe your report notes will, but I've found that sometimes having the extra stuff like code status, meds due, iv access location and even their family members names (if they have family who visit often) is a good thing to have on hand. Also, I used to be a big advocate for Dansko shoes. I still love my Danskos, but have recently bought a pair of Crocs. Let me tell you... they are some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, they're light and best of all they're only like $30! Huge difference compared to the Danskos being $116. A lab coat too! Sometimes it gets cold on my unit and having a lab coat saves the day. :)

I recently started a new job. In general orientation we had one of the Case Managers come in and talk about staying within your scope of practice, safeguarding your license and maintaining your ethics/integrity if faced with a nurse who is the sort to cut corners, take shortcuts or flat out ignore policy and procedure when it suits him/her. Her bottom line was... It took you HOW long to get your license? Do you want it to be taken away? Don't do anything you are ever uncomfortable with and remember that you are NOT there to make friends, you are there to take care of patients. This includes being THEIR advocate and speaking up when someone asks you to do something that is not within your scope of practice. Whether or not you are capable of carrying out that task isn't the issue, it's against policy. End of subject. Don't let a lazy charge nurse make you feel bad because he/she doesn't want to get off their ass and do their job. You did the right thing.

I had just turned 23 when I started the program. However, there was everyone from a 19 yr old just out of highschool to a 46 yr old SAHM who decided she wanted to go back to school now that her sons were grown in my program. We had a pretty diverse group. 40 graduated, of the 40 there were 2 guys. All ages, all races, all religions. It was pretty cool actually to find out how alike so many of us who may not have otherwise known each other (if not for the nursing program) were.

It really depends on the program and where you live. I went through nursing school with my tongue & nose pierced (as well as my ears pierced 5 times in each ear) and never heard a word about my piercings in Northern California. I now live in SE Texas and specifically asked the new place I'm working if any of my piercings were against their dress code because it states "No nose, lip or eyebrow rings." The piercing in my nose is a tiny stud, but I wanted to make sure it wasn't an issue. Some places are more lax than others. I had a girl in my class who had pink/black/blonde hair and another with visible tattoos when she was in uniform. Some places care and others just care about whether or not you're a good nurse. I've never had a problem getting a job, but I'm sure there are others who have. If school policy or work dress codes don't specify "no ear plugs" and you are accepted to the program or hired at a job then I wouldn't make it an issue if they don't bring it up. Good luck!

I prefer scrub tops and buy the ones that are fitted or have the little ties on the back so that I can make them fitted. Mostly because I like having the storage pockets. However, I have nothing against someone wearing the t-shirts so long as they're in good shape, solid colored and fit well. Sometimes I wonder if some people look in the mirror before they get into the car headed for work at times. What's with the super baggy pajama looking scrubs & scrubs that look like jogging suits? Bleh!

I was going to attempt to point out how ridiculous I think the comments made by sweetface are without sounding like one of those "back-biting, jealous, sheman nurses in sloppy PJ scrubs" she described... however it's really not worth the wasted time. I really couldn't give a care about what the impression of me is considering I prefer scrub pants (which fit just fine thanks) to skirts, have tattoos and piercings and still manage to be VERY much a feminine woman, though I don't always have my hair perfectly styled by the end of a hectic shift. Feminine isn't how you look, it's how you ARE and being a feminist doesn't mean you're a man-hating-bra-burning-chip-on-your-shoulder having "Sheman". Implying that a nurses attire in some way determines his/her skill level is almost as ridiculous as defending sexual harrassment.

I know everyone suggests wearing suits and plain jane sort of attire, but even my mom (who is also a nurse) doesn't wear that crap... why would I? LOL I say wear what you're comfortable in. Something business casual, but don't feel like you have to go out and buy a new suit for dropping off resumes & filling in applications. Even for interviews... unless you suspect you'll wear the suit again, I wouldn't buy one. I went to a job fair in a nice dress, heels, wore jewelry, makeup (the sort of stuff I usually wear outside of work) and was hired on the spot. I think interviewers are more concerned with what's on your resume and in your head rather than what you're wearing. Granted it's best to show up wearing something nice, but don't feel like you have to wash out your personality and wear something you're uncomfortable in... your discomfort will be evident. Good luck!

I've never had an issue with wearing jewelry to work. I tend to wear less now than I did when I was younger, but generally rings get left at home anymore. As previously stated, they can carry germs around with them and if I don't dry my hands and the rings well enough my skin under the ring tends to get irritated. I do wear my earrings though. They're all pretty small and harmless though. And my nose is pierced as well with a tiny silver stud. Never had any issues with that either, though people like to ask me about the safety of it being pierced or having it "ripped out". Not likely. I think whether you wear jewelry or not is entirely up to your own personal preference. My wedding set is a custom nearly 3 tcw engagement ring and it stays at home in my jewelry box. Even though it's insured, I'd rather not lose a stone or the whole thing at work.

My assumption is that you mean they didn't employ CNA's at the places in North Texas, is that correct? At this particular hospital they do employ CNA's. Thank goodness for that. I really think team nursing is the most beneficial for all parties involved... coworkers & patients alike. From what I have been told, patient/nurse ratio is 4-1 or 5-1 in Med-Surg & Med Tele... and 2-1 in ICU. I guess I'll find out in 15 day or so. I accepted the job offer and will be attending orientation on Sept. 18th. The pay is nowhere near what I made in California, but I'm also not paying what I would in California for a 3 br house. And the benefits package is pretty awesome and starts just 30 days after employment. Pretty awesome.

I don't think rude, obnoxious people who have a sense of entitlement are primarily Medicare patients. I think those sorts of people come from all walks of life. In the early 90's my mom worked in San Francisco at California Pacific Medical Center, where she ended up taking care of a very famous and wealthy baseball player. One of his doctor's orders was to "provide coffee or refreshments to his wife when she was visiting". I'm dead serious. And what do you think the nurses, including my mom, wanted to do with that order? LOL I try to treat all of my patients with respect and dignity regardless of their social status. It's no different to me than any other aspect of their H & P. Whether they are private pay, Blue Cross, Medicare or completely uninsured makes no difference to me. I'll make sure that I provide them with the best nursing care I can and not think twice about it. If people have an issue taking care of drug addicts, alcoholics, mentally ill patients or don't like caring for people of a different race, social status or religious background then my personal opinion is that they ought to look into a different profession. We are not there to place judgement on anyone under our care, we're there to make sure they have compassionate and professional nursing care. So leave your biases at the door and do your job.

Congrats Krisiti!! :)

I've been a nurse for 4 years and absolutely LOVE being a nurse. I haven't always loved my job, but that's a pretty easy fix with as high in demand as nurses are. If you find yourself in a job that doesn't suit you, there are always many more out there in many different fields. As others have said, sometimes what appears to be a negative post is really just a nurse venting who's had a bad day and nowhere else to vent. Nursing is definately a challenge, but it's a profession where you go home at the end of the day knowing that you have made a difference. Nothing can top that feeling.

My only experiences working as a nurse have been in California. Most people assume because California has a reputation for being so "liberal" and diverse that discrimination must not be an issue. I only wish that were true. I have on numerous occassions seen nurses asked to trade patients with a fully competent nurse who happened to be Asian or African American. Why? Because a patient didn't want to be cared for by them because they were Asian or African American. Nurses I have admired and respected have been treated with such callous and disrespect that it isn't something you can just ignore, "get over", move on from... I have personally taken offense FOR them because these were my colleagues and often times my friends. I have heard other nurses of all nationalities making negative/derrogatory comments about other nurses speaking to other nurses, doctors, CNA's in their native languages. Why? Who knows, their own insecurity perhaps? Why is it if someone speaks a language around someone who doesn't understand it that people assume they must be talking about them? How arrogant is it to assume that someone would be talking about you? I happen to be a Caucasian woman (Italian, Irish & Lakota). I grew up with parents who were very much NOT racist. I went to school in San Francisco where I grew up with people from all nationalities and racial backgrounds. I was fortunate to be exposed to so much culture and I feel that it helped make me the woman I am today. It occured to me how lucky I was to know so many people from so many places. I'm multilingual (Spanish & Italian) and have lived outside of the US. It baffles my mind that there are still so many simple minded people in 2007. And I don't mean the elderly population... I mean my peers. 20 and 30 somethings who are still so ignorant to think that racism isn't a prevalent and harmful presence in society. It exists whether or not you want to acknowledge it. Maybe your experience has afforded you the opportunity to not be exposed to it... if so, please don't think for a minute because you haven't seen, heard or experienced it that it simply doesn't exist. Count yourself LUCKY if you haven't had to deal with racism and discrimination personally. I recently moved to SE Texas (December 2006). I just received my Texas nursing license the end of July and will be starting my 1st job in this state on Sept. 18th. So far it appears that the place I'll be working is racially diverse. I'm happy about that. I have to admit that moving to the South I have some biases... Funny that they should be about Caucasians. I realize that not all Southern Caucasians are racists or rednecks, but a lot of what I have encountered thus far in the Nursing community here has made me really nervous. I hope that if there are racist nurses where I work, that they will keep their comments to themselves, as I don't want to hear them. To those of you who have personally had to experience discrimination first hand, know that for every ignorant person out there making the comments or making assumptions about you... there are people like me who will only see you as a colleague and fellow nurse regardless of what color your skin is or where your ancestry originates from. Keep your heads up and continue to provide professional nursing care with compassion and integrity. We may not be able to change the hearts of others, but if we are able to lead by example some of those hearts will change on their own.

I loved working nights in LTC. My 1st job as a LVN was in LTC on night shift. It was a lot of fun. The pace is a lot less stressful, as you don't have family members, administration, ancillary staff to throw you off schedule. You will get a routine going in no time and find that it's not nearly as bad as you might think. When I worked nights in LTC I had 1/2 of a 90 bed facility to take care of. Honestly, after your 8pm med pass you'll mostly only have PRN pain meds, accu-checks in the am, g-tube feeders and loads of charting. If you work with really great CNA's (which I was fortunate to have) the time will go by quickly and you'll find that your biggest challenge on most nights will be whether or not to indulge in the cake, chips, candy, etc that one of the nurses or CNA's brought in. LOL Beware the late night snacking!! I gained 10 lbs on night shift!

I don't believe it's legal for them to clock you out, but it also isn't reasonable for them to require that you take a break when you cannot leave the floor. If they want to clock you out, you should leave the floor at that time and take a break. Regardless of what's going on. I think doing patient care when you are technically clocked out would be more difficult to explain should something bad happen during that time than being a little late doing accu-checks. I hate when Administration gets involved in making set break times for the nursing staff. Sometimes what we have to do in a day doesn't coincide with when they deem is an ok time to be taking a break. Maybe it's insubordinate of me or whatever, but I take a break when I have time for one and when I absolutely need one. We're all adults and as long as the patients are getting the care they deserve I think the Administration ought to let the nursing staff govern themselves when it comes to breaks. I don't know how much good it would do there, but if enough nurses have an issue with the set break times maybe you could collectively call a meeting with the Administration to explain why the time they've deemed "break time" isn't reasonable based on the patients needs. That way you could potentially come up with an alternative time.

It will vary based on where in California you live. I lived in Vacaville, about midway between Sacramento and SF. As a new grad out of LVN school I made $21/hr. Before I left Ca in 2005 I was making $24/hr. I worked in a sub-acute rehab unit in a LTC facility. I have friends who were making more commuting to Sacramento, but not by much. However, I will say that housing cost in that area was A LOT more affordable there than in the SF Bay Area. It wasn't uncommon to find a 3 br house in Vacaville for $1500-1700/mo. Where as you'd be lucky to find a 1 br apartment in a decent neighborhood in SF for that. I can tell you right now that cost of living in California is 170% higher than what it is here in SE Texas. I only make $16/hr here, but I also don't pay nearly as much as I would in California for a house or any number of other things... like car insurance. I grew up my entire life in California... and I will tell you that anyplace you live in the states (aside from Hawaii) will be more affordable than California. Don't let what seems like "excellent pay" fool you into moving there. It's definately not cheap to live in California.

Everyone's perspective on their LVN/LPN program is going to differ from one person to the next. For some it's really difficult. For others it's not real difficult at all. Some people will study for 4-5 hours a day and others will study 1-2 hrs a day. Some people will study the night before a big exam and go into a break room with their headphones on the day of the exam to just chill out before they take the test... others will be studying their notes with their faces crammed into a book 5 minutes before they take the test. Everyone is different. I can't say it was a cakewalk, but I will tell you that I did not study nearly as much as other people. I took good notes and read the material I was given and because I retain things well... that generally was enough for me. Some areas were more difficult for me than others (remembering muscles and tendons in A & P come to mind), but I found ways to memorize them and I studied those things a little longer than things like Care Plans, which came pretty easily to me. I found that LVN/LPN school was more about time management, organization and application of skills than anything. Because it's something I am so passionate about I didn't find the material tedious or boring. I was actually really happy to be in school. So depending on how you are as a student will determine whether or not you need to study more. Some projects will take longer to complete than one hour so don't limit yourself to so little time to study incase you actually need 3 hours. I'd suggest giving yourself that extra hour after school to get the kids lunches ready for the next day, cook dinner, do a load or 2 of laundry and wind down from the day. Then once the husband is home and the kids are home... have dinner, get baths done, get them off to bed and use the remainder of the evening to study without interruption. Keep in mind you won't have the luxury of "chill out" time very often in school. There is always something you could be studying or housework you could be doing. You just have to find a way to balance it all. It will be a hard to get into a routine and the first few weeks are going to royally suck, but once you get it down you'll be just fine. You'll get "chill out" time when you finish nursing school. :) Good luck!!

Your best bet would be to either call the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners or to email someone there. 512-305-7671 There's a woman in Licensing/Endorsement Dept named Christine Howard that you can speak to. Good luck!