becky214

I suspect there must be more to it than slow moving, using a cane or leaning on a handrail or bed.......my DON does these things. When she was a floor nurse and passing meds, she used a chair to sit down to set up each individual's meds too...just as this nurse does. I have been in LTC for roughly 35 years now....have had 2 physicals when joining a new company and none on annual or semi-annual basis...have had cancer twice. I think an annual physical for all licensed staff would be a good idea (if the company paid for it). She should not be singled out.

I strongly agree that the patients need to come first. I know that if I was unable to perform my job and it caused someone to suffer....I would be devastated! I am sure Nancy Nurse would feel the same way. I would also hope that she would be able to perform her duties safely and quickly (if mobility issues were the only real problem) if the company offered assistance with mobility. The company might also get by with not paying unempolyment if they offered her a leave so she could get treatment. (they do that for drug addicts...why not food addicts???) Assisting her mobility would probably only be a temporary help...she would need to be working on improving her own mobility, of course, if she was going to keep nursing for the long term.

Wow..I have had nurses with foot fractures or other injuries work in wheel chairs...I hadn't even thought that the facility would not offer assistance to keep an injured nurse active. I worked using a wheeled walker once....and on crutches once because of injuries received outside of work. I was able to perform all assessments, feed, change bandages, etc with the devices I used. I could have done them seated in a wheel chair if needed....probably easier!...even did it all in a sling once with a rotator cuff injury. I have a couple co-workers with Fibromyalgia. Both use canes. (one is wound care nurse). One set up meds from a chair at the med cart then walked into the room to administer them....or the residents would stop by her med cart on the way to or from the dining area. Both perform their jobs very well with these mobility alterations. If I had a good nurse with a mobility problem, I would rather assist her mobility than spend the money hiring/training an unknown quantity new nurse. ...or pay OT to have other nurses pick up the vacant shifts....or, worse yet, pay agency nursing fees. When our dietary supervisor was dying from cancer, we supported her. She missed some work and everyone pitched in to help when she was out. True, she did not have the type of duties a nurse has. I guess it would really come down to whether or not this nurse could perform her job from a wheel chair. At least, I would hope that would be the case.

Have you offered her a wheel chair to use at work? Would your insurance pay for bypass or other weight loss surgery (or knee replacement if that is the problem)?

I am an ADON in LTC. My DON is on call 24/7....for the administrative nurse on-call to contact her if needed...or the floor nurse is to notify of a discharge or death in the facility. She NEVER is to work the floor....she does not take on-call rotation. When she has a question about protocol, she IS TO CALL he corporate nurse Consultant....that is what the nurse consultant is there for! The DON is the head of the nursing department. Have the nurse Consultant meet with you and your administrator together and get this worked out. Going to your Nurse Consultant is NOT going over the Admin's head. If you had followed the admin's direction, you AND the admin could have lost your licenses.....the admin is, after all, responsible for what happens in the building.

I've known several who have completed the EC program and now have RN behind their names......I have personally completed all but the NCLEX. Believe me, the EC staff at my CPNE WANTED us to pass! I think 5 of the 6 of us passed! BJ

Sounds like you know what is best for you....everyone needs to do what works best in their own lives. Good luck with traditional school! Keep us posted when the time comes. :-) BJ

I have heard good things about them...also, they have a shorter wait list for scheduling CPNEs......also a great hotel about 3 blocks distance away... I applied for CPNE in January and selected to accept either Plano or Amarillo.....After5 months I contacted them. I got an e-mail asking if I would take Amarillo because they could get me in sooner there. 2 weeks later I had a date. Good luck! I am both excited and scared witless! BJ

One of my co-workers did the EC program and has been an RN for several years now. I am taking the CPNE (clinical exam) August 1-3 in Amarillo. The test is $1825. It is a 2.5 day exam. Yes, it is strenuous...they don't want to pass people who endanger patients. The greatest cause for failure, however, is NERVES! (forgetting simple things like when to wash hands or not making sure the side rail is up and call light within reach before you leave the room.) The company I work for paid for my books through a publishing company. (I would suggest eBay purchase of the same books...much less expensive). It takes a lot of discipline but having watched fellow students grow into knowledgeable nurses...I'd do it again in a heartbeat! BJ

Have you tried local nursing homes. We are a long way from you, but we have CNA classes 2 times yearly and don't charge at all if you work for us 6 months after. The class is 2 weeks then you test within the next month. You are paid while taking the class...at a lower than CNA wage but only allowed to do what has been taught as far as patient care. You might check it out. We just finished a class and they test August 5th. Our next class is in October. BJ