NancyB,LPN

I wish my director would feel the same. I'm an LPN with a hospital based home services/hospice. My director a BSN and 10 cent millionaire, refers to the RN's as "NURSES" and then there are the LPNs. In a recent memo from her it was addressed "Nurses and LPNs" I kid you not! After 18 years of being an LPN, providing RN care, I decided to go back to school and get my ASN. I've worked for this woman for 5 years and this year, for the first time, she sent me a birthday card. I was SHOCKED!!! In addition to that, I'm usually assigned to visit 6-8 patients a day where the some of the RN's whine if they have more than 4. To quote my director "It's cheaper to send an LPN than an RN to a medicare visit" Yep, charge them the same price, pay the employee less. I love my job, hate the politics. Bless y'all!

If you're talking about the study at home home thing where you buy the books, don't bother unless you're highly motivated and can do the independent study on your own. I tried that, found out that, in addition to the cost of the workbooks (4,000.00), there is also the cost of testing and another hefty fee to do the clinicals. I didn't want to go all the way to Louisville to take a test (at 120.00 minimum) I ate the cost of the workbooks, and enrolled in IUPUC LPN to ASN program. Weigh your options and decide what is best for you. I do much better in the classroom setting-no disruptions and I have time to myself away from home without other stuff hanging over me, waiting to be done. Best of luck to you!

I am doing my pre req's thru IUPUC and will be doing LPN to ASN there. After 17 years of being an LPN doing RN work and not getting the same pay, I figured I'd make my mother happy, along with my bank account, and just do it.

Thank you for helping me out, I understand why I got pulled out, and I was too close to that fine line (that's my personality...help anybody I can) I will take some time, not speak of the matter for a few days, take the "wait and see" approach. and see what happens next. Have a great weekend!

I am a Home services nurse, and I do Private Duty and hospice visits as well. My problem, without going into great detail, is that I have a private duty patient who's parents are going thru a custody battle. Neither are fit to take care of this kid and are using this child as a pawn in their little games. Currently a relative has custody of the patient and is pleased with our services, confides in us (the other nurses), and trusts us. The patient now has a lawyer (the ppatient is a minor) and the relative gave the lawyer the nurses names and office number. The lawyer called my office, spoke with my administrator (I wasn't aware of this) and now I'm being pulled out of the home with my supervisor citing that I'm getting too "involved" She didn't tell me that a lawyer had called and wanted to speak with me, I found that out later. I feel that my supervisor is being evasive (yet there is an on going "problem" she says that there isn't enough communication!) I maintain my professionalism, be an advocate fopr my patient, and was even complimented on my charting of what the child told me concerning a parent! Yet I haven't been officially told WHY I'm being pulled out, just that I am. My question is: Do I confront my supervisor with what I have learned? Do I give it week, wait and see if I'm told the truth? Or do I go up the ladder to her supervisor? Thanks for your advice in advance, and thanks for letting me vent

I started on Lexapro 10mg about a year ago. I, too started on a weekend so I could figure out how I would react to it. It makes me sleep, so I take it in the evening. It has done wonders for me! I don't cry at those hallmark commercials any more! Good for you for having the courage to ask your MD for something! Depression really sucks, trust me on that one.

My sentiments are the same, once I am unable to care for myself, let me go. I was put on this good earth to care for others, not vice-versa. (although I do like the occasional pampering but let me do the personal stuff) I do have a great deal of respect for this person with ALS, she has an iron will, and, I'll admit, she's taught me alot. I had never dealt with a ventilator patient before, so I have some skills there now, and I have become more tolerant of other people's idiosyncracies. I guess I just needed to vent that day. (don't we all?) Have a wonderful day!

Hullo all... My days can get interesting, I do primarily private duty with visits lasting from 1 to 10 hours. One of my patients is an ALS patient who is on a ventilator and uses an in-exsufflator for cough assistance. She was diagnosed 8 years ago and her goal was to see her kids graduate from high school (she has 2, with the youngest starting high school next year) This lady is extremly anal, has to have her face rinsed 3 times in a specific order, her range of motion has to be done in a specific order and 20 reps each (that's doing each finger and toe individually as well), we're not allowed to joke with her kids, we can't say the workd "butt', (but her 14 year old can say "crap") The bowel program is SO time consuming!! she needs digital stim, but you must change gloves each time and wipe it all off of the inside of the bedpan before proceding. She mouths her words most of the time (despite the continuous hook up to the DynaVox) and she get's irate if you don't understand her. There are only 3 LPN's and 2 HHA's who are willing to go out there! We have all left in tears at one time or another and the other staff refuse to go out there! Until recently, the LPN's were staying with her for 10 hours on a daily basis (now we are doing 2 shifts of 5 hours) Does anybody have problem patients like this?