queen777

If you don't have any prior experience in the health field, especially in the hospital or nursing home scene, the LVN or LPN is a much better place to start to get your feet wet. Which is not what I wanted to do, but NO, my husband said, "if you are going to it, do it big"! For me, anyway, because I didn't have the prior experience, LPN would have been so much better. I failed the RN pharmacology math by .03 of a point! I was out of the program, but had all of my other RN pre reqs done, that witch who was head of nursing program told me "we all can't be astronauts", and "you thought you passed,, didn't you?" She was a mean one and out for me and she got me. I even had answers erased on my final in pharm! Oh yes, I wrote up all of the incidents that happened along the way with her including all of things which were on the test that hampered a person to even pass her test! Later I ran into one of the students that took the class with me. She had to repeat the class and told me the test had be cut in half to only 25 questions...from 50 when I took it and the last question was worth 6 pts, so if you missed any part of it, well...do the math. The first day we all met as a class of at least 30-40 students she called on me twice, 4 times in a row, just hoping to stump me, but she didn't! I guess where I messed up too was another student asked if she could list the size syringe or kind used on the test, well for some dumb reason I was thinking ( prior experience would have saved me here) ALL syringes were marked off in increments of 2..a lot of the answers were 1.5 cc, and I was not thinking there was a 3cc syringe, so I rounded it off to 2cc. I admit really dumb. Later, she said the syringes were in the same cabinet as all of the Nrsg 1 practice items, I went back to the cabinet, they were not there! They were over a sink which I had to climb to even get to it! You don't want to hear what happened the first and second go around with this test. Believe me, it just wasn't meant to be for me. So just because you have passed the pre reqs don't get comfy. The game is not over yet! Just a word of advice.

You darn its not typical! The problem is not a single coworker will back you even if you are right. When you follow another nurse, you are taking on her problems too, no matter what you are responsible for everything, even the CNAs that work under you. I guess I just had enough of baby sitting instead of being able to go to work, to work. I was a darn good nurse too. And all of my life's experiences helped tremendously. But that chapter is over. I always thought until I would work until retirement age too! Things have a way of changing for the better when you don't even realize it.

I already have my LPN license, but I quit working as a nurse just because I got so tired of the hassle coming on shift and things were not done right by the prior nurse, such as admitting a pt as not amitting a pt as a diabetic, and I was bolus feeding her Jevity Plus when her daughter walkes in the door and asked, "how's mom's accu checks?" This was 3-11 so all of the indians were going home. But one had the nerve to literally take the phone out of my hand and "say cancel call" as I was in the process of repaging the doctor to tell him I didn't have what he ordered. There is more to this story, the sliding scale was not written high enough to give this pt coverage with the regular insulin, I was new at this facility and didn't quite know where certain things were, it was a mess! I felt dumb, but really she was the dumb one not knowing what was going on and hanging up the phone. I quit that job after working an 11-7 one night. A pt went into respiratory distress about 5AM, I could have really used the head RN which was outside smoking, she later asked me "why didn't you give her Lasix IV push"? Well first of all its against FL law for an LPN to do that! The distressed pt didn't get out of the facility until the other AM nurses were coming on duty and I still had meds to give out and didn't get done until 11AM! No one bothered to ask if they could help. I quit after that. Then at the next job. This was 11-7 shift, a brand new facility just built. Yes we had orientation , but at night things look different. When I arrived I found out the DON had scheduled me for 2 floors, against FL law! I didn't know this then. All kinds of things happened, needless to say I quit! I had to deal with liquid oxygen, had no experience with that. This same pt on that, pulled out his foley and was peeing all over the floor, but I got in trouble for not putting one back in, a lady who had a fresh pacemaker, it quit working, good thing her daughter came into feed her that AM! I was busy on the other floor slipping in urine which had leaked from a foley bag because whoever emptied it, didn't snap in good enough. And then I got in trouble by the DON herself for asking when I first got there, "you are going to leave me like this?" She told me things would be fine and to, get this, "Wing it"! What a mess! does me good to write once in awhile because it refreshes by memory! Good luck! I am not a new nurse either!

Sorry to hear so many of you nurses think that in your 40s & 50s is old! I have been thinking about going back to work myself and I am 57 in Sept. so what? I am probably in better shape physically than most of the overweight 20- whatever age. If you are overweight, you cut years off of your life! Not to mention the quality of life left. Also, we as older nurses have so much more life knowledge. I think if you want it, go after it, its only you holding you back.

This was the reason I quit nursing although I do wish I had kept up my skills now due to my husband's business doing so poorly we could use the money. I just got tired of not being able to Just Go To Work and do my job without having to fix a problem created by the last nurse. And the pranksters...they would say.. "no that's not my patient", "yes, that's my patient", "not my patient', just stupid stuff, in the mean time I needed vitals on a particular patient. I just wanted to slap them. I really just wanted to do my job!

I am a LPN, but its a nursing test too! Anyway, I asked my sister, who at the time as a teacher, both are state tests, and asked her if she had any advice before I took my boards...this makes all the sense in the world....as she told me "one answer is wrong and you know it is, the others are close and you might do all of them, but "what would you do first to your patient? Always keeping in mind "what would you do first?" Also, this is a very good thing to remember when working as a nurse! I just thought it was very good advice. I didn't find myself second-guessing the answers as I usually did in school either. Once I was done, I only read back over the very 3 last questions which I did not change a thing, so I turned it in. And "go with your gut feeling"! Good luck.

This is exactly what I thought! I would not. I refused stimulation on a para once. Being untrained at this, you could damage the rectum or he could code on you because you are stimulating the vagus nerve which goes to the heart. And hemmorhoids have a large blood supply. What would you do without a nurse in the building? Too many things to go wrong. Try the stool softners, an enema, or a suppository first. The answer to this question depends on the rules and regulations of the state you are licensed to work in.

Totally agree with the New Balance shoes. Just get them all white and they look and FEEL great too. Oh yes, don't forgot the ensoles and they really work to you comfy. You can't go wrong!

Whatever you buy, don't go cheap. You will only end up throwing them away in a couple of months. Your feet deserve the best. They are going to work hard for you. Get someone with support. I always liked running shoes because I have a high arch. If you buy a pair that laces, you can adjust them, which is nice. And wear support knee-highs. Can't tell you about Crocs other than they are uglier than my first pair of nursing shoes.

I just think your charting could use a little help. I was taught to report those things that the pt didn't come in with. Ex. Foley catheter, IV fluids. etc. I once heard a doctor remark when reading a pt's chart, "don't give me a creative writing paper to read, just the facts." Unconsciousness, seizures, ....or you could say, oriented to person, place, and time or not ,and lists that. Not "no fluids coming out of facial openings". I think I know what you are saying, but some of your remarks are wide open to anything, such as "same as baseline." Whoever reads your incident report will have to go back to the chart or ask you what that means. What caused the fall? Was he supposed to be wearing a constraint such as a lap belt and wasn't ? Also mention what you are going to do later, which would be get vitals q15min, q30m, q2h for 2 hrs, then q4h, let them know as a nurse what you are going to be doing to prevent this from happening . Each facility has its protocols for falls and what you should do afterwards. Ex. Neuro checks q15min. for an hour, What does vital sign stable mean? Just get the vital signs. Nurses don't diagnose, they report what they see and let the doctor know if anything is remarkable or not. I think in most cases after calling the doctor he would give you an order to have the pt sent out. In that case, leave him on the floor covered, and put a rolled up blanket under his head. so much could happen in the later hours, head wounds are very ify. You said he had a hx of falls, did he have an order a lap belt? Maybe you don't or can't use restraints in your state, it depends. What kind of pain does he c/o, stabbing, throbbing, constant, what is the pain on a scale from 1 -10? Instead, he obeys verbal commands by sweezing my hands, pupils equal in size and nondilated, ears and eyes clear of any fluids, he is either oriented or not to time, place and person, respirations even and unlabored? You get the point. Did you call both the doctor & and chart his orders? Also the family to let them know and chart every thing you did as well ex. dressing to wound, and what kind, how did you clean the wound? I worked as a geriatic nurse for 8 years. It's hard & busy work. Good luck!

I guess you could buy an autoclave! Just kidding. I always washed mine, which are all white, in warm water and some bleach as bleach kills most everything. Most germs can't live once introduced to air, dryness, and cold. And take your shoes off outside and wash your hands. Shoes have got to be the dirtiest things. I even do that with other shoes. Just don't like the idea of stepping in bodily fluids then on my floor! Yuck!

How do any of these facts have to do with "mean nurses?"

Perhaps you should try agency nursing. There are always jobs for these nurses. I used to be one and I just loved it! If I didn't like the place they sent me, I simply would not go back. At least this would get your feet wet again and believe they are always looking for ambitious, good nurses. Find out too whether your past history really has to be brought up. Maybe these people who say you have a job are really seeing you are a liability issue...who knows. Keep trying; you will eventually get what you want. I only wish you the best of luck...right now the economy sucks!

There is also agency nurse work. I had never worked as a pool nurse and like you I had a difficult time dealing with the hospital staff. A friend recommended agency work and I loved it! Yes you do go from place to place, but if for any reason you don't want to return to a certain facility you can simply say "no thanks". You can't do that in the hospital or if you work anywhere on staff. Some staff nurses are not so nice while others are which make it bad for the ones who are nice to work with. If you want appreciation for just showing up for work, by being a pool nurse you will get a smile every time you show up (because if you didn't show up, they would have to work the shift). Plus you don't catch the politics of being a staff nurse...like attending meetings on your day off. Just do your job and they will love you!!! I myself am thinking about getting back into nursing, but I left for other reasons than you did...mainly given too much responsibility, like the DON expecting me to work 2 floors and when I called her about it (I was the only nurse in the facility) she told me to "wing it". I did wing it all right and a lady's new pacemaker did not kick in and I was on the other floor giving out morning meds and such so I didn't even know this was happening! Later I found out, to make a nurse work 2 floors all by herself was against the law!. I can see why too. Another new pt was on liquid oxygen, I knew nothing about liquid oxygen, his O2 sats were in the low 80's, why was he even there? He should have been in the hospital. He acted all crazy pulled out his foley cateter and I got in trouble for not putting it back in, but he was going to the BR without any problems. See why I got out of nursing??

That's why I don't nurse anymore!

Go to a nursing home with a subacute floor, it's a great way to get back into the swing of things. I learned a lot!

Its not what I think that matters, its what needlessly happened to me. I do think you are right about one thing, bad things seem to follow certain people like myself. I think I have gullable written on my forehead. I am talkative and a lot of people don't like that, so I did have to learn to shut up! and just do my job. I found my patients and colleagues both liked me. I just couldn't seem to get along with the 2 head nurses. I wasn't fast enough at getting vitals signs and asked, "what are you doing down there, fluffing pillows?" Well yes, if that is what my patients want me to do. These 2 women did nothing but sit and eat the entire 11-7 shift! Once I was to going to answer a light, she saw me coming yet she walks right by the room and says, "you need to get this light", duh! One evening on 3-11 a pt had got stuck in his bsc, so when he called me later that same night, I got an orderly to come with me to his room and let him use the BR. OMG! You would have thought I commited a sin! This head nurse could not wait to write me up because I went against the cardex/standing orders! The man refused to use his BSC! I mean this nurse had me all written up and told me to come read and sign it, I told her I would not because the pt refused and she said, "well you got yourself out of this one." Another night I was busy in another pt's room, another new RN asked me to get Baseline Vitals so she could start a transfusion. By the time I got to the room she had already started it! I was going to get the vitals, but because she had already started the transfusion, she blamed it on me. I was green. Years later I found out that the nurse who starts the transfusion should have gotten the vitals, not me! I carried this blame for years. It was finally another NICE RN who told me the truth. I just hated the fact that I was being lied to and they wanted to blame me for their lack of inadequacies. I have more stories about this hospital, including the one where another RN from another floor called me onto the elevator one night and personally told me that this certain nurse would continue to "be on my back until I either quit or tranferred to another floor." HOw do you like that for mean? Is that mean? What do you call this kind of behavour? Yes, I do believe that certain people, for some reason of their own, call it lack of: confidense, ego, beauty (they did dress in scrubbs, I did not, I dressed in white and always wore a pressed lab coat), have a inner problem of their own, lots of bad days and for this reason people like myself are targeted! Come on these nurses had 28 & 30 yrs experience on me! This was my first job. Even the other nurses noticed how I was being targeted, so it was not just me. Actually, I thought it was just something they were doing to make me tough or possibly see how tough I was. I had nothing against them. NO reason to, so what was their problem?

As an LPN myself, my 1st job was in a hospital. I will admit it gave lots of experience I would have never otherwise have learned, but I also got fired from that job after only a year! I think it was a set-up and I have other nurses opinion to prove...but that is history. So I decided to try agency work. Like you say the pay is higher and you do work in mostly TLCs, but I finally got to try what was called a FE2 Unit. It was at a nursing home, but the FE2 unit was a subacute type floor. I learned so much working there only after a years time. I even was promoted to the desk nurse which took on the floor's entire pt load by answering the phone, calling in test results to doctor's office, faxing new orders to the pharmacy, calling the ambulance, codes, transfering new doctor's order to the MAR, making out work schedules, I did so much more too....isolation, trach care, I got my cert for IVs and changing the dressing on ports, admitting pts, which was like writing a book. Don't let anyone ever tell you that you will lose your nursing skills by working in a TLC! I learned so much and had so much responsibility that I told my boss I wanted to go back to being a floor nurse.

You guys are so consumed with learning how to be a nurse, you just have no idea what lyes ahead in the real working world. And there will come a time when you wonder "why did I do this", "my heart was in it", "I made good grades," "I didn't have a social life," "infact I gave up everything to do this and its not worth the pay". I used to think because RNs got paid more, that would compensate for all of the extra work I had put on me....NOT! I got paid good money even being an LPN and I can tell you right now, it doesn't make any after years of doing nursing, something you once loved, can make you such B. It will, mark my word. I got out! I now work with my husband who is a wonderful boss, unlike the many supers I had that allthey wanted to do was write you up! I put everything in nursing. I gave up seeing my two kids grow up in their most vital years, a relationship with my dear husband, seeing my family on holidays, and you know what? None of this makes a hill of beans to the ones you are nursing. They could care less. I think out of all of the years I worked as a nurse, I only met 1 other lady who was married, the rest were divorced! So ask yourself, Is this really worth it????

Believe me my heart and then some was in it...all I ever wanted was to be a nurse. But you have to make the grades...I was let go over .3 of a point and told "we all can't be astronauts." Those were the famous last words I heard from the head of nursing program. Oh I almost forgot. She also told me, after a study group and everyone had left the room, to close the door! Mmmm....I figure something was up, but had no idea she was so heartless. She said to me, "I don't trust you." I said, "what do you mean you don't trust me?' She said, "I don't trust you giving out meds." Well what a surprise to me! I had just had my exit interview with my clinicial instructor,a retired Air Force nurse ( a real toughy too) and her words to me were, "If you do anything right, its giving out meds, the rest will come with practice." You will make it because you are so determined." So I told the head ...... she should go talk to my clinical instructor because she told me if I did ....etc. I turned around and left. Well in a few days we had our final in pharm math. Do you know when I got back my test some of my answers had been erased? So my advice is to write all answers down in ink! I left, but I came back with a 3 page letter, front and back, to the dean of students. In it I listed everything that had been happening as it was all focused at me for some reason. She even called on me 8 times in our class! Every Friday I went into the lab to practice on how to put in a foley catheter. I knew this was part of our final test, so I wanted to learn how to do it with my eyes closed without hem hawing around. I really should have went farther with the letter, but I was exhausted with the whole mess! Come on. I still had 4 more nursiing classes to pass. Why didn't she just leave me alone? My husband said to me, and this means the world to me too,"she has no idea just how good of a nurse you would have been, you are so picky." But I picked myself back up and went to LPN school which was a breeze after passing all of the pre reqs for the RN program. My RN clinical instructor was tough, but at least she had enough kindness about her to say, "you will make it."

This too shall pass. So hang in there.

I know honey, I sounded just like you when I started nursing. Nobody could put a damper on nursing for me! And by all means, don't let me change your mind. What I am trying to clear up is all of my bad experiences happened after years of experience. My motto, "Never say never." There is no way nursing school teaches you how to handle another nurse taking the phone out of your hand and hanging it up! while you are trying to repage the doctor! All of my experiences of because of other nurses leaving me with too much responsibility, which equals work. You can't do it all, but they sure as heck will expect you to!

The only reason I am glad I went into nursing is because it toughened me up enough to help take care of my dying father 8 yrs later. I knew how to medicate him with morephine without freaking out, I knew to turn him q2h, etc. This in turn helped my mom as she finally got some good rest the first night I stayed with them. He was already in a comatose state, but I could hear him moune as I slept on their couch. I don't nurse today, in fact in haven't nursed in the past 12 yrs. You don't get any respect as a nurse, new or old. I spent 8 yrs. doing nursing from medsurg in the local hospital where my 2 supers ate me up to pool nursing which I loved. No one messed with me and the nurse who wanted to go home whose place I was taking was glad to see me walk in the door! I got more offers to stay and work on staff, but after working in the hospital you couldn't pay me to be on staff. Finally, I did find a place, a place I thought was worth staying and being on staff. It was a FE2 unit (subacute) floor, I loved it. Most of the time it was very busy with patients anywhere from brittle diabetics to knee replacements to MRSA pts, skin graft pts, arorta repair/stroke lady, we saw it all. And I was the only LPN on the floor, along side of a retired Army nurse. we ran the floor. So if you don't like one place, move on, its not the end of the world. I did not have a great experience in RN school. I didn't pass by .3 of a point and the head of the nursing program was all too glad to see me go! So when I went over into the LPN program, it was great, they actually treated us like people, instead of peeons! I personally would not suggest to anyone go into nursing. The hours are long, you don't see your family or husband, you have to put up with a lot of crap and be on the tip-of-your-toes constantly. Crap from families, although there are some nice ones, from Dr.'s, and your coworks too. You have to constantly prove yourself, shoot I had one nurse take the phone out of my hand as I was repaging a Dr. to tell him I didn't have the insulin he ordered with the DON standing right there! No one took up for me and the diabetic pt was not even admitted as a diabetic! I could keep going. I won't bore you, just watch out and be on those toes!