akayerich

Always be willing to help out with toileting and basic care. Never think "that's not my job." If you respect your aides, they will respect you. If you help them out, they will help you.

Yep, apply in person if at all possible. And follow-up with a phone call to the HR person or even the DON. Just say something like "I applied 3 days ago and I just wanted to make sure you received and and when you might be doing interviews...." That's how I've gotten every LPN job I've ever gotten. You might feel like you're bothering them, but if they're busy you'll probably get a voicemail and you can leave a message. Chances are you'll get a call back. I think they like hiring the ones that seem most interested.

In the nursing homes I've worked in, the orders would never get noted if it weren't for the LPN's! It's one of the main functions of my job.

I would get the CNA or be a nurse tech in a hospital first, too. You will gain SO much valuable experience. Even beyond the patient care stuff. By working in a hospital, you'll already have a feel for the routines and the way things are run and it won't all be so new to you when you're first starting out as a nurse.

I actually did a job like that once. It was before I was a nurse, but it was the job that got me started in healthcare. It was really a lot of fun. I would definitely take it if I were you. The company I worked for also hired nurses. So maybe if you work for them you could have your foot in the door if a nurse position opened up.

I had a bachelors degree in something else when I decided to become a nurse. I got my LPN and have been working ever since. I guess my situation is a little different than yours, because I didn't have plans to be an RN. But I think it makes sense to become an LPN first. That way you can work and make some money while you're in RN school- and get some experience before you're on the floor as an RN. I'm not sure what the programs are like in your area. But my LPN program was done in a year (full-time) and then you can bridge to ADN and be done in like another 1.5-2 years. You could be an RN in the time you've been waiting on the list!

What a good way to vent! 1. CNA's that whine about being short staffed, but then still spend a lot of time hanging around the desk watching me work. 2. Having to hunt for supplys. Isn't it someone's job to stock the units???? 3. A bruise gets reported to you with the info that they saw it last night but forgot to tell the nurse. 4. Med carts that aren't stocked. 5. When a resident's room is SOOOO hot and you have to do a long and involved treatment. 6. When the pharmacy can't send a narc without a script, its after hours, you're out of the med, the res really needs it, and the on-call doc won't call in the script. 7. Change of shift falls/ skin issues/ etc.

First, I'll just say that it really does get easier. Especially if you work on the same unit all the time and become accustomed to what meds people get and all the little quirks of the unit. So hang in there. I'm pretty much like everyone else when it comes to keeping notes to stay organized. I try to write everything down. When I was first starting out, I'd make myself a list first thing. I'd list everyone I needed to get vitals for, and whatever assessment things I needed to do. I'd list all my FSBS people. Then I'd just write all the FS and VS next to their name. Anything else I needed to do, like treatments or if the outgoing nurse passed something on to me, I'd write down, too. And then I'd cross things off after they were done and documented. Then I'd leave a place for other little notes along the way. It was kind of a silly system, but it helped me stay organized and not feel so overwhelmed. I had everything I needed to do right there in front of me on my little piece of paper. At the end of the night, if everything was crossed off, I knew I did everything! I also try to "kill two birds with one stone" a lot. On my first med pass, which isn't too heavy to finish in time, I do any assessments that need to be done. That way I don't have to go find that person again later. Or if I have con't tube feeding residents, I grab a new bottle and tubing to put in their room first thing- that way it's there when I need it. Little things like that help a lot with time management. And the more I feel like I have time, the less overwhelmed I feel. Anyway, good luck! And congrats on your new job!

Cincinnati, OH LPN in LTC 5 years experience I make 21.56/hr, with $1 shift differential for 3-11 or 7-3 on the weekend, and $2 for 3-11 on the weekend. Not every facility does the shift diff, though. I also have a PRN job where I make 25/hr.

I talked to an admissions counselor the other day, and he told me you have 6 months to enroll once you application is accepted. i guess after that you have to reapply. My plan is to do the few gen ed tests i need and the first nursing test before my 6 months is up. hopefully, i'll still have time to study for some of the other nursing tests, too, before enrolling. i know i cant actually take the tests for the rest of the nursing until i enroll, but they dont say anything against just studying and being ready for the tests....i'd really love to avoid that annual reenrollment fee.

check out studygroup 101 or larends (lisa arends) study guides on ebay, and know that excelsior gives FREE exam content guides and recommendations for textbooks (which you can find used for pretty cheap on amazon or half.com. i'm not sure about the cost of rue study materials, but i think its pretty expensive, and then you still have to pay excelsior for all the the exams, enrollment fees, etc. fyi- i haven't even applied to excelsior yet, and haven't actually used any of the above methods, so i may not be the best one to give you advice. this is just what i've come up with so far in trying to figure out how to do my lpn-rn. i've heard good things about the ebay study guides from others who have used them, though....

sorry, i realize i'm picking up on an old thread and possibly beaten to death topic here, but i read somewhere that if you graduate from excelsior and then work in another state for 2 years, you can then get licensed by endorsement in california. does anyone know if this is true? i checked the california board of nursing website, but it didn't mention it...

I'm from Ohio too, and have been researching distance learning options. I contacted the Ohio BON and they said that as long as the program is recognized/accepted by the state BON in which it is based (New York, for Excelsior or Indiana, for ISU) then the Ohio BON will recognize it as well. They said that once you have graduated from the program, you just apply to take the NCLEX in Ohio. I dont think you have to get licensed in the other state first and then transfer it to Ohio. Hope this helps.....

hi everybody! this is the first time i've posted here, but i've done a lot of reading on this forum, so thanks for all of your help. anyway, i'm wondering about clinicals and labs for the online RN program at CSCC. how many days a week do you typically have to actually be on campus or a clinical site? i'm from cincinnati, so i'm trying to figure out if it would be feasible for me to drive the 1 1/2 hours each way for the hands-on parts of the program. also does anyone know if they offer any advanced standing for lpn's? i've got a bachelor's degree and my lpn license, so i'm looking for a program that will let me take advantage of both of those. thanks for any info you can give me.