EBibeault

NO WAY, I can't believe what I am reading! Yes you would be considered negligent since you are the one responsible for verifying meds. Didn't you learn the 5 rights???? And I do believe your RN license could very well be jeopardized. I can't figure out why you would knowingly stay there, money or not. On top of the exp. med issue, also having an entire bottle of narcotics go missing?? I would run not walk right out of there and file a police report about the missing narcotics. You verified them as being there for the previous night count, what is the explanation you got when you went to count again and came up short?? Once the DEA gets involved with the narcs missing, your administration of expired meds will look like nothing. (You know you can ALWAYS refuse to give something you are not comfortable giving. Just make sure you document why you did not give the med. The doctor wanted you to give them so he was not liable in the event of an adverse reaction! Protect yourself and good Luck!!

Isn't a PICC line a bit drastic? Especially to send the patient out who is dying. I am a hospice nurse and this just doesn't sound right. Any RN can place a sub-q port, why would they send a terminal patient 70 miles away for that? A port is nice allowing for frequent med administrations with only one stick but if you are not able to place a port the haldol CAN be given sub Q and if you can give insulin, you can give haldol SQ.

I would agree with your work ethic opinion as it is so very true however the facts are clear, you earn your sick time, leave time, PTO time, whatever. Legally a manager,supervisor does not have the right to ask "what's wrong" and employees are not obligated to tell. If the manager questions the absence then the manager needs to address it with a sick leave restriction or something but there again, management will need to have substantial information of abuse to do so. How do YOU know this isn't much needed "ME" time for her.

I agree that this excuse may not be the "best" excuse however the FACT is this, management is not supposed to ask WHY and as an employee, you DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE A REASON Period! You have sick days to use if you are not able to do your work safely. She callout out at 7pm which gives management adequate time to find someone to cover. I work for the government and I can call off anytime to include up to 4 hrs AFTER the tour starts. Her being out is none of the other staffs business unless it becomes habitual and then the management needs to deal with it. People need to do their own jobs well and stop worrying about other employees. To JustBeachyNurse--I presume you know this person and her habits since you are so quick to assume she was calling out to party! Behaviors like this are a sure way to get yourself in trouble with your colleagues.

I do wish you luck in your education but when it comes to the Excelsior RN program. I know that there will be many opinions but when I looked into this option I did A LOT of research. Although convenient and self paced there are many many horror stories and when you utilize our FAFSA and student loans let's get serious. I have been a nurse at the VA hospital in Cleveland for 6 years and they do not back this program any longer. No scholarship money and no tuition reimbursements. I am going to include a couple links for you to view but before you sign anything, do your research. It is as simple as doing a google search for Excelsior reviews, Excelsior complaints or CPNE. I chose to go the old fashioned way, no questions ever, it is what it is. 1) http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/cpne-clinical-testing-c423801.html 2)http://www.scamfound.com/f13/excelsior-college-cpne-171331.html 3) http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/scam-c178868.html I am not a hater, I am a mom and LPN who also has a goal to reach. Best of Luck to you.

again, i would like to ask all of you answering this post, where do you fit in?" are you the one with the sponge box pants and ugg boots, or maybe: the older students are either: single moms with a gaggle of kids, a second career individual, or someone who's in it just for the money. once again, don't believe everything they say. they don't know how to "fit in" so they'll brag ad infinitum to make themselves look good. it's a real shame that you need to categorize your fellow classmates. i am proud to say that i am the older student,married, with 2 grown children, and a second career individual who worked very hard to raise her family and now has the time and financial means to return to school. i am not becoming an rn for the money because right now as an experienced lpn i am making slightly more than what a new hire rn makes. as students you need to close your mouths and learn everything you need to learn so that you do not look like an idiot when you get out on the floor. believe me once out on the floor, you may need to call upon that" ugg wearing student" or" middle aged money hungry student "for help and with any hope they will never know how you have "tagged" them and will help you when needed. if they see how you have "tagged" them, i hope they stand up for themselves and let all of you that thought this post appropriate, sink all by yourselves, because that is no doubt what you will do.

Post to wrong link..

You failed to include where it is that YOU fit in...Or do you think you have a separate category all for your perfect self??You really need to prepare for meeting your patients because with the way you label your classmates, you are not going to make a very compassionate nurse. Our job as nurses are NOT to judge others. Tell me, have you even spoken to any of your classmates that you have so easily labeled? If you have trouble with the way the other classmates are wait until you come head to head with a doctor!

For me it was pretty quick, timing I think was all because when they did hire me they were pretty pushy about getting me into an orientation that was starting like the same week. Otherwise, I have heard that it does take quite awhile. We had a couple nurses come from another hospital and they told me that it was nearly 6 months for them. I would contact the VA you applied at and follow up on your application. If you kept the information from the opening I would even call the nurse manager for the area you were applying for and see if they have made any decisions yet. Hope it helps and good luck to you.

I would like to say to BigBee48 that I really appreciated the way you made mention that in the end we are all here to care for the patients! Isn't that what nursing is all about anyway. As far as the College Network goes, to each his own but check with any facility you plan to work with an make absolutely certain that they will accept the credit from TCN. I work at a VA hospital and even though TCN states they are accredited with National League of Nursing, my VA has stopped offering tuition reimbursement for them and does not recognize Excelsior University. I hope this helps. I would recommend doing a search on TCN, reviews, complaints, scams and stuff like that because there are a lot of horror stories out there. I found out the hard way, I actually am still paying for a "study course" we met one night per week and they were supposed to prep you for the CLEP exam. All they did was read word for word out of the 3 ring binder that I paid way to much for but I am stuck paying until my obligation is done. You have to decide for yourself what is best, just know this is written by someone who wants to see you succeed! Good Luck. Remember..slow and steady wins the race. I am a 49y/o LPN that has just finished my last prereq. Now it's onto my nursing courses, my boards and my future as an RN! Slow and steady

Congrats on choosing nursing. I am an LPN taking my last prerequisite classes to enter the RN program and I am 49yrs. old. I do love nursing but we LPN's still do not get the respect we deserve. I am doing EVERYTHING now on my unit that the RN's do clinically but am still treated as if I am the RN's personal aide. I do what I am asked because I know that the patients would suffer if I didn't. I know that I will be an RN soon and will work very hard as a team player with all staff. Never forget where you came from and always be proud of what you do and remember always that it is the little things that can really make a patient feel better. Good Luck in your future as an RN. You can do it!

It is me again, I forgot to mention that we are working toward getting our magnet status if that is something that would appeal to you.

Hello, let me be one of the first to welcome you to Cleveland, What a change from CA!! I just wanted to make a suggestion. I am a nurse at the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs Medical Center here in Cleveland and could not ask for a better job. The benefits are wonderful and once in the VA system, you can transfer to any other VA health care facility in any state and even overseas. You can contact the nurse recruiter if you would like more information. (216-791-3800 X 5710) Or check out USAJobs.com. If you put in Nursing and Cleveland, OH it will bring up all of the openings at the VA. We have tons of new construction at this time, they are building a new 8 story patient tower called the Cares Tower due to open I believe in 2011. If is most definitely worth the look. Again, welcome and good luck with your job hunt.

Welcome to the world of nursing Elle, I am 48 and an LPN now going for my RN. I am finishing up my prerequisites then I wait for an opening in the nursing program. It WILL be worth it for sure. Always be positive and always be willing to learn something new. Congratulations on your adventure. Ellen

I know you posted awhile ago to this regarding the VANEEP program but I am also at VISN 10 and wonder if you know if they still offer this. I am an LPN in school now doing prerequisites for RN. Thanks.