Nenee

Yes, I feel the same way. Stressed! And it has only been 4 months. I have come to realize that I cannot do bedside nursing forever. It will literally kill me. On my days off, all I wanna do is sleep. The thought of cleaning and running errands kills me. There are so many other options out there, like being a Dialysis nurse. Those nurses come in our hospital and don't do anything but sit there, read the machine, read the newspaper and play on their phones. That sounds great to me!

I am a new Nurse(LVN). I currently work at a LTAC. These patients are critical, some at the end of their lives. The hardest part of my job most of the time is dealing with the family members. Some are really mental and crazy, many are in denial. Also, a lot of the patients are heavy, on ventilators. At my hospital, LVN and RN's work as a team, we share the same patients. Some days I will have 10 and others 8(if I have TELE pt.s). We also work with a CNA. I work 12 hour shift, and each second of my day is busy, even working in a team of 3, it doesn't seem like enough. I try to do the best I can with the working conditions. There are days that are very good(which is few and far between) and days that feel like HELL, where I feel mentally and physically drained. On my days off, all I do is stay and bed and sleep. And it can be frustrating when I am sleeping and I get a phone call at 12 midnight, asking if I can come into work the following morning. I normally am a very hard worker, and I am good at what I do. But I feel like I am stressed because I am sleeping a lot. I've only been doing this for 4 months. I am going back to school to get my RN because that will open more doors for me. I know that I cannot do bedside nursing forever. It can be draining. There are many options. You just have to shop around and find what is right for you. Its all about where you work, the conditions of your job and who you work with. That will determine a lot. There are many pro's and con's in nursing. It all depends on the individual and how they can handle things.

I got the IM injection. The very next morning, I was very lethargic, felt like I was coming down with something. But it only lasted a couple of hours, and it went away. Been fine ever since.

Congrats! I should be taking my boards in another 2 months or so..just took the ATI test yesterday..said I had a 95% chance of passing boards, so I am hoping that is true.

I think that doing LPN first is a great idea. Im currently an LVN (that's what they call us in California) student, graduating in two weeks. When I was 22, I got accepted into an RN program, but I flunked out of the program because I didn't pass the math test. When I think back, I was not ready for the RN program. I was young and didn't really understand and grasp what nursing really was about. Now, 6 years later, I am finishing up my LVn and I am glad that I decided to do LVN instead of RN again. As an LPN student, you basically learn everything and RN student does. Once you start working as an LPN, you can work and get money while your in school for your RN. Another plus of doing LPN first is what you had mentioned..you get to see if Nursing is really what you wanna do. Also, if you do decide to get your RN, once you start working as an RN, you will feel very comfortable in the field. A lot of times, young students in RN programs, once they start working are horrified and quit nursing all together. There are a lof of online programs popping up (that are accredited) that offer LPN-BSN programs. A great one called Indiana University offers that. What I think is better about the online programs as far as clinicals, is that you get to shadow an RN, opposed to being in a group of students, with one teacher. The learning is more independent, and seems like it would be a lot more comfortable than having a teacher scarfing down your neck. You really have to think what is best for you. You are still young and have nothing but time.

Hello all, I am fairly new to this site. I am getting ready to graduate from a vocational nursing program in two weeks (Thank God!). Anyhow, I know the subject of nursing drama has came and gone in the forums. I have observed so much of it during my clinical rotations even between my classmates and working as a CNA. Today, I asked one of the nurses I was shadowing why she thought there was so much drama..and she simply said "I Don't know, all I know is that it seems you always have to prove yourself, watch your back, and when you make a mistake, be the first to admit it." "I'm not here to make friends,I'm here to just do my job", but she mentioned that even with that attitude, she got wrapped in the middle of some issue between the nurses. My question to you all is the same that I asked her, why do you think there is so much drama in Nursing??? Please, I would love your opinions, as they may help me once I start working.

Does your teacher actually know the true definition of "therapeutic communication?" Impress her and tell her Therapeutic Communication is a conscious and deliberate process used to gather information related to a patient's overall health status (physical, psychosocial, spiritual, etc.) and to respond with verbal and nonverbal approaches that promote the patient's well-being or improve the patient's understanding of ongoing care. This type of communication looks easy and natural when performed by an experienced health professional, but it is a skill that requires time, effort, and is an art. knowledge of the individual's educational background and interests provides nurses with a starting point for conversation. This definition is all verbatim from Mosby's "Basic Geriatric Nursing" book. Your teacher is obviously ignorant, and should know herself, that rather an LPN or RN, nursing is a learned skill no matter what. An RN student doesn't come out of school knowing how to do Therapeutic Communication right away. If I were you, I would just laugh to yourself about the ignorance of your teacher and just ignore her. You know who you are, and what type of nurse you can be whether being an LPN or RN and that's all that matters.

Does your teacher actually know the true definition of "therapeutic communication?" Impress her and tell her Therapeutic Communication is a conscious and deliberate process used to gather information related to a patient's overall health status (physical, psychosocial, spiritual, etc.) and to respond with verbal and nonverbal approaches that promote the patient's well-being or improve the patient's understanding of ongoing care. This type of communication looks easy and natural when performed by an experienced health professional, but it is a skill that requires time, effort, and is an art. knowledge of the individua's educational background and interests provides nurses with a starting point for converstaion. This defenition is all verbatim from Mosby's "Basic Geriatric Nursing" book. Your teacher is obviously ignorant, and should know herself, that rather an LPN or RN, nursing is a learned skill no matter what. An RN student doesn't come out of school knowing how to do Therapeutic Communication right away. If I were you, I would just laugh to yourself about the ignorance of your teacher and just ignore her. You know who you are, and what type of nurse you can be wether being an LPN or RN adn that's all that matters.

I know you said online programs don't appeal to you, but Indian State University (an actual state university) has an lvn-bsn program.

Ever heard the term "everything goes in circles?" Well, I am currently an LVN student, going to graduate in two weeks. My director was telling me that she has seen a phase where LVN's were in need, especially in the hospital, and the boom..there were gone..then boom back again. So, I have a feeling that there will be a time, very soon that LVN's will be wanted in the hospitals (hint..the falling economy). What makes me so upset is that we are trained just like RN's, learn everything they do, for the acception of IV meds. I have seen just in my area, where many hospitals weren't hiring LVN's, but lately, i've been seeing many positions available (med/surg, telemetry). Another thing I have noticed is that many hospitals are now hiring LVN's in the ER. So, please keep your hopes up high, there are many jobs that an LVN can do.

I started an LVN Program in Jan of 08. For the first 6 months in the program, I worked part time at an LTC as a CnA working with developmentally disabled adults. I worked Wed-Sat 10pm-6am (30 hours a week), mind you I had clinicals on Mon and Tue, lecture on Wed and Thurs morning. Thursdays were test days, so I would go straight from work, to class. I started getting burned out, all though I was doing well in the program. I decided to work less, so found a job as a CNA at a research center where I worked Thursday and Friday noc shift 6pm-6:30am. This schedule worked out so much better for me. If you can find a job were you can work 12 hours shift, two days a week, you will be set. I graduate in two weeks and I am so glad that I was able to get through while working. In my case, I had no choice to work. I have bills that needed to be taken care of. If that is your case, then work. If someone can take care of you and all of your bills, don't work and just focus on school.