rigidchop

i am not the only nurse, 7 am is just when we start. pts come in at 7am also. when we go in at 5:30 its for machine and water room set up. one nurse to 7 or 8 pts and 2 techs. sorry i wasnt clearer.

be prepared for long days. i dont know how other facilities run, but at mine, we all work as techs. not every day, but at least one day a week. days start as early as 5:30, and can end as late as it takes for the last pt to finish. i have stayed as late as 9:30pm. its a very fast paced environment. we have long days, with three 4 hour shifts, on MWF, and short days with two 4 hour shifts on TTS. on days i am the nurse, i never start before 7am. i hope this helps.

i don't know about that particular brand, but i had a similar pair of shoes, without the holes. about halfway through my shift i would have a puddle in the toe area. holes for me all the way!!!!!

i think many ltc facilities do this. if we are short and can't find anyone to fill in, everyone pitches in, not just the lpn's, the rn's as well, sometimes even management. i personally have never had to do it myself. think of it another way, at least you get to learn a little more about your residents, before your real job responsibilities get in the way. cna's generally know whats going on with the residents, more than the nurses. i hope your at least getting paid as an lpn though.

sounds like i need to move. lol when i started out five years ago, i was making 10.60 an hour, after three years i was making 12.50. i took a year off to persue employment outside the healthcare industry, and i'm making 13.45 now, back at the same facility. i have a few things working against me though. i live in a small town, the facilty is union (which isn't bad thing, it just works against me where i'm at) and the facility is only 62 beds.

we have a schedule, one month at a time. i'm full time, and honestly i never want to work extra.

thanks for all of your replies. i guess i already knew the answer, i just needed some reassurance.

i have only had one job as an lpn. i took the job because they have 12 hour shifts and i get more days off. i really enjoy my time away from work. i hate being called in on my days off. it seems like it happening more and more frequently now. i don't have to go in, but in the back of my mind i feel like i am letting the facility down, if i don't go in. i mean, its not my fault that people call off. its not my job to make sure the facility is staffed. they pay people to do that. am i just being selfish, or should i just suck it up and go in?

first you need to know speed comes with practice. if you are trying to rush, you will make mistakes. worry more about doing it right. i never did understand all the rules about the times to pass certain pills. i mean, who in your facility schedules those times? not the doc, they just say bid,tid whatever. in my facility it could be me, or an RN deciding what time these meds are due. i'm not saying giving them 3 hours early is o.k. but its something to think about.

when i first got my license, i started in a LTC facitilty (the same one i work in now) and i had a few CNA's that wanted to push my buttons and try and bully me. i stood my ground, and eventually they came around. the other CNA's were awsome towards me. i didn't feel like i knew anything, they helped me with some of the simpler things that a seasoned CNA would have seen done. they were always saying how good a nurse they thought i was, and they still do. i'm glad to have people like this around me. the bullies are now long gone, but the ones who really care are still there and are still helping me when i need it. i never had an issue with the DON, she is one of the best bosses i have ever had. i hope you can turn this situation around, or at least find a place that accepts you for who you are.

when the females in my class got their caps, the men got a small pin. i think it was some type of angel.

don't give up, i'm sure you worked really hard to get through school, don't throw it away. step back, take a breather, then dive back in. there is no question that the test is hard, i don't know of anyone that thinks it is. take all of that negative energy you have running through you and do something positive with it. you might suprise yourself.

i took mine twice before i passed it. i wish you all the best.

i don't want to scare you, but i had alot of homework. so much so, that it was advised by the school that we not work. most of the students in my class didn't either. there were a few that worked, and their grades suffered. of course it depends on how easily you retain information, you may be able to get away from studying as much. i only worked weekends and it was the tightest time my wallet had ever seen. of course gas was alot cheaper then too.

when i went to lpn school, the first quarter, was all cna work. so i would skip that part.