dcoffee

:confused:I have just started working with a Home Health Agency a month ago after getting a year of experience in a Skilled Nursing Facility. They are being supportive in helping/teaching me wound care techniques, but I would like to know if anyone knows of any sites, books, videos etc that may help me with wound care, types of wounds, techniques in dressings....we do a lot of leg wraps, wound vacs, post op, etc. Thanks!!!

Speak to your DON, just be sure you are in the right frame of mind. You don't want to be too aggresive, but you also need to get your point across. they probably think at this point you believe everything you are doing, is what you alone are supposed to be doing. If you don't question it, they will continue to let you keep doing what everyone should be contributing to, and, it will probably get worse. LTC facilities are always hiring, and you can get a job somewhere else, and maybe have co-workers who share more of the workload. You have enough to do, don't let them bury you even deeper!!!

Believe it or not, go to MY SPACE.com and you don't even have to register, on the opening page, you can do a job search. That site alone takes LVN jobs from many websites and lists them all on one site. Another good one sometimes is CalJobs, I can send you the page if you can't find it. Those are the two that stand out the most in my memory....

I have been an LVN for nearly 2 years, and I would be interested in anything that had to do with LVN rights!! I never heard anything about this conference, how did you hear about it? I have no plans on furthering my education to become an RN, therefore I am trying to find as many sites, magazines or associations the are specifically for LVN's. Feel free to e-mail me any news/info for LVN's!!!

Ok, so your post sounds a lot like me and a coworker of mine (she also went through the LVN program with me)!!!! I graduated in June 2005 and in Nov 2005 I was working my first job (and still there) as an LVN, passing meds to 42 patients!! Sometimes there was not even a DON there, so I was doing EVERYTHING! So now, we have 2 nurses to 47 patients....when my friend and I happen to work the floor together, we've tried to do our routine several different ways to figure out, what the hell keeps us from getting out of there on time! (we work the 7-3 shift) What we found helps....get as much paperwork out of the way as soon as you get there ie weekly summaries, make phone calls to Dr.'s etc as soon as possible, so any potential orders can be taken care of as soon as possible. Avoid distractions that are not in need of immediate attention while doing meds, I love to talk to residents, family...you name it, and that can throw me so far behind. And just know, it just takes one thing to throw your whole day off, and that is not your fault. If you feel stressed out, take a breather, even if it's going out into the fresh air for 2 minutes, sometimes you just need to seperate yourself from the environment for even just a few seconds to get your head straight. I often thought I was not using my time wisely, no, most often it's those phone calls and orders and doctors that decide to come in about an hour before you are supposed to clock out, and you get stuck. I'm supposed to clock out at 3:30 pm, and that's only recently started happening as I found my employer is not paying me for overtime, and I refuse to work for free!!! Hope this helps!!!! Dana

I think you should try to find out which school has a better reputation for producing well trained nurses. Out her in California, you can go to the Board of Vocational Nurses website and look up every school offering an LVN program and what their student pass rate is...that's a start. When I was looking into schools, I got to the point I would have paid anything. I ended up at an adult ed school which had a very good program, and I later found that a lot of employers knew students coming out of this program were very well trained. I paid under 5 grand for the whole program. Good luck! Dana

Has anyone out there been working in a Nursing Home/Skilled Nursing Facility when the State comes in for their Survey of the facility? The place I work is due this year between Sept and Nov and I'm just a little freaked out. I've been on the floor as an LVN about 14 months and I've heard horror stories...they follow you on the Med pass, watch techniques with G-tubes etc. If they observe a nurse making an error, whether large or small, does the facility know exactly which nurse "skrewed up?" If anyone has had any experience being through this situation....I'd like some input...what to expect...should I just quit now???? [bANANA][/bANANA]:uhoh21::uhoh21:

I am just completely fried from working in a Skilled Nursing Facility that has nearly sucked the life out of me....I did home health as a CNA for years, but have been hesitant about Home Health as an LVN. I think my biggest concern is worrying that there won't be enough work, (at least 32 hours a week) I don't want to work for numerous agencies, I'd like to work with just one, possibly 2. I know some agencies offer benefits, but how can they do this if the hours are not quaranteed? Any thoughts or help is appreciated....

As mentioned, know the Medication Rights, know a little something about what the medication is for, Wash Hands....too often is better than not enough! Don't be afraid to ask your instructor questions, in fact, I encourage you to. You are not supposed to know everything, you may have your instructor thinking you know it all if you don't ask questions. That is the last thing you want!!!! Sometimes instructors may make you feel like you are being singled out, or that they want you to fail. I saw it happen many times to me and my fellow classmates during the LVN program I was in. Well if they could see me now!!! (I graduated in June 2005) Good Luck! Don't let anyone bring you down, if you really want to be a nurse, you will do what is necessary to get through what you have to to get there. Dana

:uhoh3:I am burned out in Skilled Nursing and want to go into home health ( did it as CNA for 8 years) Does anyone know of any really exceptional Home health Agencies in LA county (west covina area) Is anyone familiar with Vitas and how they are to work for? I'm also a little nervous in the stability of the hours!!!! Any advice is soooo appreciated!!

I'm an LVN with 14 months experience in Skilled Nursing. I work in a private pay facility that has only recently staffed with 2 nurses with almost 50 patients (15 g-tubes, 18 diabetics, a trach, and 90% are full code) Families are very involved coming at you in all directions which made it hard when there was only nurse on the floor. Despite recent staffing improvements, my husband routinely says my job is eating me alive and it's affecting my overall being even at home. Ok, he's pretty much right. I'm burnt out! Anyway, I was in home health 8 years as a CNA and I really want to go back into that field, I'm nervous that I will end up with no work periodically, so I thought about looking for a part time job at another facility just to have steady income.....I don't know I'm nervous, scared and so unsure. Any thoughts out there?????:uhoh21:

I work in a Skilled Nursing Facility from 7am to 3:30pm. The shift after me comes in at 3pm. I finish charting etc when that nurse comes in. Sometimes I am there until 4:30, (actually most times!) because a doctor has come in at 2:55 or earlier with a ton of orders, and the phone is ringing off the hook. Am I supposed to stay and finish orders if they come in on MY shift, even if it's at the end of it? The DON if she answers the phone, passes it to me, even if it's 3:45pm!!! I don't care about the overtime, I care more about getting home to my son. Please, some personal experiences or input.

You know what?!?!?!? I have heard the same thing, even now that I'm working as an LVN!!! I graduated last year as an LVN, and I really have no plans currently of going on to be an RN. I too get sick of people saying "when are you going for your RN?" Well guess what, probably never!!! Families and patients either don't know or don't care that I'm an LVN and not an RN, I've worked with my employer for one year, an RN has worked there over 20 years, and families come to me before they go to her! The receptionist told me recently that most people who call ask for me specifically, so you know what, so what if I don't want to become an RN right now. I do almost everything an RN does, I just don't want to go to school another 2 years and I really don't want the responsibility that is added in becoming an RN, and believe me, I have a heavy enough burden of responsibility as an LVN! It's your life, do what makes you happy, and besides if you are an LVN and do decide to become an RN later, you will have such an advantage!! I also think that people that work their way up the ranks make better nurses and doctors!!!!

It would have to be proven that you were negligent. Believe me, I worry also about being sued, I document like I'm writing a novel. Are you afraid that you will do CPR incorrectly or that you do it and they die anyway?

I started last November as a new grad Lvn...Charge Nurse. I had 4 weeks of orientation at night, then went to days, and was very often the only nurse in the building with 45 patients. Amazing! I work in a private facility and I guess I would have thought that would make the owner nervous, like these families may be more likely to sue for negligence or whatever. I have seen 5 or more people die or come near to death, and most of our patients are "full code" for some reason I have been very lucky that the residents that have gone into cardiac arrest or stopped breathing have been "no CPR" or have been put into Hospice care. Knock on wood! I cannot imagine calling 911 and performing CPR on someone you know damn well is dead!!!!! I'm curious how your first few weeks of work go!! Hey I'm still at my same job, love the residents, love most of the people I work with and yes, still close the door to the med room and just cry! Dana