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

Let me know how you end up developing a routine....I too am a new nurse in a private facility in Southern California. I was stressed when I had to pass meds to our 36 residents, do orders, answer the phone and do treatments! Well, now I'm doing it for 46 residents in that same facility! It's obscene, and with an hour window on each side of 9a, Do you really think I'm finishing by 10a??? Oh yeah, each resident takes a minimum of 6 meds, some take like 15!!!! Makes me laugh that nurses complain about having 6 or 7 patients, I have 46 mostly full code residents, and no they are not that stable, I had to 911's nearly at the same time one day, I guess if I can do this job, I can do anything right???? Feel free to share your insight!!!!!!

I don't know if it varies from State to State, but I'm out here in California, I have just under a year of experience and right now I am passing meds, doing treatments, doctors orders and med reordering for 45 residents in a Skilled Nursing Facility. I have searched everywhere for a ratio or law or regulations, and I'm in a Private Pay facility, these patients are paying 5,000 to 15,000 a month to be there! Please let me know if you find some legal stuff about this problem.....

I've worked as an LVN since Nov. 2005 I need some help with time!! Today I had a woman rip her G tube out at 1215, The site appears infected, red, inflammed, she's combative, I have to get an order for PRN ativan (due to med sensitivity she has no standing prn order) I have to phone MD, he orders med, that she is sent to Hospital via Ambulance service, I call service, call family (required) give IM ativan, copy paperwork, and it's now 1:45, I've still got to pass 1:00 meds, do all my documenting, do schedule for next shift CNA's and be able to clock out by 3:30. We can't have med techs, it's skilled. I have the phone ringing, another man sitting on the floor, a woman who suddenly looks like she's getting a case of pink eye or something, labs coming in that need to be faxed....and it goes on. any advice????

Is it really true that California has no Nurse to Patient ratio in a Skilled Nursing Facility? I am a new grad LVN and have been on the floor alone numerous times with 38 patients, 6 G-tubes, answering phones, taking orders, ordering meds, checking meal trays for errors, treatments and in charge of 6 CNA's. I have searched for Laws and Regulations, and recently was told, there is no ratio...does this meant that I could be doing this for 200 patients (hopefully an exageration) and this would be legal?????:angryfire

[email protected]:angryfire []I have been working my first LVN job since Nov. 05. After 2 months, I had given my letter of resignation: they put me on the floor as Charge Nurse, I had this staff developer who trained CNA's on site trying to tell me what to do, and they routinely put me alone on the floor with 38-42 patients (skilled nursing facility) and I was to do treatments (only a few) 6 G-tube pts. Answer phones, take and transcribe orders, be in charge of the CNA's, make sure door was being open for visitors if no one else was near, (locked facility) anyway, I was talked into staying, 2 nurses were on the floor, but that was short lived. Today, I had 38 pt's, one was possibly having a diabetic reaction, a trach pt. who is very needy desperately needed suctioning and I'm never in his room less than 20 min, CNA's calling me, the phone ringing....and I was on the floor alone for the third day in a row. I've had it, so to avoid being put in a position of being talked into staying, I'm going to give 2 weeks notice and say that it's for personal reasons. Why am I so frightened? I do love most of the patients and staff. I need some motivational advice.....PLEASE:angryfire :angryfire

we crush the med in the bag and pour them in a cup, but unlike nurses do, all meds in one cup, we have to administer one at a time with 10cc of H20 inbetween each med. I had mixed KCl liquid form with a crushed pepcid together, thinking ok, one liquid, one crushed, no problem, no more of a risk of a clog then if I was doing it with water! Congratulations on your upcoming Graduation, if I don't get kicked out, I'll be graduating June 16th!!!!

Can I ask where in California you are in school, in the event I fail this rotation and can't go on?!?!?!?! Are you still a student? What do you think would happen if you failed one clinical rotation where you are/went to school?

When giving G-tube meds, I am just wondering if all students are required to give one at a time with 10cc of water between meds? Would you give a liquid med (consistency of water) with a crushed med, or would you seperate them as well? Nurses on the floor are laughing because they think this is just rediculous!!:stone

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I am a second semester LVN student. I'm in clinicals with 2 patients completely nurse dependent. We are to do assessments, gluco checks, give insulin, vitals, meds, document, dressings etc. How is it that you organize yourself to get everything done in a timely manner without feeling you have ADD? I have to give 22 medications today, insulin and all the other stuff listed above, and I nearly lost it! :uhoh21: [email protected]