Mandy LVN

Palo Pinto Home Health. Palo Pinto General is the county hospital and they also run/own the hha.

Ok, so after taking off a year and a half from nursing I am back in the field again. I started orientation at a HHA this week as a PRN field LVN. I really like the agency I work for so far. It is a lot better than the one I was working for previously (when I had a total and complete breakdown and quit nursing completely). I know I am only a week into it but there are alot of differences, such as, I only see patients in a 40 mile radius of the hospital we are associated with, I am not (at this time any way) asked to see daily patients 65 miles apart , and they are Medicare/State compliant. It appears, from what I've learned in just the last week, that the other agency was NOT compliant in a lot of areas. While I do really like this agency so far, I am being very cautious, just because of how bad I was burned at the last one. No more 10-14 patients a day, plus 3-4 hours of charting every night. I know how to say NO to case managers now!

Thank you!! I had the interview yesterday and it went well. The DON said she would submit my paperwork and salary requirements for approval and call me back. Sounds hopeful, right? :) I am doing alot better now than I was back in Feb. Surprisingly the anti-anxiety med I am on is Atarax! I thought it was used as an antihistime, but it can be used as anti-anxiety as well. It works pretty well. Anyway, after the interview was over, I had NO anxiety, just excitement. I think I'm finally and truly back to ME!!! It's been a long, sometimes painful, road.

I have actually witnessed the "yelling" a number of times at the hospital I used to work at. One doc in particular would get ****** about something a nurse had done ( or not done) and starting yelling at high volume and cussing. This was the norm and nothing has ever been done about it. I also witnessed him throw a chart across the room at a nurse. She was not hit, but that is not the point. We are professionals and should be treated as such. I was lucky with this particular doc, he yelled at me only once in 5 years, and it wasn't even my fault. He did apologize for that later as he realized I was not at fault. It amazed me then and now that NO disciplinary action was ever taken. He is a wonderful doc, one of the best I've worked with, but his temper is fierce. One other episode I vividly recall is during a code in ICU. We had a patient going bad, he needed to tube but could not get the bed to lower. The beds were all new and apparently no one had recieved training on how to operate them. He and another nurse were standing over this poor patient screaming and cussing at each other about the bed. He finally climbed up on a chair and tubed the patient. Then our poor manager walked in and botht he doc and ICU nurse lit into him about the beds. What a way for that poor manager to start his day.

I am an LVN and have been for 10 years. In Feb I decided to quit nursing because I was burn out...not just because of nursing but a personal issue as well. One week after quitting my job I landed in a psych ward for a week for suicidal ideations. I have been looking/working towards other avenues since Feb but have decided that I think I may be able to go back to nursing. I am concerned that I will end up sinking into severe depression agaiin. I have been diagnosed with PTSD r/t childhood trauma and nursing and am on antidepressants, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety meds. I want to work as a nurse but I am afraid, too. I have an interview on Friday for an ADON position in a home health agency. Any suggestions, ideas, opinions will be welcomed.

I am an LVN, did HH for about 8 months before taking a "sebatical" However, while I was working, I had a patient that would call me and the CM because she had an episode of bowel incontinence. My CM sent me over to her house to clean her up....I was over 50 miles away and had 5 more visits that day!

Thanks Caliotter!

After 9 years working in the hospital I decided I needed to switch to HH because I thought I was just burned out on med/surg nursing....after 6 months in HH it has become apparent that I am just burned out on nursing period. I am looking to switch careers but seeing as I have more then 10 years invested in the medical field I don't know what I want/can do now. I will stick with HH until I find what I want to try next but I am so sick of the ungrateful, inconsiderate people that we take care of.

Thanks for your input.

I am an LVN and have been working in HH for approx 6 months. My question is for the RNs/case managers. Do you actually do sup visits? One of the CMs I work with has never spoken to or seen a patient we've had for more than a month and a half. At a case conference a few weeks a go we (all the nurses) were going thru our census, the ADON would call out a pt name and the CMs were supposed to speak up and respond that that was their patient and tell who the LVN is. He didn't know more than 1/2 of the patients he had. I had to speak up and say that they are ours. Is this a normal occurance? Thanks!!

I am currently driving an 07 Hyundai Sonata and I love it. Gas mileage is not the greatest (21-25 mpg) but it is in good condition. I put around 500 miles a week on it so I am sure I will be in the market for a new one in a few years.

Good luck!

Yes I took the TEAS three times, last July and November, and then again in January. Got a little better score each time. I used the study guide they provide in the book store...however I think they are using a different one now. I used it mainly for the math and science portions. Good luck!!!!

Tejas hopefully we will! And most of it should come back after some practice. Good luck with the TEAS!

I have already been accepted to the LVN to RN program at WC to start next May! I was actually accepted to the program for this year but had to withdraw 1 1/2 weeks into the program due to personal reasons but have a guaranteed spot next year. I am anxious to get started on it. That 1st week was stressful, skills checkoffs and the doseage calculation exam. But after that I believe it will get better. I can't wait to get going on it and finish this time!