qhjumper

Agree, give it time. I work a 140 bed facility and it's very nice. That being said the supervisors and upper mngmt leave some to be desired and it's very political. Often you get no back up and of course I consult my co-workers when I'm unsure but bottom line is you have to learn to trust your gut (and your brain). If you suspect pneum order a chest x-ray, if it's late and you feel like a resident is crashing, send them out. Of course you will be wrong once in a while but my motto is CYA and better safe than sorry! With time you gain knowledge but you also have to trust yourself and be confident!

I graduate in June!!! Sooo ready! I thought it was smoothe sailing until 3rd quarter and it's tough...soooo many meds to remember! Start early learning meds and brush up on A&P! Good luck everyone!!!

Did you try Henry MEdical Center in McDonough, GA? THey hire LPN's. Good Luck!

If you are close to Griffin, Ga Spalding hires new CNA's. THe pay is low and it's alot of work but you get great exp.!

I am at Griffin Tech right now and just finished my core, applying in May. I am doing the LPN and then bridging to my RN simply because it was more cost effective for me to do so. If you're already at Gordon I would stay there and finish the last 2 core classes you have for the RN program. Not that I don't like Griffin Tech, it just seems like you would be back tracking more than neccecary!

I totally agree with this as well. That's why I'm a freak about organic and at least trying to be healthy but you have a point!

i totally believe that natural and holistic can be a great thing. i agree that it is ignorant to not use western/modern when th situation calls for it. that being said, i think that diet and excercise along with many herbal remedies can lead to a healthier life and longevity. people would rather take a pill vs. changing thier lifestyle and that is sad to me. we are a pill fed society and a note on the fact that many natural and herbal remedies are not fda approved...well there are thousands of drugs that have been approved that have been found unsafe and caused death. my theory, if you are unhealthy and don't change how you eat and live, you can take a pill to fix it for awhile but the pill will probably cause another organ to stress or have problems! we should combine both! they each have thier place!

Oh my gosh this week has been the cream of the crop for our floor lol! I'm in med-surg and we get tons of hips and knees...let me tell you about one that almost made me want to slit my wrists. I knew her and I were going to hit it off when first thing in the morning she calls and when I go in she has totally messed up her bed...liquid green goo filled the pad and she's like"I had an accident and you need to clean me". I'm looking at her thinking, your 52 and had a partial knee replacement...Tues, it's Fri and you can't have the decency to call for assistance or a bed pan? So I clean her up and I'm fuming, in comes phys. therapy and she is screaming that she cant get up, it hurts, it's too hard, blah blah blah. Of course she refused to cooperate so phys therapy left and an 2 hours later here we go again, **** everywhere...did I mention she has snuff cans and spit cups everywhere? I walk in and clean her up and in comes phys therapy and she starts the routine again. I couldn't take it and said, "you know what, if you don't want to walk anymore and you want to lay in bed the rest of your life that's fine, however, I'm going to get a depends and I'll let your doctor know you need references of nursing homes in our area!" haha. She just looked at me and I left her and the therapist. Needless to say she walked and called for help to use the bathroom after and was very pleasant after lol ! :hdvwl:

hang in there! it takes time to learn the routine. i know it took me a good 2.5 to 3 weeks to feel comfortable enough to really handle residents by myself. i learned quickly that your residents will be helpful if you have a question. just treat them like you would your grandmother or grandfather. you will figure out each of thier quirks and routines pretty quick. also talk to the family when they're there and they are usually very happy to give you pointers! don't give up! also, your dementia patients, just be very specific about what you're doing or what they need to do and don't give alot of details because they get confused...ie just say lift up your arms we're putting on your shirt etc. hope this helps!

Griffin Tech does and alot are offered online. The one downfall is the enrollment proccess and they are a very unorganized school but cheap and convieniant if you can navigate the system.

the main thing to remember is to let them know your goals of obtaining your rn and show your enthusiasm about getting exp while in school. also, they want reliable and responsible and upbeat people who work well in a team setting. i just got hired at a hospital with only 3 months exp and it was ltc and the only reason is that i am going to school for nursing and i'm very motivated! dress proffesional, bring a resume with references as well! hope this helps!

I can tell you that you must love people and be able to handle the 3 P's! Poop, Pee & Puke! You will be very tired but you end your day knowing that you're needed! I have worked all shifts and I think 2nd or 2-10p is the hardest. Basically in a nursing home what everyone has already posted is about what it's like everywhere. I think the big thing is to make sure you work somewhere that doesn't run on minimum staff as far as CNA's are concerned because it makes it really exhausting!

LOL right! Sometimes it sucks! I'm not sure that I could be an aid forever but they are very important, afterall they do the majority of the primary care for patients. Can't we all just get along! I think it really shows who cares and who is just getting a paycheck. I know for a fact that being an aid will for sure help me to be a better nurse!

However, I will say that there are the select few great nurses where I work and sometimes the CNA's are lazy as well. I just get frustrated altogether when patients suffer do to lazy staff!

I agree that the work is hard and LTC is understaffed! The nurses are lazy and complain about how hard charting is lol! I got my CNA so thatI could get exp in the medical field while going to nursing school. I will for sure treat my CNA's with respect when I'm done. What bothers me is that the patients are the ones who suffer because nurses have to chart...or really they need to talk and text! I think it's sad that LTC gets the short end of the stick.