Short-Stuff 23

You passed! Congrats Trust me, I checked and it gave me the "bad pop up" and for sure I had failed..

Hello, At my place of employment we do have an employee of the month. The person is chosen by other employees. This is not only for nursing staff but housekeeping, kitchen, etc..That person gets a $200 bonus and a special parking spot up front. The nursing staff also gets a $75 bonus for picking up extra shifts and perfect attendance. My boss usually chooses two people from each bag a month! I like the idea:)

You are JUST NOW telling me about a bruise/pressure sore on a resident a half hour before my shift ends!!! Just added an hour of paperwork!

Oh yeah..I would agree with Harborview..Lots of good stuff happening there..:) Welcome to Seattle!

Well after graduuating nursing school and getting accepted into the residency program at our local hospital. I took my NCLEX yesterday. I sat in that chair for 5 hours and 50 minutes!!! Had all 265 questions and failed..Needless to say, I do not get the job at the hospital. The test was awful. I think if I sat through all the darn questions they should have passed me for the torture! Well, I will be fine. I will test again in 45 days...

I aldo get hypoglycemic. I used to be a waitress so it was easy to grab something quick and go into the back for a minute. I know that my blood sugar is getting low when I start shaking, irritable, inability to focus, and sometimes dizzy. A few weeks ago I decided to take my blood sugar at work when I was feeling like that and I was 71. That is technically, ok but obviously not for me. I work in a nursing home so I often keep a little snack in my pocket or on my med cart and snack as I go. If I dont do this, I am useless and I'm sure you are feeling the same way. As the previous poster mentioned, drink enough water! I am guilty of not drinking much water even on my days off. I'm sorry for your miscarriage also So. drink water and try to take frequent small breaks for power snacks. I know that is not always easy. Good luck!!

I have worked in an LTC facility for about a year now and I do love my residents. One resident came up to me at my med cart and said "Well, I put my application in here. When am I going to hear anything?" I was surprised and said, "you did?..Well it is Saturday and the boss won't be back in until Monday." She agreed and went on about her business. HA HA At OP: Lizard skins???? That is hilarious

Yep, this "trick" worked for me. I am in WA state. You passed :)

I work in a nursing home and our weekend was pretty crazy also. I didnt believe the full moon thing at first but it is soooo true! Your weekend does top mine though. How crazy! I do love the very last sentence though..cracked me up. Hopefully next weekend will be better for you.

Wow, three months is a long time to be on orientation. I think I got 2 weeks lol. I was a waitress before! You will do fine. I wouldnt worry too much about firing you for any mistake. They know that you are new and ALL nurses have made mistakes. We are only human.. Go slowly, make sure you have the right resident, and do not be afraid to ask questions!!! I probably drove the other nurses crazy with questions. Better to be safe than sorry.. Good luck!

Wow, I am soo sorry that this happened to you. When I first read your story I did not think about you being a "target". As you said, you put your heart and soul into your patients. I am sure that you are a wonderful nurse! I read through the responses and it does sound like you were targeted. I cannot believe they would treat you this way after so long working there and how wonderful you must have been. I have faith that you will find another job soon. Personally, I would not want to get a laywer and all that. I would not even go back if they were to offer you a job because it would not be the same. Prayers for you!! Also, I am a new LPN and I will graduate in June and get my RN this summer. I am young and can learn from this story. I will think about this throughout my career and try not to get too close with people work with. Hang in there:)

I am also petite. I have found the KOI scrubs in petite. They have lots of pockets, stretchy, and comfy! Love em!

I had about 8 shifts. They trained me on the shift that I would be working. I am never afraid to ask questions. After orientation I still had tons of questions (meds, labs, Dr. orders, etc) tons of new things to learn. I hope that you have great co-workers to help you out:)

I can understand where you are coming from. Better to have the needed materials than going back and forth. At my job, we have radios in our ears that we can talk to eachother on. They are soooo nice :)

I would like it if this survey included LPN's as well. I currently work in a nursing home with RN's and we do the same job. Same cart, same hall, same job! I think that this is specifically geared for hospitals though.

We are not aloud to practice on eachother. We have a dummy arm and a computerized IV simulation thing. I have had the advantage of starting a few in cliniclas though. An ER nurse really taught me how to feel for good veins without looking. Can't believe some of these schools didn't teach IV starts at all!

Don't be too hard on yourself! I was on orientation as a freash brand new grad and the nurse went to go answer a phone call. I went down the hall to give to the resident. Well, I walked in and the aids wanted to ask me a question about her neighbor. I set pills down at the bedside table, assessed, then gave the resident her meds. I walk back to the cart and the nurse says "Oh so you found Mrs. ___? I said "uhhhhhh, I gave those to Mrs.___? The medication was Coreg! EEEK. I was so caught up in the moment with the aids I didn't think. I should have told the aids that I had to give these pills and then will be right back. I wanted to burst into tears and thought I was getting fired for sure! My boss was so nice about the situation. She said EVERYONE has made mistakes and if they say they haven't they are lying! The resident's blood pressure went very low and we ad to start an IV on her. I felt sooo dumb and made mer very paranoid when I was on my own! I still work there and am doing well. It is ok. The important thing is that you learn from the situation and move on. Be cautious and if something seems weird to you, ask. It never hurts to ask. I ask plenty of questions at my job. I am sure I drive the other nurses crazy! Stay positive!

Wow, did I type that?? LOL That sums up how I feel also where I work. It is literally impossible to do everything they expect out of you in a timely manner. Also, not to mention the orders that the previous nurse left on the med cart and did not bother to tell you!! I guess for now we have to keep trucking along until something else comes up. Good luck!

Hi everyone, I started a new LPN job in an LTC facility this past July. I was excited and eager to learn. I am also in school for my RN now so I am not working as many hours as I was in the summer. Anyway, I find myself not liking it at all I do not like the feeling that I am just "pushing pills" and that is what I do mostly. I do have the tx book, T.O's, people falling, and most CNA's are nice but some I get attitude from and I think it is because I am the nurse and I am younger than they are. I dont even know where to begin but I have liked all my other jobs in the past. I know nursing is chaotic and you have to roll with what happens. I was a waitress at a crazy restaraunt for over 5 years and loved it! I guess I get irritated with nurse/pt. ratio because I feel I am not giving good quality care that I know I can. My plan is to stay there until I get my RN and then head out. Any encouragement/ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

I work in LTC and my shift is 1:30-10. I am LUCKY if I get out of there by midnight. Some nights I end up there until 2 or 3am...

I do not think you have done anything wrong. I was always told that if you do compressions correctly you will break the person's ribs. You tried your best to save this person and I can tell you are a great nurse with compassion. Hang in there:)

I also work in LTC and we have had 3 pass and then about 3 weeks later...2 more.. It is interesting how these things happen.... and one was very unexpected for me! It is hard.

Wow, it sounds like you have described me!! I started a new job in LTC at the end of July. I do not have any experience as a CNA and I felt sick to my stomach EVERY time that I went to work also. It has gone away but some days I still feel that knot! I have evtnually gotten somewhat of a routine down but it it almost impossible to do everything that they are asking of one nurse! I feel like LTC nurses have too many residents! I feel like I cannot give the quality of care that I would like to. I am finishing up my RN year and maybe find a job somewhere else after school but for now, I am staying here. On the bright side, I have learned alot in the last 2 months! It is crazy how much you learn on the job compared to the classroom. I wish you much luck!! You will get to know the residents and know where they usually hag out at!!

Well, I just finished the first half of my nursing school and took my PN boards in July. Got the results on a Friday-passed!! So Monday morning I went into one of our LTC facilities here. I filled out an app, told her a little about myself, and she aid when can you start? I was on the floor the next day!! It is crazy and so different from nursing school but I am slowly getting the hang of things..

Congrats!!!! It is going to be very stressful, exhausting, and rewarding experience. GOOD LUCK!!!