LFalcon

Anything alcohol based. Alcohol pads - they will suck on them. Drink hand sanitizer.. Whole different world.

A clear bag (like for stadiums) that you can see thru. Your stethoscope, a pen, small note pad, a couple dollars. No contraband, no cell phones. No hand sanitizer. I'm new to corrections and learned fast. A sign of contraband items will also be posted. I'd also wear only a watch, little to no jewelry. Wear an undershirt under your top even the smallest gap will make you feel dirty. Good luck! My third week and I love it.

This sounds just like my office. In try to use the online covermymeds but its still cumbersome. I don't think the drs in my office even know what prior auths are. I'd try to delegate to MAs anything you can. I've had allot of declines lately so do the appeals.. That is time consuming. Perhaps making someone a dedicated prior auth person?

Well, I graduated from LPN school May 2010, got my license July 2011, got my first LPN job September 2011 - I am still there... Now - I signed up for Excelsior - hoping to start July!!! I'm starting from scratch - I need everything as I have no pre-req's. I've done my application for admission.. So, as soon as I get the green light and the email from admissions/guidance I'm ready!! I'd be nice to have a study buddy or someone in a similar situation.. Also, anyone who has gone this path with any advice for me, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!!

I meant to say.. holy crap - low on O2?? WOW... that would freak me out!! how did they think you would make it last??? how do you do that? and the hours thing - that happens to me, and I often wonder... do I clock out and come back up to chart... as it is my license? A fellow nurse was let-go for that... workers-comp issue... I understand that part... so where is that line?? honestly though, these are things I often worry about...

I find it all very interesting all of our experiences and how similar they all are. My facility is "for-profit" hence the moving around and transfers of recent.. combining 2 memory units into one very large one is a money maker. ECC giving the "space" for extra nursing care that I wish we had time for that we do not is also a money maker... Seriously, I get excited when I have the opportunity to give a Vanco IM.. this is a rare occasion. Only as I am mixing - and pulling and doing something than popping a pill out of a card. M1M1 - I could be wrong, IMHO 22 residents, 2 accuchecks and 10 TX seems stressful, but do-able? For me, it has been - keeping it as safe as I can.. keeping my license.. I don't think I have ever had fewer than 36 residents...once I had only 3 BS, but then I had 2 floors and 6 aides and 46 residents on 2-10.. hang in there - get your experience!!! Dragonmom - I feel you - we don't have an admissions person either - we are the end all be all. Lately I have even been "showing" apartments?? WTH! Admissions have been showing up on Sunday... and no warning.. which makes me wonder... how do you verify meds? We get 1823's but to verify?? no dr ever calls me on a Sunday. Anyways, If I were you I'd explore my options - I think I feel better when I have options. We have NEVER had safety lancets, what are those? Every resident has own testers like those used at home, as we are an ALF. Do you know how many times I have poked myself? with a clean lancet mind you... but it hurts. Then I'm bleeding... I have learned to be very careful - it's a learned art. We also are not allowed to have dressings for dressing changes (as technically we are not to do them - but we do), we beg for them from HH nurses - and scavenge them from anywhere we can find. We also all bring in our own ABT ointment.. I own my own BP cuff, pulse OX, thermometer - my DON gets very upset as our admissions do not always have weights... we do not have a scale (4 floors, no scale). :-( That's where I draw the line - I'm not buying a scale!!! We have to take them next door to the SNF.. not always an option. I too know some in non-profit and they seem to like it better and the environment appears better??? I always think the same... could be worse, right?? I LOVE my residents, which is why I bought all my own stuff - and bring in stuff from home. Such a shame as they pay allot of money to live there. They deserve better.... Thank you - for all you do!!! BrandonLPN - I'd like to take your post, blow it up to poster size and hang it above the time clock, then on the office door to the nurse station. Nothing makes me angrier then to have someone hanging up and calling like a psycho for me to answer the phone during my med pass. This happens daily... I really truly want to concentrate on passing meds.. lots of times it's such silly stuff on the phone - the hair salon in my facilty, family members calling to chit-chat, CNA's kids looking for them, residents wanting to know where HH is??? and often I will be standing at my cart, drawing up insulin in a vial and someone will walk up, seeing what I'm doing and start talking to me.. ??? really.... I get in trouble for not answering my phone. I've had the executive director call me and ask me why I am not answering my phone..(keep in mind these are not emergency calls) I really think it's rude to the residents I'm caring for at that time.. If I could do my med-pass uniterruppted I prob could get it all done - BUT with 1500000 phone calls in-between.. not possible. We cannot even count narcs without the phone ringing 5-6 times. It's very frustrating. I've mentioned it to management, my voice is not heard. Again, why the increase in census, and increase in BS checks scares me and feels impossible. JZ_RN - that scares the heck outtame. I am not sure how you do it??? Well, It's good to get a concensus - and interesting to hear from others. Thanks again for your responses...

I am a fairly new LPN in a ALF which has a ECC license. Most of our residents require assist with ADL's, most are incontinent,lots of answering call-lights, parkinson's. My floor has a couple colostomy/urostomy care - recently due to some moving around we are filling up and by the end of the week will have 9 insulin dependent diabetics with AC/HS accuchecks. We will have 42 - 44 residents, me being the only nurse on 6-2 on my floor. I do all the transportation, appointments, so on.. We have 2 aides, that are super-great. 9 accu-checks?? before all meals... along with my normal med pass... not to mention the 2 hour parkinson meds... all the BP's... all the daily WT's... To me this is almost impossible.. Right now with 38 I do not always feel safe, and often wonder... did I forget?? Did I chart?? Does anyone think 9 accuchecks is a bit much for one? I am looking for opinions as this is my first job and I honestly do not know norm... Thank you!

This sounds about how my day is every day... I'm sorry your day went like this. :-( It's so disheartening.. I came searching tonight as I have about 40 residents, it's going up tomorrow by 3.. and 9 BS - AC/HS .. 2 aides - yes, it's ALF - but with an ECC, so 99% are incontinent.. I would feel lucky to have a ratio of 54/3, but then no IV's - trach - nothing crazy for me. Such a shame... on the other hand, the fact that everyone is so new is a pretty good indicator something is amiss?? right?

This is very interesting as something very similar happened in our facility recently. My floor in particualar has 3 res on coumadin, an outside company does lab draws. The coumadin draws are typically scheduled out... for ex: Resident A to take coumadin 2.5 x 14 days re check PT/INR level. So, dr is to be faxed and called. Usually if faxed dr never calls - so you must chase them down. (Monday I called 8 times). What is scary is the order ends -- so really you cannot give coumadin without a new order... you depend on that dr to call you. If they do not/you do not give it we were told by our DON it is a med error and she will report us to the BON. Last Friday I was off... someones orders ended Thur, no one called.. no PT/INR drawn Fri.. no coumadin given. Sat I worked, I saw it. Called the on call dr, chased them out of a christmas party asking what they would like to do..?? It was almost 8 before I gave the dose, I got the order for 2 days until Monday when it could be redrawn.. but honestly -- it scares me to death. The thought of being reported scares me and how easily it slips through the cracks... So this post makes me think... it goes on other places too... ???

I am a new nurse - working in an ALF, caring/passing meds for 34 residents half of them in a locked memory unit. I would say 80% of my residents suffer from parkinsons. On my third day alone a resident who had been coherent, refused to eat for 3 days, refused all meds for 3 days... the night I needed to call 911 to send him out (our policy) he was telling me he saw "God", "saw the light", grabbed my hand and said "do you see him -- he's right there"... I sent him out due to low vitals, cyanosis, low o2sat, but nevertheless I will not forget him telling me about what he saw... he passed that night at the hospital.

You know your right... It's only PT... but I don't care- I hope I am offered the job! I'll take it! After I posted this yesterday a former classmate called me - her first day on the job in a ALF, she had 35 residents, 2 CNA's, the only RN was 4 floors down and is the DON - apparently the norm is pulling meds, putting them in little cups for the next pass... seems unsafe to me.. ?? I'm new.. perhaps this is the norm??? to me it's shady... so yeah, I'll stick with the addicts and the bad part of town... Thanks for your advice, as a newbie I feel lost so appreciate it!

I was wondering what you ended up doing? Do you work at the methadone clinic? How'd you like it? just asking as a recent LPN grad - interviewing at one next week... Thanks!!

Awesome! thanks for the info - I really do appreciate it!!!

I can see everyones point and understand where everyone is coming from.. I supposed it would be nice to get offered a pin to purchase at perhaps a lower cost??? I think some said it was $5? not sure - but $80 is 2 weeks of gas for me to actually get to school and the hospital.. Out of curiosity, where do you wear your pin -on your name badge? just curious as I don't think I have ever seen anyone in the hospital with a pin on.. I was wondering where you would wear it? Our wonderful clinical teacher offered to pin us in our own little ceremony with pins we selected.. perhaps that is what our little group might do? Especially as she was our mentor.. and she is not allowed at the school ceremony.

I like the ribbon idea... that's a nice thought.. I am so ticked off with school I could not bring myself to fork over $80... I got my CNA license almost 2 years ago.. when we finished they GAVE us a super nice PIN... You might think that at $17K in tuition they might do something... we don't even get dinner offered.. we bought our cap/gown! from the school nontheless! Our tickets to give to family/friends to the ceremony are on business cards that they made... how tacky?? really???