magn1jes

Hello everyone! I would greatly appreciate your input. I work in a small clinic staffed with LPN's. There is a shortage of these nurses in our state and we are having an awful time hiring anyone. Management has considered changing our model from one nurse per provider to a team model approach where some nurses would room patients while others answer the phones in hopes of hiring CMA's or RN's. Our productivity numbers do not support hiring any extra staff but we are hoping to get "different" licensed individuals to apply. This is not going over very well with the staff at all and am hoping that you all have any insight or ideas as far as other options go! Please let me know if you need any additional information.

We hire LPN's as scrub techs at our hospital here in MN. Good luck! I did my practicum in surgery and it is a tough area, but awesome!

Thank you everyone for the awesome responses! I am trying so hard to put my foot down and not take more shifts than I want, because I know it is a slippery slope. I really appreciate all of the advice and you all helped to ease my mind.

I work CASUAL in a small clinic. I am here for the experience, because I like it, and mostly because I want to stay home with my child as much as possible. I love my coworkers and really don't mind helping out, but we are short staffed, and one of our full-time nurses is dealing with some serious health issues that will keep her out of work for extended periods of time (now and in the future). Basically, I could work full-time and there would still be open shifts. I try and work 1-2 days per week, sometimes 3 at the most, but am still getting asked to work more more more. Am I selfish to not pick up shifts for my ill coworker? I want to keep my home/work balance but feel guilty leaving my coworkers short or having my ill coworker work when she would be better off at home. Please help.

My mom recently had a major surgery and is in the hospital. She was given a roommate which was later found to have MRSA. They did move my mom to a different room and they were together less than 24 hrs, but during that time my mom was without her bandage, in the shared bathroom, and has an 8 inch abdominal incision. I am worried about her chances of contracting this. How much should I fret about this? Thank you. I do feel that I should know this, but the stress and anxiety is keeping me from thinking straight.

Hello there Cindirella, do you still have your Pharmacology text book? I would read over that... at least ours doesn't have a TON of medications in it (not like the drug guide, anyway). During our class we had lists of medications we had to make notecards of... on those cards we had to put the trade name and generic name on the front, and classification, indications, a few side effects, and nursing actions on the back. This seemed to narrow things down quite a bit so we didn't feel SO overwhelmed. I think it really helped, as I still remember quite a few of them. @Brandon - that is VERY impressive. I wish I had your pharmacology knowledge!

Thanks again for all of the responses! I am certainly hearing mixed opinions about this program and it is making me question whether or not to look into it more. @ fa/lpnMN09 - do you have any LPN to BSN programs that you WOULD recommend?

I am bumping this because I would like to know the answer as well!

Thank you all so very much for the wonderful advice! I decided to take the casual job and hope that it is not too overwhelming. I am really excited about it, but of course, won't know if it was the right decision until I have worked there for a little while. If I end up getting pregnant right away, so be it, and I can always keep working casual and hold of RN school for a while. I would love to continue hearing your opinions! Thanks again.

I am in MN... I took my test last Wednesday, got my results Thursday, and had a license number on the BON website this morning.

Hello all! I just graduated from an LPN program this summer and took my boards today. For the most part, I have been a stay at home mom during school, but now that I am done I am not sure what to do. My son is 14 months old and we are thinking of trying for the next one. I can't start an RN program until next spring at the earliest and who knows what will happen if I am pregnant before then. I have a job some-what waiting for me at the moment 30 miles away (I live less than 10 minutes from the hospital here in town). It is a casual position so I really don't know how many hours I will be getting, but IF I do take the position I hope it is less than 20 a week. Orientation is 80+ hours. Grandma is the daycare provider. At first I was excited to start a part-time job, but now I am having second thoughts. I have been having a lot of fun hanging out with my son with no distractions, and I am much more focused and relaxed. I would like to get some work experience and don't want to "lose" what I just learned in school, but on the other hand, I don't want to miss this time with my son. I also don't want it to look bad if I get pregnant shortly after starting a new job (absolutely no guarantees, though, as it took me a while to get pregnant with #1), and I don't want to feel like I am taking advantage of my mom watching my little guy. I also feel like I have basically committed to this job because it is being "held" for me and I don't want to leave them hanging. So, to take the job or not to take the job... that is the question. Writing it out helped immensely, but I still have so many jumbled thoughts in my head I couldn't possibly write them all down. I would like some semi-objective thoughts on whether I should focus on my family and put school and work on the back-burner, or should I give this job a go... Oh, I don't plan on working full-time until the children are older, and I don't even know what will happen (career-wise)after the next child is born (if we are blessed with another). Advice appreciated! Please and thank you!

My first CNA job was in a LTC facility and I was (supposed to be) PRN. I had the same problem as you... some days I would get called to work EVERY shift! It was very stressful and I couldn't seem to get away. I always felt terrible saying no and eventually ended up quitting because the calls were just relentless. Fast forward a couple years: I was "offered" (I have to pass my boards first) a casual LPN position in a clinic and am nervous that I will have the same problem that I did in the LTC. Like you, I only want 1-2 shifts per week because I would like to be a mom first, but am excited for the experience. Hopefully it all works out! Good luck to you!

You are making me really excited! Thanks again for all of the great info! I just graduated from an LPN program but have yet to take my boards (I am waiting on my ATT number). I live 2.5 hours from Fargo so it wouldn't be a huge thing if I have to drive there for a day or two here and there. I'm glad to hear that the workload is doable. The online program through the school here is 3 (bigger) semesters and then I would have to attend a university after that for my BSN, so either way I am looking at 6 semesters. I am just hoping that tuition is comparable.

I am kind of hoping this is what scheduling is like here... I would like to be prepared.

Thank you for your response! That is nice that you get to pick your schedule!