okguy

I loved as LPN charge I could just clock someone out. Tell them to talk to the DON before coming back to work. Only time I did it was when this aide was being LOUD while the residents were sleeping. I walked through the dining area where residents eat. She had her feet up on the table; bare feet where people eat their food from. So I talked to the LPN in charge of where she was working. The LPN went on and on about how horrible this girl was, and how she did a lackluster job. So I said "you know what to do, clock her out." The LPN was too scared to drop the axe herself. So I said "Okay well she is going. She isnt helping us with our many tasks, and we need people that will do the right thing." When I went to clock the girl out, she had her BARE FEET up on the charge nurse desk; our desk! So I showed her to the door. She said "oh my god, you are joking!" I said "No Im not. It's time for you to go now. Talk to (insert DON name here) before you can come back to work. Goodbye." Yes, it meant more work for us for that night. Yes it was more work IN ADDITION to all the extra paperwork. But the DON assigned people who were willing and able to do the job without doing disgusting things. Things which are not in the keeping of the profession which we have chosen.

Keep cool. Always. Nursing is leadership; in our profession, it is mandatory. The best leader is the one who can keep cool when the (blank) hits the fan. All eyes will be on you asking "so what do we do now?" Sometimes the interview is a gut check to see if you can handle yourself. Say "No, this will be my first. I am willing to learn everything I can. I hope your organization can assist me in becoming a better nurse." And then go on about why you are interested in this particular field. BAM! Done. Next question. IF you are an RN, you are likely to have the option of many different fields, and they know this. Expressing why you are interested in this in particular helps them to see you are not just looking for 'any job.' Or planning to move on the moment something that pays more comes along.

A large portion of this profession is about talking to people - and usually to people who are not having the best time:) We may not be able to use jedi mind-tricks on other nurses as effectively, but we can certainly show motivation and interest in the position applied for. With practice youll get the hang of it.

Congrats! Yep, for LPN @ nursing home, it was literally on the spot. I had a DON throwing all kinds of good offers; she needed an LPN now. Hospitals are a bit more nuanced in their approach however.

I failed twice NCLEX - RN First time my own fault. Second time ran out of time. Third time, took Kaptest online review course. Answered 1000+ questions. Took snacks with me in case. 75 q in and out. Got the good popup this time. Still not official but pvt went to CC when I failed; this time I got the good popup. Same popup when I check for my LPN that i passed. So horrible feeling like that, and having LPN license - who will hire you since you will be an RN? And since you arent an RN yet you cannot work as one. It is so horrid. So I think I got it! Finally.

The bad part about these are you cant do the nursing process jedi mind trick; "Well it seems that this process is quite frustrating for you, what are your specific concerns?" I guess though if you time it right you could get them. When they ask if you have any questions:)

Excessive charting; no such thing. This is the legal record of everything we do. --- 2200 Pt resting quietly in room with eyes closed, R 12, no signs of distress (this is where some will put will continue to monitor, but they never say what they are monitoring, so im not gonna do that). 0300 pt found on the floor in room, unresponsive, airway patent, R12, P90, Bp 110/74, O2 administered per Nasal cannula@ 2 Li/min. Arranged for transfer to XXX unit for further evaluation, POA notified. Dr. XXX notified. Frivolous charting would be telling me things I do not need to know as the oncoming nurse delivering this client's care. I have seen charting that went into a 'and his nephew is angry.." and alot of other details that are absolutely irrelevant to the patients care. I want to be able to read what has been done, so I can further judge what to do. I do not want to read some fairy tale about irrelevant things - had a LPN coworker who thought the notes were a place to record interpersonal observations but not specific to that patients care. This used to really get to me; I dont really need to know that.

same rumor been around 20 years running in my state. If they got rid of LPN; the cost of senior care would go thru the roof. There is a downside to this; as LPN you are kinda stuck (at least I felt I was). If I take just about any other job; it is a cut in pay, a cut in status, and basically relegating me to a fancy nurse tech. Now for the fun part; Im not much one to tell you not to worry; I got laid off of my first LPN job. State cutbacks on medicare, and i was the junior LPN on the list. There were plenty who got laid off too. Cool part about that though is I was in the maternity portion of LPN-RN program, and it was very demanding to survive. So it was a blessing in disguise (unemployment).

umm most people that get 75 q pass but 86% of anyone who takes the test passes!!! We are supposed to be scientific in our approach to this. Seems we throw it all away when it effects us personally.

isnt that a 9 month program? 1 or 2 times a week to show, that's a dream! I would trade places with that any day. Some programs for lpn; if you miss 10 classes out of 220 they dont allow you to graduate- which means you can't take the statewide exam.

Okay lpn student here. From what I hear; BEST PROGRAM IN THE STATE! Because you will be able to work and your clinicals are weekends. That's the only time you have to show up! They obviously dont treat you like a kid like some LPN programs do. Just make sure you keep up with your studies, RN is the real nurse, LPN is like introductory. ALOT of info because RN is responsible for alot more. So don't expect the curriculum to be just a "gimme." The pay wont be as great as in Ca either, but lpn makes "ok" cash, and I think last I checked, there was about 40+lpn positions open in tulsa, like 200+ in OKC and surrounding areas. Problem is, LPN=mostly nursing homes. If you can handle that, then it's okay. Check with these guys too; www.oklahomajoblink.com