my.toys

LPN is competitive with about triple the apps to spots. One trick I learned was to buy the edition before the latest version of the textbook, or even two editions back. They are dirt cheap and those old texts are the ones the tests are actually from. I used to get so frustrated when a test question did not reflect the latest edition of the book that we were supposed to buy for big bucks. You do NOT need to buy the bundle.

I've taken the in-class version. If you do the Summer session, it will be 12 weeks and it will be INCREDIBLY fast paced.

I love cartoon and cute scrub tops. I think one of the cutest I saw was a Scooby Doo print a nurse of about 50 or so was wearing on our (adult) floor. Good grief, why get so aggravated by something somebody else is wearing? Personally some of the weird flower, "Day of the Triffid" type prints aren't to my particular style but I don't automatically believe their wearers are any less professional.

If you had a bowel movement this afternoon, you are NOT constipated. Yes, I am Satan for refusing to give your pain meds early. Notice the Satan, RN on my nametag - even the lord of the underworld needs to have a job, and I plan to keep mine, thank you. Rectal-cranial inversion is my own special diagnosis for you. It didn't come from the doctor, and you don't get extra pain meds for it

Haldol & Geodon But personally, I am still bowled over by the fact that I have three little boys who love me and who always have something new that they want to share...

I had a patient a couple of nights back who was fine but her daughter was a total nutcase. She hit the call button every few minutes to tell me... the pillows weren't fluffy enough the air vent wasn't blowing enough air she didn't have the same channels on the tv that she had at home her mother was in horrible pain (patient is sleeping) her mother needed more cream on the slighty reddened area of her sacrum (I gave her a tube of the cream and she looked horrified and told me her back would not allow her to actually, you know, help - in any way, shape or form) her mother was constantly complaining of pain (apparently only whenever I wasn't in the room) and that she didn't understand why meal service didn't bring her a tray too :banghead: OMG - The things I wanted to say.... I finally settled for, "should I ask the doctor about letting you take Mom home to care for her in the way that you feel is best?" That seemed to quiet her down because she realized she might actually have to do something other than flap her mouth to take care of her mother. I really would have preferred to just put a call button in the room that only worked when the patient's fingers connected with it.

Are you serious? Intake charting, shift charting, admission charting, rounding charting, skin assessment chartment, focus note charting. If my hand isn't cramping by the end of the shift, I know I have forgotten something :-(

I am certain she cursed him because she called him a dumb^&% *** of a ***** who didn't know his rear from a hole in the ground and who &*&^*&^ ^%&%^ %$$^%$... The direction of her anger was pretty clear ;-) I am not judging the patient but as a new RN I am still kind of stunned by how many patients seem to feel like death is something that can be delayed inevitably. A 94 year old patient was asking if he could get a lung transplant last week, a patient who was comatose and completely unresponsive but who had scads of family members, had an NG tube placed because no one wanted to let MeeMaw go and Hospice was refused because "that's for people who are dying." *sigh* Did I mention she moaned in pain whenever anyone touched her, because the family took pain relief off the table, because they were worried she wouldn't recognize them anymore? I wish we could have a more frank discussion about end of life issues in this country.

Because he told her she had about 4 more months to live. Seriously, why do people think they are going to be immortal? If I was told tommorrow that I was dying, I would try to make the best of the time I have, not curse the person telling me about my condition. I really don't understand why death is treated as an anomoly, especially by people who are at an advanced age.

I watched an experienced nurse push Phenergan into a hand IV in less than 10 seconds. The patient started howling about how it was burning and she told him that was normal

Um, is this even a real post? If it is, you seriously need to rethink your financial future. A nursing license will not make 65k worth of loans disappear. Getting an RN designation is not automatically buying you a winning lottery ticket. You will not get a management job or CNL position in nursing with no experience. Why are you driving a Land Rover if you are so far in debt? You do realize that you will be very lucky to make 50k a year as a new graduate, right? *sigh* Why do so many people seem to think being an RN is a ticket to riches, and rainbows and bunnies? I'm an RN and, I promise you, it isn't.

It is to make sure you are the right, "Jane Doe." So many nurses have tried to pull tricks to avoid the black marks on their licenses from other states from following them around. There was a recent scandal about this where it was determined that thousand of nurses in Cali had revoked or suspended licenses in other states but were practicing without even a hint of trouble on their license in Cali. It is just a good way to track identity. I really don't think the BON cares how much you have out in student loans ;-) San Francisco Sentinel HUNDREDS OF CALIFORNIA NURSES LOST LICENSE ELSEWHERE

Is there any way you could volunteer at a hospital to try to see how your body handles the stress? I frequently work as much as 16 hours per shift and I am healthy as can be, but I still have to practically drag myself out to my car when I am done. 60 hour weeks, 300 pounds patients, constant standing, lifting and bending. The reality of nursing is that it is just as physical as it is mental. Those cushy office jobs tend to go to older nurses with years of experience and they also usually involve a cut in pay. I know this is your dream but I would really try to see if your body is able to handle it, before you spend thousands on nursing school. To me, the prescription drugs are just a side issue. The real issue is if you would be able to keep working while putting your body under so much stress. I went to LPN school with a lady with fibro and there would be days where tears were rolling down her cheeks because she was in so much pain, and that was just during a 6 hour clinical. I wish you success in whatever you choose.

I'm not sure why I would want to...other then maybe flexibility? I am also very attached to my LPN license, since I worked really hard for it :-) I was just curious as to what others have done.

LPN school was tough and, to me, was much harder than RN school. LPN school was 8 a - 3p, M-F, every doggone day...hundreds of quizzes and tests...tough as nails instructors. RN school - Monday and Thursday. Clinicals on some Tuesdays. 5 tests per semester. No quizzes. I think LPNs come out of school knowing more about what they are actually going to do. RNs come out of school, knowing what they are, in theory, supposed to do :-) I am an RN now, but I went to LPN school first, deliberately, so that I could see if health care was a good fit for me. Here is the only negative I have found to being an LPN. I recently met up with a classmate from LPN school who had just been interviewed by my nurse manager. I asked what she would be doing, and it turned out she was interviewing for a tech position. Why? Well, the hospital I am in does not hire LPNs, only RNs, which I think is incredibly short sighted and not a particularly smart decision. Be aware that LPNs have limited career mobility. LPN school can be a very smart thing to do. It comes with a reasonably short amount of class time and a decent starting wage. I find I have very little in common with RNs who do not respect LPNs. Those tend to be the types of people who is it best to avoid.

Just curious about what other nurses have done. My LPN license doesn't expire until 2011. I am now an RN, which doesn't expire until 2013. I am working as an RN but was wondering what I should do when my LPN license expires. Are there any advantages to keeping both licenses active?

Ouch, what school are you planning to attend that has tuition that high? I will be going to a state university and my MSN will cost only about 9K.

It took about 3 weeks for my license to arrive in the mail. I called the BON and apparently there was some kind of glitch at the printers.

I only failed one test in nursing school but I failed it spectacularly. That test was cardiac. I hated those little strips with the squiggly line and could not read or make sense of them. Take a wild guess where I am working? Yep, not one, but two, separate cardiac telemetry units. The universe has a sense of humor.

This has been tried before in my area. It doesn't work. The redirect clinics are huge money losers, which end up getting shut down after about a year or so. The uninsured who are diverted to it don't pay and usually know the system well enough to give false info so they can't be billed.

Thanks everyone. I have been offered three jobs this week and I think I am going to take the one that is closer to home and has a much lower patient acuity level (and a lower patient ratio, as well).

My status was updated right around noon.

Gauge, You took the words right out of my mouth ;-) It ended up taking the state 8 days to get my license up on the BON website.

Wow, I went to an interview for a hospital looking for a nurse to take care of mainly CHF & chronic renal failure patients. I honestly went just to get interview practice. I only graduated a month ago and just got my license. I never thought they would even consider me since I have zero experience but they have offered me the job. Eek! They said I would have a 9-10 week orientation but I am still a little stunned because these patients need a nurse at the top of her game. The manager told me that I would catch on quickly and after I worked there two years, I could work anywhere I wanted because of the experience I would have. My question is - did anyone else jump right into critical care? How did it work for you? I have a few days to change my mind before the paperwork is done and I am hoping to hear from anyone with a similar experience.

Thanks Gauge for answering my post. Still no license number here. I think they are using a hammer and chisel to carve it out of rock, or something ;-)