nursesherry

I was once a CNA and now an LPN. I was taught in CNA class that the word "nursing" in Certified Nursing Assistant implies you are assisting the Nurse whether they be RN or LPN.

You should file charges. We have a pt at my facility who is verbally and physically abusive to the staff. What are our rights? We are constantly bombarded and educated on pts rights but what rights do we have? Can we simply walk away if we are being verbally abused by an A&O pt? Can we refuse to care for a pt who is physically abusive? I would really like to know.

Yes I worked on an ortho floor and everyone recieved lovenox post op. We were inserviced on Lovenox and we were taught the bubble decreased the incidence of bruising d/t pushing the med deeper into the sub q tissue.

Oh yes they certainly have a right to fall but it is our responsibility to make sure they aren't injured when they do. How rediculous.

LOL...didn't think of how that sounded when I wrote it.

I work in LTC and have a question about a pt. This man has been in our facility with his wife for about 3 months now. He is A&O during the day and very rational. At night it is a different story. He will focus on a certain ailment and worry himself and the staff sick about it all night. For instance, it may be his arm bothering him. He will lie in the bed and try to figure out what it is for hours. He will call the staff into his room everytime he thinks of a new diagnosis for his arm. Then when he thinks he knows what it is he will call the staff into his room every 10 minutes wanting us to try different things to fix it. This goes on every night. Every night it is a different ailment. He doesn't sleep, he wants to be gotten up and down from his bed to the w/c and back again 3 to 4 times an hour. The day shift nurses don't seem to believe me because he is so different during the day. Last weekend the day shift nurse got a glimpse of this behavior herself. I have been charting the behavior and even got the Doc to write me a xanax order TID. It hasn't touched him. His primary diagnosis is CHF. I read in his history that he was a daily bourbon drinker at home for the past 40 years. Could that be affecting him in some way, not getting his daily bourbon anymore? We have lots of sundowners but I have never seen it to this extent. I hate to keep harping at the doc about this but this man is not getting any rest at night and neither is his wife. He pokes at her with his grabbing stick all night saying wake up and talk to me, I'm bored. Any suggestions? Has anyone else delt with a similar situation?

I as well as most of us here have been right there where you were. If your like me you put all of yourself into your work and it truely hurts when treated that way. I know we are overlooked many times when we go above and beyond and are doing a great job. I can live with that and feel good about myself. But when you doing your job and then some and are made to feel like a complete idiot and in front of patients and co-workers no less, it is simply mean. Some Doc's just simply enjoy being bullies. In their heads we just don't have the brain power to compete with them intellectually. They know we need our jobs and they can get away with it. Unfortunately I don't see this changing in our line of work. Our facilities need these Doctors and will always side with them. Maybe eventually our skin will become tougher and we will learn not to take things so personal but until then I hold on to the idea that what comes around goes around. :wink2:

Yes I am going to apply for Fall 2008. I was just getting started on Excelsior but this will be so much cheaper. I think it will be worth the wait. I plan to clep out of some pre-reqs. I am already an LPN but I don't know if they will have a bridge or not. It will be great if they do.

Here is the announcement on TBR's website, it says to watch that site for more info. http://www.tn.regentsdegrees.org/home.htm

I just found out that Tennessee Board of Regents will be offering and online ASN program in the fall of 2008.

Does anyone know of a good guide for documentation. I feel like my documentation is lacking. I usually start at the head and go to the feet. It can be rather lengthy. How much is too much and how much is not enough? Thanks in advance.

It will take a few run ins before they truely submit to your authority. They will try really hard to make you feel your not the boss for a while. My advice is to continue to be as pleasant as you were before but be confident in your new position. Let them know what you expect and the ramifications of not complying. I cried the first time I had to write up a tech who was a very close friend of mine. You will most likely loose your more prideful friends but you have a job to do and you future depends on how you perform. That includes getting the most out of the workers who are under you. Lots of praise goes a long way. Letting people know they are doing a good job and that you appreciate their hard work really helps. Good luck in your new position! You have worked hard to attain it! God Bless!

I wouldn't want to draw from the foot on a diabetic pt.

They will let you break it up into payment? That sounds great! I will check into Excelsior some more. I have looked at them before but it seemed very expensive from what I saw. But the way the previous post broke it down I guess its really not. Thanks guys for all the help!

This story didn't involve a ghost but still scared the pants off of me. One night while working LTC I was leaving my station to go down to the break room for a drink. The front doors of the facility had two long windows on each side of the doors. As I passed by the front doors I saw someone looking in one of the windows. It looked like Beetlejuice! Black around the eyes, red lips with blood running down the sides and freaky hair that stood up on the sides. Have you ever seen the cartoons where the character gets scared and tries to take off running but just can't seem to get traction and take off. Well that was me. I was trying to take off running but wasnt going anywhere for what felt like minutes but was a few seconds. Finally I took off and ran to the next nurses station. I had anohter nurse go with me and we peeked around the corner. He was still there. She said it does look like Beetlejuice! We called the police and they were there almost immediately. Ends up it was a drunk man who had been in a bar fight. His eyes were blacked and mouth busted. He was looking for the emergency room next door to our facility but was too drunk to figure out which building was which.

I would really really like to go back to school for my RN but I just can't afford it. My husband and I make too much money for me to get a pell grant. I could do tuition reimbursement at my job but I don't know if I would really want to stay there after I graduate. I don't want to do student loans, I am in enough debt already. With such a nursing shortage, why doesn't the government offer something to help LPN's go back to school? Any advice appreciated. :typing

I would really really like to go back to school for my RN but I just can't afford it. My husband and I make too much money for me to get a pell grant. I could do tuition reimbursement at my job but I don't know if I would really want to stay there after I graduate. I don't want to do student loans, I am in enough debt already. With such a nursing shortage, why doesn't the government offer something to help LPN's go back to school? Any advice appreciated. :typing

I am getting ready to take the College Writing exam myself. If anyone has any advice on preparing it would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I am from middle Tennessee and was just wondering if there was anyone here going through Excelsior. I am thinking about starting in January.

OMG! ARE THEY WORTH IT!??! I have battled foot pain for the last five years. I was a floor nurse and my feet would swell and ache constantly from the 12 hour shifts. I tried numerous kinds of shoes and spent ungodly amounts of money. I even went to a reflexologist and still no relief. I left floor nursing and went to a Cardiology office and I do stress tests 9 hours a day. Not on my feet near as much but still the swelling and pain. My daughter bought a pair of crocs and I tried them on. They felt great! I bought me a pair and after about 2 weeks of wearing them to work my foot pain and swelling dissapeared. I know that sounds so far fetched but it is the honest to god's truth. I love my crocs and I hope they never stop selling them.

I have just prayed for you and your husband and will ask others to do so also. How blessed you are that you know the Lord and have Him to be your strength in such a difficult time. God bless you and keep you in His grip.

Everywhere I have worked, cna's and ma's have always been considered "Nursing Staff" Is it illegal for them to call themselves "nurse" or just illegal if they call themself "RN" or "LPN"?

Hi I am Sherry. I am an LPN and I work full-time doing stress tests for a cardiology office. I have been signed up with RUE for over a year and still have not taken my first exam. I cannot seem to get motivated to do this. I know it is something I need to do and I want to do but maybe it was a mistake trying to do it on my own. I am beginning to think I should have just gone back to school. But now I have all this money into RUE. I don't know what to do. Any advice?

I work for a group of cardiologists and I do the stress tests for their office. I love it. There are a world of opportunities for you as an LPN but you do need to get a good foundation when you graduate and do some floor work for a year or two before moving on to something else.

tried to look at your link but it said it required a subscription. I would love to read the article though. I am a cardiology nurse and would love to learn more about this if anyone has similar documentation.