riverwink

I found having open 24/7 visiting hours to be helpful to both immediate family and pts. I have worked both day and night shifts. If you take the time to genuinely teach the families what the monitors mean and when to be worried, they actually relax. They then allow you to care for your pt to the best of your abilities because they then believe you know your job and will provide the best care for their loved one. When you teach family what to look for and what to expect they can alert to to a changing situation that sometimes do not show up on the monitors immediately...the look at you pts, not your monitor, thing. ie - "Mom just doesn't look right." And yes, some families can be non-compliant about food, etc. Again, education with a smile goes a long way.

I agree getting your CNA and working on weekends while you are getting a ADN is a good plan. However, I highly recommend staying at home while getting your ADN. You will have tons of homework once you are accepted into the nursing program and will not have much time to work. Study hard get out with your RN in a couple of years and then get an apartment. It seems hard now but definitely worth it!

Nikky, I recommend you apply to more than one program since it is going to take so long to find out if you are accepted. Lutheran's program is excellent, but it is always better to have additional options.

And Also Missouri 6/1/2010

Excellent advise from all. Sometimes what seems like your dream job is just not where you are meant to be...at this time. Blow off the losers and move on, have an awesome holiday!

I feel your pain...been there. However, what I instituted was having the family purchase a locked box, such as for money. I would fill the drug box for a week, then lock up the rest. That way you leave the drugs in the home and take the key. The liability of caring drugs vs your license is not worth the risk!

I love Hospice nursing. I know you CAN get directly into hospice, but I agree with many of the other people that you should have a minimum of 1-2 years experience. Personally I had 3 years ICU experience and thank my lucky stars for it. Best wishes whatever your decision. :redbeathe

Our company has a pharmacy we use that provides 24/7 coverage for meds. Since we are paying for these meds, our point is that we use the pharmacy we want...not the facility pharmacy. The list of meds we pay for are clear and when we receive an order from the doc we call OUR pharmacy directly and have them delivered in a timely manner. It is also cost effective as we have a contract that spells out the markup. Hope this suggestion helps.

Holy cow and I thought I had it bad. 12-14 pts. a day is enough to make anyone crazy! That is sooo dangerous. Glad to hear you carry extra insurance and that the work load has become more sane. I see between 5 - 7 (on a bad day) in a rural area...that's crazy enough. Our on call is one night a week two weeks of the month, two nights a week one week of the month and then the last week is weekend oncall from 1630 Friday till 0800 on Monday.

Yes, I felt very prepared dt the amount of time we spend on the floor in hospitals. Like you I choose LSN because of this fact and was happy I did so. I have seen many nurses start with a 4 year degree who have the book knowledge but not the practical knowledge. You made a wise choice...just continue and get your MSN after working for a few years. That's where the money is

I grad. from LSN Nov, 2005. I live in St Clair, MO and traveled to LSN via Hwy 44. I highly recommend you plan to drive each day in your own car. Get off at Jefferson and go straight until you get to the school (Miami & Jefferson). Go home the same way...it's easy. Getting to the other hospitals isn't too hard and your instructors will help with directions. You will get used to the city traffic in time. Also you may want to consider living in the dorms as it saves 2 hours you could be studying. Best wishes.

I graduated from LSN November, 2005. You take one class at a time. It is very intense but doable. Many of the bridge students had a difficult time in my class because they did not devote 5 - 6 hours a day to study...thinking they already knew this stuff. They failed did not graduate. Those bridge students who did well were on top of their studies and only worked on weekends. Something to reflect on. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Bonnie I worked as an ICU nurse for 3 years before becoming a hospice nurse. I hated waiting because hospice is where my heart is. I really don't feel 10 months experience is quite enough. Try to get at least 1 1/2 years of ICU behind you as it really helps when you are out in the field alone. You won't regret having that extra time to hone your assessment skills. And I agree that interviewing with a positive and cheerful attitude will take you far when you do interview. Best of luck.

I spent 3 years in ICU as a new RN before going to Hospice, and it has been valuable. But I also feel that the med-surg floor would be a good choice. My heart was in hospice when I graduated in 2005 but the hospital experience is very valuable. Good luck MSSweetPea.

Calla my thoughts and prayers are definitely with you. My family recently survived flooding here in Missouri and the water was within 1 1/2 feet of my door...talk about scary. Our barn received over 53 inches of water. I hope you and your family are high and dry. My daughter lived in Cedar Rapids for a couple of years and the people in your community are some of the kindest and most genuine I have ever met. Your downtown area was immaculately clean and quite beautiful, I have faith that it will be once again. If you need words of encouragement or just someone to "talk" to feel free to email me. God bless you, your family and your community. :heartbeat PS - Did the Slovok area also flood? I am guessing so.