WhiteScrubs

First step has got to be education of staff. It sounds like your problem is staff are signing off that meds are given without actually giving them (otherwise, you would know who was responsible for the missed doses and wouldn't need the qshift count...

I'm salaried now, so generally don't work holidays. Came in for a few hours on Labor Day, and was wishing for some time and a half... sadly didn't happen. In the past, I've enjoyed working holidays, and kinda miss them now. My family has always bee...

Agree that undermedication is by far the greater problem than overmedication. There will always be the resident here or there who will take anything and everything a doc will give them. This usually doesn't have anything to do with their age and ha...

I worked as a CNA all through nursing school, just part time. Was hired on full time as an RN as soon as I got my authorization to test (before taking NCLEX). Other classmates that didn't work while in school were looking for jobs 6, 8, and 12 mont...

Congrats! Positive attitude counts for a lot, but it certainly doesn't count for everything. It's great that your staff sees that you're willing to pitch in. Do they also see that you will hold them accountable? Your background also makes me worr...

I see this thread is a few weeks old, but I'll reply anyway... I'm the RN in charge of a 100 bed ALF, including 18 bed locked special care unit for residents with dementia. We have med aides passing all meds and doing majority of hands on care, with...

Have you actually been promised a pay raise at your LTC once you go from LPN to RN? Will you be doing the same job or will you take on more responsibility as an RN? Don't know about your specific circumstance, but many facilities base the pay on th...

How much longer do we have on this prednisone taper, doctor? I'm not sure any of us will survive...

I can't offer any helpful info on salary range for your region or specialty, but just wanted to mention you might want to be cautious in your expectations of a raise at 6 months unless it has been explicitly promised to you. Many employers do not giv...

What state are you in? What about meds that are supposed to be q12hr or q6hr apart? Narcotics? Everything, really? I'm just surprised that this would be within regs according to state survey... how long have you been doing this? I'm skeptical, but...

It is entirely unrealistic to expect antipsychotics to only be prescribed for a diagnosis of psychosis. I see antipsychotics frequently used for patients/residents with dementia with agitation. It is not a first line treatment, but can be very effect...

Only one resident I know of at my facility, and we actually care-planned it. She responded much better when called Grandma. Not a term to be used carelessly with anyone -- can definitely be seen as inappropriate/disrespectful, but there is a time/pla...

I always pre-pull my tape, but here's how I was taught to avoid contamination: along with your supplies, bring in a cup holding two sani-wipes (hospital-grade antibacterial wipes). Use one to wipe down the bedside table or whatever surface you are g...

I'm also a new grad with about the same amount of experience as you... :) One thing that helped me stay on top of tasks was coming up with a checklist of things that I needed to do each day and taping it to my clipboard where I keep my report sheets....

Just curious what this information is being used for... personal information? risk management? selling more bed alarms? I'd be happy to answer, I just like to know who I'm talking to and why you are gathering this information. [i see this is your fi...

I agree with previous posters, and would add that not all facilities are like this. Certainly, you may run across individual nurses in any facility who don't follow procedures as you learned them in school, but if nearly every nurse in a facility ig...

Don't know about taking off the week of the test -- if you need a whole week, take it. At least take off the day before the test. Really try to do things that will relax you and distract yourself. Get plenty of rest, and feel confident knowing how ...

Congrats!!

Congratulations to you! Hard work and perseverance do pay off, don't they? :yeah:

Wow -- less than a week? Took me just under a month, in Virginia. Was told by a nurse recruiter that my school is notoriously slow for sending transcripts to the BON...

True... what you need on your report sheet will definitely depend on the number and acuity of patients. Always good to ask other nurses in the facility what they use -- they'll have the best suggestions for what is most helpful, most needed. But I...

I once had an instructor in school, early on (pre-reqs to NS), who adamantly thought I should go to med school instead of NS and for two entire semesters he tried to convince me of it. [He had multiple doctorates, including MD with advanced speciali...

I've searched the Virginia Board of Nursing website, and searched this site, and it looks to me like RN's in Virginia do not currently have CEU requirements by the state. Is this correct? I saw some mention of individual facilities (hospitals, etc) ...

Thanks! I appreciate the confirmation.

Ohhh... I once had a clinical instructor call me on having shaky hands during an IV push. She thought I was nervous and belittled me in front of the patient, making the patient totally lose confidence in my abilities... in reality, it was too much c...