DoubleJRN

Depending on how long you've been in your current position, I'm sure you've seen other personnel come and go, especially in management. When it comes to your career, you have to make the best decision for your life and your family. You don't need an "excuse" to go part time, as it's noone's business why you need to make a change. You simply submit your request, and they can either accept or reject it. Remember that you have skills that are valuable to employers. Being a health care provider in this environment of chronic understaffing puts you in a position of power because there are more jobs than people to fill them. Don't personalize a professional situation. Think about this: if they had to let you or some of your fellow CNAs go, do you think they would be worried about what to tell YOU?? Good luck with everything!!

Thanks so much. Your suggestions sound awesome. This past Saturday, I rotated the students out to assist nurses on other units with their med passes, and that worked really well. We usually have an hour postconference as well and we usually use the time to review different experiences that the students had, as well as reviewing NCLEX questions so the students can become comfortable with the required critical thinking. Thanks again, I can feel myself growing as an instructor

I think it was $10 for 20 minutes which would equal $30/hour, which is nurse pay.

I LOVE being a nurse!! Of course my comments come from my personal experiences, so it may not be the same for everyone. Being an RN with a BSN gives me so many opportunites. As I type this, I am sitting in my home in my comfy clothes, listening to music that I love because I work full-time from home doing utilization management for an insurance company. (Dont' frown, I've done my work for the day. LOL) I also work as a clinical instructor for a local proprietary college. I purposely pursued my degree to give me the flexibility to do other things outside of direct patient care. But I don't dislike that either. I worked home care for several years and get excited everytime I see wound vac supplies. Lol. I know that at any given time, I can go get a job or assignment through an agency to do the type of work that I want. If you've always wanted to be a nurse, I think you will be just fine. I find that when I find myself really stressed by a job that I chose and previously enjoyed, it's because something is out of balance in another part of my life. I wish you luck and much happiness in your career.

Thank you so much VickyRN!!!! I haven't even gotten through all of the information that you have posted, and I am already re-energized and excited to be the best nursing instructor that I can possibly be. I came to the website in desperation because I knew I wasn't doing my best job. I never would have imagined how rich with information it would be. Thanks again to you and everyone who contributed!!! :redpinkhe

:yeah:Thank you so much for your awesome suggestions. I also finished reading the tips for improving the clinical day that were posted by VickiRN, and they were excellent as well. Thank you all SO much because I feel excited and anxious to get to the facility tomorrow, and that hasn't happened in a while! I knew that I wasn't doing the best possible job for my students, and that truly is my goal. Thanks again to you ALL!!:redbeathe

Thank you both so much for responding. Classicdame, I have never had the students shadow anyone besides myself, and I think this would be very helpful. CT Pixie, your input as an LPN in a LTC is perhaps more valuable than an instructor or an RN, so thanks again. Thanks again for your input.

I can't believe noone has any feedback, so I changed my username in case anyone thought it was lewd (it wasn't, theres a good reason behind it). Any help is appreciated....

(I must admit that I just joined today and haven't finished reading all of the valuable information already posted) This is my third quarter of clinical instruction in an LPN program, and the setting is a long-term care facility. I am an RN, and have worked in this setting before, so I feel relatively confident in my ability to teach the students skill-wise. There are some questions/concerns that persist, however, and I wanted to reach out for help/suggestions. My first concern is that I don't want to continue the trend of allowing the facility to use the students as extra help for the aides. I try to focus on actual "nursing" duties, but this seems to leave us with a lot of downtime as I scramble to find things for the students to do. Also, I do recognize that a nurse must be able to perform all duties, including those traditionally performed by aides. Most of my students presently work as aides, so I know I must strike a balance. Secondly, I am having trouble with the logistics of it all. I usually have 9-11 students in my group, and I sometimes find it difficult to focus on 2-3 students at a time during med administration or assessment without feeling as if I'm leaving the rest of the group twiddling their thumbs. I know that these problems are associated with the fact that I am a new instructor, and also I was hired in a rush, having received no orientation or guidance in these areas. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I will also continue to read the information already posted. Thanks so much.