PurpleViolet

Thank you SO much for replying and your great insight. I will take this knowledge with me! Best wishes to you on your CPNE!

Hi all! I am 3 tests away from beginning my nursing component. It has been a looooong road so far. Many obstacles but I am getting there. I deactivated my fb acct for the new year to try to focus on school and other aspects of my life without distractions. It has been a definite positive for me but I truly miss the excelsior groups I was active in. I have the following 3 tests to take. Can anyone offer any insight on which one to take first, study tips, recommended study material etc? I'm trying to be a cost effective as possible as well. Thank you all so much in advance for your help. UExcel College Writing exam UExcel Anatomy & Physiology exam UExcel Microbiology exam

This is eloquently and beautifully written. Thank you so much for sharing. You summed up what I encounter very often myself. Love helping my patients in their last stage of life. Such an honor and a privelage. #hospicenurse #heavenswaitingroom

Thank you for replying. I have no other credits except for being an LPN and the 2 CLEP exams I have passed. Just need to know what other one(s) I could take before enrolling that are needed.....

Besides Human Growth and Development and Analyzing and Interperting LIterature what else can I Clep before officially enrolling? The advisor I spoke with had be going in circles and kept encouraging me to take the Excel exams? I would like to Clep whatever else I can then enroll sometime next yr. Thank you all in advance for reading/answering. :)

Hi FancyLexLPN, Yes I actually just took my first clep exam last month and passed. I am now studying for my 2nd one. :) I'm on my way. Slow but steady...

Hi there! I am an LPN and work nights in an IPU. 12 hr shifts. I have anywhere from 4-6 pts per night. Ranging from babies to elderly. The acuity can be very high due to the severity of the pts illnesses. That being said however it is doable. I have been a nurse for 13 yrs and definitely feel this is the best job I ever had. I feel it is because I have more time to really be a bedside nurse, meaning being able to spend that extra time tending to my pts and their families. You will do alot of end of life teaching with the families. It is a plus to be IV certified if you are an LPN. Most pts at my job are on IV/SQ medications to control their symptoms. The night usually flies by for me as there is never a dull moment. We do alot of electronic charting-our assessments and then a chronological note. Im sorry I cannot think of any site to guide you to however feel free to message me about anything. I will help answer any questions you may have.

Hi there! I am a CHPLN :) (an LPN with hospice and palliative certification) Feel free to message me if you have any questions. Blessings on your journey of becoming certified. :)

I'm going to see if I can send the pdf file to my Kindle. Thank you! I didn't even think of this!

Just seeing this now. I highly recommend the practice test for 35$ on the hpna website, it is so worth it. It will let you know where your weaknesses are and give you a feel for the test. I passed mine last yr using the study guide/core curriculum guide and practice test from the HPNA website. Best wishes to you!

Hi All! Quick question if I may :) I am getting ready to schedule my first exam -Foundations of Gerontology. I purchased the 101 study guide on this. I see it is very lengthy. At almost 2000 pages it would cost 98 bucks to print. I have a printer but wanted to see how much it would cost at Staples due to the amount of paper/ink. Do you all usually print the guides out or just view them online? Thank you for reading this and for your time! Blessings!

Thank you all for replying to me! Much appreciated! :) Blessings

Blessed to of found this thread! I am a christian nurse. I work in the hospice setting. I adore my job. I work for a Christian organization however I take care of pts of all faiths. I do so to the best of my ability. I dont push my beliefs on others but if asked I will be honest. If I see in someones chart they are of christian faith or if this is shared with me, I will offer to pray for them. I have never been turned down in this sense. My faith shines through in all I do. Without God I dont know how I would be able to fair at my job where I help people die daily. I love working in "Heavens Waiting Room". It is an honor and a privilege to be with pts at the end of life. If anyone knows of any Christian nurse support groups/pages etc please pass them on. I would be interested. I only skimmed through all 58 posts. :) Blessings!

I have no prior credits besides being an LPN. I want to CLEP what ever I can before I officially enroll. I submitted my application and I know I need everything meaning all the pre-reqs but the admissions counselor was not clear on what I can CLEP. I just received the letter stating which courses I need which I already knew.She kept telling me I can enroll and take the Uexcel exams etc. She kept redirecting my question to enrolling and taking exams or taking their online courses. I could not get a straight answer. If you have recently clepted any courses could you shed some light on which ones I can? I'm sure this is asked alot so thank you for your time in replying...again! Blessings!

Wow! I am sorry you are encountering this. At my job (hospice inpatient unit) We have standard orders and a fleets enema is one of them. Meaning we don't call the DR to get orders every pt has standard ones that can be used for situations like constipation, heartburn, nausea, seizures etc. Is there anyone you could talk to above this manager. I have known people who have had success going over the managers head. In the meantime get your resume together and begin applying elsewhere if all else fails. Protect yourself.

funny stuff! Loved this article! Enjoyed reading it :)

I have two nursing licenses in 2 different states.Commuter explains it well :) You also need to keep up with the educational requirements to maintain the licenses.I know with 2 it can be overwhelming.Each state requires different things.Best thing to do is call the board of nursing in the state(s) you want to apply to.Best wishes to you!

Hey there! Hospice field nurse here :) Crisis care nurse to be exact! I have a ton of supplies gloves,briefs,foleys,foley bags,dressings,syringes ect.In the beginning my trunk was a "hot mess" literally.I organized all my products and placed them in a rubbermaid bin with top.I took only like 2 of each supply and packed it in there.The rest I brought inside and placed in my closet.I utilize a medium size suitcase bag on wheels in which I carry all my personal stuff in -my vital supplies,my stethescope,hand santizer,my laptop,all my chargers ,books,lunch sack ,literature for the families ect and I roll this into my pts homes.When I leave a case and return home my bag stays in the car at all times.The only thing I bring in is my lunch sack and laptop.Due to germs ect the bag stays in car.I never know what kind of situation I am walking into.Sometimes the houses are unclean,roach infested ect.I also carry a small wooden table like the one you eat on (like a tv dinner tray-free standing) in the trunk.At times the families do not have adequate areas for the nurses to chart.I should also let you know I work 12 hr shifts :)

I have been an LPN for 11 years but when I took mine it shut off at 80 and I had a good feeling I passed.My instructor at the time told me-when it shuts off at a lower number you either got enough percentage right that you passed and did not need to go on or you failed horribly.Most likely you passed!! My best friend took hers 3 times before she finally passed.She got into the almost 200s when she failed.The last time it shut off at 90 and she passed.Best wishes!

I graduated from Boces in 2002! Loved the school,teachers,the whole experience.Never had a problem finding a job :)

I see this ALL the time.It is very sad.I have had pts with trachs,lung cancer ect demanding to be wheeled outside to smoke.Some demand to smoke with the 02! It is such a horrible addiction.And we cannot deny them this privilege but when they come back from smoking we need to help them by doing all we can to allow them to breath more easily.Its a very hard situation to deal with.I used to get upset over it then years in I thought to myself well its their right,if they want to smoke themselves to death.I work in hospice and sadly I am seeing my pts younger and younger with diseases that can be prevented from not smoking and drinking.Its hard to watch

You my friend are burnt out as the others have added. I do not blame you one bit as I myself have worked in the same type of situation for years.I am now a hospice nurse and I absolutely love it.It is the best job I have ever had and I feel I can give GOOD care and the patient ratio is one to four.Granted it was a cut in pay but the differential,perks,benefits added up to be about the same somehow.I think my BP also lowered substantially lol.You may flourish in a homecare setting,hospice ect.Find a perdiem job and try it out and see.Its worth a shot. My background-Been an LPN for 11 years was a CNA before that for 7 yrs.Worked my last job for 2 yrs at a health care facility 11p-7a Had 30 pts whom I provided scheduled med pass,IV therapy,pain management,excessive charting,treatments and was also responsible for doing the full admission -paperwork,verifying meds with MD,fighting with pharmacy ect when they came in after 11pm.I did some agency and worked staff before that and it seems every nursing facility is the same.I have been to over 40 in my nursing career in different states.

please disregard-.(so if anyone has the study guide/core curriculum to lend or sell please let me know.I would be interested) I didnt realize that was not allowd to post.I do apologize.Look foward to reading any replies.

Good evening all, I recently started in a new position as a crisis care nurse after 8 yrs of med/surg,rehab,ltc,agency,homecare,corrections.Im excited to learn more about hospice as this is my passion.Im interested in getting my hopsice cert.My job has given me the info to register.Im thinking of taking the test in Dec giving myself time to study.(so if anyone has the study guide/core curriculum to lend or sell please let me know.I would be interested) If anyone has any helpful hints for a newbie please advise and thank you in advance for your time! I have enjoyed reading all the posts on this forum.

New to hopsice,not nursing but grateful for this list! I have reserved my first book Final Gifts from the library.Cant wait to read it :)