Jules25

Talk to your DON or ADON and be prepared. Have specific dates and examples of situations that have been brought to you by residents and families and what they said about only talking to the other nurse. Do you have a social worker on your team? She could be another source to refer questions or problems of residents and families to. If you have a good DON, this could be a topic for an inservice (team building, communication etc.)

I started working LTC for the first time in my life in June. It was much more stressful than I could have imagined. I had previously worked for 15 yrs in ICU and PACU, then taken off 16 yrs to raise a family. I have found a love for my residents and have some suggestions that have helped me. I made a list of all the common and/or unusual meds my residents were on, their uses etc. and kept it in my pocket. I could study it quickly at breakfast before I left home or pull it out as a reference at work. I made a list of the residents and their room numbers and alphabetized it, so I could quickly locate a resident. This was helpful as I oriented on Skilled, but occasionally worked Assisted. I asked tons of questions and most of the staff were very happy to see me suceed and answered questions. I requested to work days in sucession instead of one off, one on etc. so I could learn residents names, treatments, special requests or oddities much quicker. Never be hesitant to tell someone you are new if you cannot answer a question, they will understand. Lastly, I prayed every day that I would give my residents my very best. You can do this. Each nursing job has a learning curve and you will grow from it. I also had 1 1/2 weeks of orientation. Do not be afraid to ask to shadow more, if you are not ready. Good Luck.