KarriRN

Were any of you able to use a pell grant to pay for the program? At the bottom of thefinancial page it says Academic Partnership students are exempt from university scholarships and grant funds. I was counting on using the aid, which it says I got and I accepted, but are they not going to let me use it? I cant pay for it without it.

Hello all! I start the program end of March. I am so excited. Anyone else starting then?

Ive applied for UTAs RN-BSN program that starts in Feb. I'm excited but nervous. I hope I get accepted!!! How long did it take for those of you who are in now to know you were accepted? Karri

Well this is what ended up happening. I contacted fellow employees and asked how hey would feel if I just didnt come back. The overall census was that they would completely understand. I also found out that we are over staffed for thanksgiving (which I was scheduled to work) bc the switch to 12s messed up things for people who wanted to work thanksgiving and have xmas off. So there will be 3 extra nurses thanksgiving. I also talked to the other day nurse who works my unit when I'm not there. My unit is not normal. Think geriatric psych. It takes about twice as long to do anything vs the regular skilled floors bc I have to ease them into whatever it is we need to do. Anyway after talking to my coworkers I called the on call manager. I told her that I was overwhelmed and scared of losing my license. I asked (again for the uptenth time) to have a med tech or a fellow nurse help on my med pass, particularly for thanksgiving since we were expecting a lot of family and I knew they would all have questions for me. She told me that maybe one of the other nurses may want to help me but that they were planning on making the extra nurses do paperwork. Then she went on to say more cnas quit and the only med tech for that day would be doing cna work. Plus over half of management would be on vacation. She could not guarantee me any help. I then told her that I would not be returning then to finish my shifts bc I knew I would not be able to provide the care that the residents are entitled too. She said ok I'll let the DON know. Thanks! So thats how that went. The issue of being purposely understaffed has been brought up multiple time in this facility by multiple people. They never deal with it. Nurse turn over is high. Id been there 3 months and I was 3rd in seniority of on the floor nurses. Theyve had 15 cnas quit, 5 nurses quit, and 2 orientees walk out during orientation. I loved the work. I hate the way its run. I understand that every place I work will have problems. But I just couldnt stay in a situation where I felt like my license was on the line every time I walked in the door.

I can deal with stress and not always getting along with co workers. I know nursing is difficult. Not everyday will be perfect. Ok almost no day will be perfect lol. But I need to be in a place where patients and employees matter. They keep us understaffed which is horrible for residents and employees.There are lots of other things they do regarding employees that is just horrible. Its been hell working there. The only reason I havent left earlier is bc the job market in my area is horrible. I had to wait for another job to become available. And for the record they hire anyone! They hire nurses that they have fired. They have hired unlicensed support staff (which they wud of known had they checked) and these people have made it to working on the floor before it was found out. This place has a horrible reputation but I was willin to give it a try bc of the job market. It totally deserves the rep it has. I can honestly say I'd rather work at mcdonalds then EVER work there again.

I honestly dunno if I can finish. I'm completely broken down. And the next shifts would be hell because so much family will be in visiting, demanding my immediate attention, and lots of docotors will be in seeing patients. I'm not so worried about burning bridges bc everyone but the DON like me. The DON only likes the employees who do overtime. I was already planning on not using the place as a reference. It has the worst reputation for nursing homes in our town. We lose about 1-2 nurses a month and 3-4 cnas a month bc no one can handle it. I am scared for mu license.

I gave two weeks notice at my job a week ago. I have 4 shifts left. I work in a LTC facility. I'm a new grad and I've been there for 3 months. It is overwhelming. We just switched to 12 hour shifts. I am responsible for 38 pts. I have no med tech and usually 3 cnas. I have 3 med passes to do on my shift. I am in a secure Alzheimers unit. So there are also lots of behaviors to deal with. It is too much. The last 2 shifts Ive had I've cried before walking into work bc I know itll be horrible. I've asked for help from management and the advice is "just breath". Other regular units in the building have the same ratio BUT they get a medtech who passes meds to half their pts. I am suppose to work tomorrow but I feel like I'm having an anxiety attack just thinking about going. I am considering calling and saying I cant finish, that its too overwhelming (which I've said multiple times). I have a new job already. I need advice.....what do I do. I feel scared. I feel like I am put in a position that makes it impossible to give proper patient care. Should I just be done now? Or finish my shifts?

The unit I will be interviewing for as a low nurse to pt ratio. It is a geriatric psych unit. I currently work in a ltc facility secure Alzheimers unit. Many of my pts have underling mental illness as well. The facility I currently work at has a high nurse turn over rate. Normally people stay less then a year. The hospital has a much lower turn over rate. I did clinicals in the hospital during school so I do have some idea of how things are done. I also have friends who work there. I wont be talking to my current DON until I know whats going on with the hospital job.

So I graduated in May. Got my first nursing job in Sep at a ltc. It is horrible. I love the job but I hate the way the place is ran. We will be told one thing in inservice then when we are on the floor told the opposite (by the same members of management who held the inservice). We are over worked and put in positions with too few staff. I have an interview this week at the hospital in town. If I get the job, which I'm not sure if its full time or part time, I'm not sure how to approach my DON to ask for fewer hours or to quit. Any advise would be greatly appreciated!! Karri:nurse:

Frankly Ive only been at this job a short time and I have seen many things that I do not agree with....I am terrified to go to work....terrified that because of staffing issues and the administration not caring that I'm a new grad that needs more guidance I'll be in a situation I cant handle....I have 39 residence under my care that I do everything for...meds...paperwork...adls...bc I have not med tech to help with meds and not enough cnas....I want to cry everyday before I go to work....there are no other jobs in my area, my husband is military so we cant move until he gets orders...i want to quit but like i said there are no jobs here and I dont want to be a job hopper...idk what to do

So I'm a new grad at my first job in a LTC facility. I work in a secure Alzheimers unit. One of the younger residents was wondering around calling the women kitty and he ended up fondling, under the shirt, another resident against her will. It turns out he is a registered sex offender (and rumor has it a murderer but idk for sure however the sex offender status im positive about) who spent time behind bars. Apparently it was not medically necessary for us to know that so we (nurses on the floor) were not informed. One I think it is medically necessary because people with dementia and other mental illness tend to revert to their younger days and second I think I have the right to know! I have only been there for 3 weeks. I am already on my own, I hardly had any orientation so I am already unsettled by this job. What do you guys think? Should they have told me about this residents particular criminal history?

Hello all. Ive had 9 days of orientation, two of which were useless. My facility is very short handed which I think is contributing to me being put on my own so soon. I graduated in may and this is my first nursing job. I work in a LTC facility in a secure Alzheimers unit. I have 39 pts. Yesterday was my first day on my own. Another nurse helped me pass meds which was a lifesaver, however tonight they switched her schedule and she will not be there to help me. I am not sure if any of the other nurses are willing to help me. To get everything done on time and properly I need to pass meds from 4pm-8pm uninterruped,,,which wont happen. It is impossible. The day shift gets a med tech but I am evenings and I do not. Most nurses who work back there (only on occasion bc it is so difficult) pass all med whether they are scheduled at 4,5,7,8, or 9 at 6. I really want to do it right but without a med tech I just dont think its possible. Most pts go to bed at 7 too so if I get behind and pass meds after that time I have to wake them up and get a cna to help me sit them up, this bothers me too. I am also responsible for all paperwork, doc orders, charting. Even with help yesterday I did not take any breaks, not even for lunch, and I stayed 45 minutes late. I really need some advice on how to do this.

I started on the 8th at a LTC facility. Im in New Mexico and I graduated in May 2011. My wage is 20.50/hr and I'm on the 2-10 shift so I get a two dollar diff which puts me at 22.5/hr.

I graduated in May. Many of my classmates have moved to and received jobs in El Paso tx. There are many new grad opportunities there But you must be willing to commit to two yrs.

I'm in New Mexico. I graduated in may with my ADN. I took and passed my nclex in July. I applied, and applied, and applied. This month I got hired at a LTC facility in the Alzheimers unit. My facility also has a rehab unit that I will work in sometimes. Finding a job is tough but possible.