mzimmer723

I graduated in January and passed my NCLEX in March. I have had a total of 3 interviews. My first interview was with a pain management practice where a close friend of mine works. They told me they loved me even though I was brand new and would be calling me back within a few weeks when they were ready to start their "new team" for the new doc they had hired. They even called me to let me know they hadn't forgotten me. I called them 3 weeks ago to see if they were still interested and nobody returned my call. (I don't want to keep asking my friend because it puts her in an awkward spot.) My second interview was with an assisted living facility as an "LPN Care Manager" on third shift. I went what they called a "preview" for two hours at night to see what the job entails. Basically, I would NOT have been acting as an LPN, but rather an aide, a housekeeper mopping floors, loading dishwashers, and doing laundry as well as changing briefs and answering call lights. The only LPN duty I would have had would have been in the off chance that someone needed insulin or a pain med. Otherwise, grab a mop and start cleaning. No other nursing duties were allowed. I was offered the job but turned it down because how is that supposed to help me grow as a nurse? My immediate supervisor would have been an aide, not a nurse. I would have had no supervisory duties either. My third interview was with a home health agency. Again, no call back. I have another interview with a rehab hospital tomorrow, part time days. I have done my homework and REALLY WANT this job!! I am so nervous! My thing is, I never realized how hard it was for a new nurse to find a job. Several of my classmates are still unemployed as well. At this point I'm willing to take what I can get. Maybe I SHOULD have taken the Care Manager job, but then again, I would not have been gaining any skills at all, no dressing changes, no catheters, none of that. It was basically an aide/housekeeping job. When I was an aide, I remember LOTS of new grads being hired where I worked. Now, employers are reluctant to even LOOK at you if you don't have 1-3 years clinical nursing experience. Why is it that they won't give us a chance? It's frustrating and I feel like I wasted a year going to school. I want to re-locate to another state, but am unable to do so until I get at least SOME experience. Is anyone else as frustrated as I am? (Please don't criticize me for not taking the Care Manager job!! I IN NO WAY think I am too good to clean anything! I'll change briefs and beds and clean messes and keep people comfortable all night! But I DID NOT go to nursing school to mop floors and do laundry! Save the bashing!)

Not my attitude at all. I have never said I'm above doing pt. care. Not one time. What I AM saying is...when I graduate, I will have had little to NO experience doing duties that are assigned to a nurse. I will NOT be confident in my job, nor will I come across as being even CLOSE to knowing what I am doing except for basic patient care. Let me ask you...when your loved one is in a nursing home, would you expect the nurse to be able to administer medications and IV's and treatments to them? Or would you expect them to not know what they are doing except when it comes to giving a bath or cleaning up BM? I went to nursing school to further my career. Not be an aide. I WOULD NEVER NOT clean a patient up, give a bath or assist them to the bathroom! Even as a nurse! I want to be a good nurse. Period. I can't learn to do that while I'm being an aide for free. I've been an aide for a long time. Not above it at all. I don't see many nurses out there giving baths and doing assessments at the same time. Sad to read your pitiful comment.

Let me just say that my "attitude" does NOT need adjusted in any way, shape or form! I have been an aide for a long time. I'm not above or beyond patient care, nor will I ever be! But any of you who are nurses...cannot tell me for ONE MINUTE that you spend your entire day doing PATIENT CARE!! When did you LEARN to be a nurse and not an AIDE?? ALL I am saying is...my clinical experience has been NOTHING BUT BEING AN AIDE! When am I supposed to learn to DO MY JOB AS A NURSE WHEN I GRADUATE FROM WHAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE NURSING SCHOOL??? READ THE FINE PRINT before you tell me to "suck it up!!!"

Not willing to do the "dirty work" huh? Interesting. I was a nursing assistant for 6 years. I am now in the home stretch of nursing school and that's pretty much ALL we do at clinicals. We have one med pass a week and the rest is patient care. Let me just say that more and more, hospitals especially are leaning towards LPN'S and RN's doing the "dirty work" so we might as well suck it up, roll up our sleeves and do it. As far as I'm concerned...aside from all the charting and the meds and all the other crap that is expected of us...my number one priority is taking care of the patient. Whether that means giving meds, calling a doctor, getting a cup of ice or wiping their butt. I'm no better than anyone else when it comes to that. Period. I despise nurses who think they are. Go into administration and sit on a computer and in meetings all day. Otherwise, grab some wipes and some clean sheets. You're here for a reason.

So, we're at the beginning of week 7 out of a 10 week term. We started our clinicals two weeks ago which is only once a week for this term, and really, there's not much to them so far. Vitals, baths and beds for ONE patient only. Having been an aide for 6 years, this is really super easy. The classroom work on the other hand is a bit of a challenge, in spite of having a lot of this stuff before from prior college classes. We got our midterms today and I'm in the high "B" range in A&P and Nursing, but getting a high "D" in Pharm. The Pharm class consists of a lot of math, which I didn't think would be a problem since I took 5 semesters of math in college and got A's. But something about the apothocary system totally throws me off. Today we had a test on dosage calculations and I think I did well because all the practice tests I took I did really well on. So, fingers crossed that this test will be the boost I need. I spend SO much time studying. It's a challenge. And I don't get enough sleep so at times I get sleepy in class, which I hate. I've really learned to budget my time, spending my lunch hour in the library working and studying rather than going out to lunch. That way I don't have as much to do when I get home at night and I CAN get to bed at a decent hour. I really am going to work hard these next few weeks to get my grades up, especially the Pharm because I am NOT repeating it! I just need to buckle down and do it. All in all, it's been a good experience so far. It's a HUGE difference from college classes thats for sure. The only thing I think should be stressed a little more is professionalism. Some people really have no clue as to how to act professionally, and to me, that's a huge part of nursing. Your language and tone of voice and choice of words really matter. I'm not perfect, but I at least try to be careful of what I say and how it comes across, especially to my instructors. I may not agree always with them, but they're in charge, I'm not. So, until I am, then my job is to follow directions. Many of my classmates just don't get that. Oh well. I'm worrying about myself right now, and not anyone else. Hope everyone else who is just starting out is doing well too! We can do this!!

OMG....what a week! I started a 10 month program this past week. I have been out of school for a year (was attending college for a few years) and so it's been an adjustment getting back into a routine again. Mind you, I'm 42, married and have 3 kids. I have classes 5 days a week, all day. We have our first A&P exam tomorrow, and another exam in Nursing this week. Every week there are 2-3 exams in different subject areas. I was shocked at the number of students who are REPEATING courses in the program. I never really expected to see that, and I'm not sure why. But that got me nervous. I went in with a lot of excitement, and now I just think "What if I fail something and end up back here again??" I have a lot of obligations familywise, that I've had to rearrange now, which, everyone is really understanding about it. One of my instructors this week told us to "Learn to say NO" and I am, very quickly! This is such a HUGE commitment...and I know it's for only a year, but still, it's huge. This is something I truly have wanted to do ALL of my life, so I'm determined, but nervous at the same time. I think I'll feel better once tomorrow's first exam is out of the way. Ok, just had to get that off of my chest! Back to studying!

hi there, and congratulations on your decision to go back to school! i will be starting in january too, and i can't wait! i have been going to school for a few years now, but finally decided to give up the traditional college route and go to lpn school. i'm a mother of 3 boys, ages 19, 16, and 11. however, they were younger when i started going to college. also, i was working full time. it was not easy at times. i had to really teach them to be responsible at an early age and to help out around the house. (you're kids are younger than mine were when i went back.) i think the hardest part was when i would be in school and one of them would get sick and need picked up. i learned early on that i had to ask people to help with that and not try and do it all myself. i wasn't married at the time, so it was kind of tricky, but i found that if i asked, people were willing and happy to help out. i also had to inform the school that unless the kid was running a fever, vomiting, was bleeding or had a possible broken bone, they were not to call me. i would get calls for headaches, stomach aches, etc. my kids had to learn to tough it out sometimes. i felt guilty sometimes, but i had to do it. it all works out, and you have to remember, you're setting a great example for them! hard work and determination pays off, and that's something you'll pass on to them and you're not just "talking talk" when you push them to do better in their lives. good luck to you!

just wanted to say "hi" to everyone...i just joined today. i was accepted to lpn school last week and will be starting in january. i am from the akron, ohio area. i was in college for a few years, and changed my major twice, almost completing my associates in surgical technology, but decided it was not for me. so here i am, in line to do what i've really wanted to do all along, and that's be a nurse. i'm happy and excited to finally be on the right track. i don't consider the time in college wasted, as it helped me to decided what i truly want to do. i'm also a wife and mother, but my children are older now, so it won't be such an issue as it was 4-5 years ago when they were younger. i'm anxious to say the least about paying for school. i do qualify for financial aid, and already filled out my fafsa at the beginning of this year. however, i used some of that money already to pay for college last spring. i'm hoping when i meet with the financial aid person at the lpn school, that it will all work out somehow. i was told about the wia program that supposedly provides funding for school and job training, but after attending an orientation, i found out it was not suited to my needs at all. so much for that idea. i just have faith that everything will work out and that i will get through this program and by this time next year, be ready to graduate. i hope to connect with other students on here as well!