JonJP

I've been working in a LTC unit for a couple years now and I've been recently looking for another job. I have been extended an offer to go elsewhere but right now the building that I'm working at is experiencing a shortage or employees. When telling my boss I've felt incredibly bad about wanting to leave but I'm finding every day that I go to this job I am dreading going to work and at times questioning if I want to be a nurse long term. I've been dealing with a fairly toxic work environment for a bit here getting complaints from resident's then reporting them and being told that I'm "making problems" by my co workers. I've gotten texts from co workers on a day that I called in with a fever stating how I'm awful and ruined her day (I've called in about 5 times in two years). I've had absolutely awful encounters with CNA staff who do not even do their basic AM cares and when I try to correct it I get no support from any of the other staff working with me and again am told that I'm making problems and there are other issues that are more important right now. I understand a lot is going on all the time but this is sort of a moral upset for me. Yet, when telling my boss that I need to put a notice in and seeing her upset knowing how many stressors they are already going through it makes me feel as though I'm unjustified and that I need to just "stick it out" but after seeing the last 4 new hire nurses leave within a few weeks because of similar complaints I've been left questioning if I can stay here any longer. The stress from work has begun to follow me home and I've noticed that I'm just not excited to go to work anymore as every day I'm suspecting it to just be a mess. I've been a nurse for about 5 years and this is the first time I've really ever felt like this and I'm not sure if I'm handling it correctly.

Hello friends, I'm about to renew my nursing license this year for the second time. That means I need to finish the 20 CE credits that are required. I live in the state of Illinois when I look it tells me that I need 20 CEs but every website I go to look at continues to talk about CEUs. I've also learned that 1 CEU is 10 contact hours. So now i'm very confused on if I just need to do contact hours so 20 hours of classes online or if I need to 200 hours for 20 of the CEU credits. License renewal says 20 CEs but now I don't want to end up not doing enough if I need 200 contact hours. thank you for the help everyone, - Jonathan EDIT: I am an LPN for the record and I have found a site called CEUfast that is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. They have about 300+ contact hours available would I have to do 20 of those or 200? when i look it up online from IDFPR http://nursing.illinois.gov/PDF/2017-07_IL_LPN_CE_Relicensure_FAQ.pdf it states Are there equivalencies for Continuing Education CE?a. 1 contact hour = 60 minutesb. 1 contact hour = 1 CEc. 1 academic semester hour = 15 contact hours/15 CEd. 1 academic quarter hour = 12.5 contact hours/12.5 CEe. 1 CME = 1 contact hour/1 CEf. 1 CNE = 1 contact hour/1 CEg. 1 AMA = 1 contact hour/CE so that is just the 20 contact hours correct?

Hello and thanks for the advice! After looking into what the job is about, this really is what I want to do most. I love elderly people and I want to try and make a difference in as many of their lives as I can. I just wanted to know some of the challenges that some LTC nurses feel they face so I know what I'm getting into. I don't imagine every facility can be a horrid place to work at and with stories like yours I feel like it's the truth. I've also read a lot of happy and fulfilled stories from nurses who work in LTC so I'm looking forward to getting farther into it despite some of the challenges I may or may not face. Thanks so much for the encouragement as well. It is nice having people tell me listening to myself and my dreams is a good thing xD Especially people like you who have experience in what I'm going after. It makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing for sure ^^ And wow a Don that would be interesting It sounds like you have quite the fun carrear I hope it continues to be interesting for you :hug: Again thank you so much! :)

Anyone who cheats, ends up failing in the long run. I don't let anyone take my work, and if they ask to cheat they are met with a brisk no :) If I can study and do all my work along with working and trying to have a little bit of a life, they can make the time to study as well.

The drapes my dad taught me that trick xD Its so hard sleeping during the day and my phone will be forever off and if people continue calling me I would cancel my home phone service xD Thanks for all the advice :) You made me feel loads better about the program now that I know what I'm getting into :3 and the tips sound wonderful and I can't wait to see how they work in practice x) THANK YOU SO MUCH :w00t:

ahaha I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LISTS! They make everything much easier and things fall into place with them. I'm glad to know that I can continue using them in the workplace! :) I use them currently for assignments and projects that need to be done for what class when and how, they are life savers even at my schooling level :) I think I know what you mean by checking even if you know what you need for a patient as well I check notes when doing assignments at the moment even when I know the answers as it never hurts to be double safe that you have everything you need. As you said its better to be safe and that would help with knowing where we stand. Saving time by going for the demanding patients last also is something that makes sense. Something I wouldn't have thought of firsthand so thanks for the tip I'll be sure to be on the lookout for it during my CNA course this summer and will be trying it out as well when I get in my nursing programs. Learning things about the shift seems to be a problem where I work at the moment as well. If I don't take the time to look for problems that can happen during a shift it seems they occur as no one tells anybody about them.:icon_roll Its bothersome but I've begun to get used to it. I agree with the better safe than sorry statement as well. I'd rather call up a doctor and have him or her be a little angry rather than put a patient in harms way because i'm to afraid of talking to a grouch xD Hopefully your doctors aren't too grouchy when you need them Thats to be expected :3 Everything comes with experience is something that I have been told time and time again, I will probably be the same way when I start and de-stress routines are helpful now so I will keep mine for the rest of my life!

Ahh I see getting creative will be one thing that will be different but interesting to learn I suppose It sounds as if you do go through a lot. This is exactly what I wanted to know and I can't thank you enough for sharing your troubles with me. You sound wonderful at what your doing as well and I don't blame you for not being sad to leave it sounds like a ton of stress to deal with Thanks for giving me a look into what i'm getting into xD It sounds as if I will need to be prepared Ill take your advice as well it seems like one of the best things I could do Thanks again for everything and have a wonderful day :hug: Also best of luck to you as well :)

I am quite patient, I have dealt with elderly people before through volunteer work, and baby sitting children in my family takes a form of patience I'm glad to know thats one of the main traits I'll need because I feel like I have that aspect down quite well. and wow not having supplies seems like it would be almost impossible to do the job. In situations when meds are needed do the problems just not get fixed? Or do you have procedures to assit those who need meds when you don't actually have them? The understaffing does seem to a common problem in a lot of the posts that I have read here. I am already understaffed where I work at currently and I agree it can be unsafe at times. It seems that understaffing issues will only get worse the further my education goes so now I'm expecting to be working even harder xD Thanks for the input as well as well as the wish of luck :)

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum however I figured a question such as this could be answered here. I am going to school right now to get my RN and am finishing up my second semester of pre-reqs with Straight A's Geriatric Nursing is the field that has interested me the most ever since I have started schooling for nursing. I know the basics of what it is, but I can't seem to find any articles through searches about the downsides of it. I will be doing clinicals for a CNA program this summer and of course it will be included once I get into my nursing program as well. I like being prepared for what I am about to face and I can't seem to find any information on the bad side of it. what stresses Geriatric nurses out the most? What filters the nurses out who can't exactly handle this type of nursing if there are any things such as that? The other question I would have at the moment would be is it hard to find a job for this specific field? My counselor has told me that with all of the baby boomers aging all at once that I shouldn't have much of a problem. Additionally I will more than likely have CNA experience working in some kind of care facility if possible. It is what I want to do most in theory so I am trying to learn the good and the bad about it before I get quite deep into it. Any information helps immensely and thanks again :) Thank you for looking and responding! :)

thank you for the encouragement! =) and this i know i can handle most smells, however formaldehyde always seems to get me xp even high school and middle school (i've dissected worms, dogfish, starfish, regular fish in general, crickets, and a pregnant fish as well!) i got used to it then with a lot of trying. i guess its just new the environment and the fact that its been a while has me messed up and i will be trying that tomorrow as i have class! i contacted my teacher and she doesn't mind! :) it made me laugh as well and the cotton balls idea is new to me! i will have to check that out as well! thank you! =) i'm doing my best to take advantage of it! i feel quite lucky, especially reading stories from students who have barely even had a cat to try and learn human anatomy from,, that must be tough i'm unsure if the room is ventilated, i sure hope it was xp my chemistry room was ventilated, so i don't see why this wouldn't be as well! and that makes me excited for the cats that we have to direct now too xd (we only have one cadaver so she will be doing all the cutting thats needed ) but like everyone else i've come to terms that i wil be getting over it! :) and thank you! i was hoping that i wouldn't be the only one that felt kind of iffy, thank you so much for sharing that. i know i can get used to it as well! thanks again to everyone for the encouragement and the suggestions! i have lab tomorrow so it should all go well! thank you everyone ill let you know how it goes if any of you care xd thanks again everyone! :)

Hello! I just enrolled in my first A&P class and my school is lucky enough to be able to study with a cadaver. I don't have a problem what so ever looking at the body to learn about and in fact I was actually excited to see it for the first time. Today my teacher decided to show us him and she taught us to respect him before hand and also wanted to name him grandpa. I was dreading the smell of the preservatives since I remember it from high school dissections and I disliked it greatly My problem here is that the smell was almost too much for me (I haven't tried the Vicks vapor rub trick that I read about here yet however) and when viewing his face I felt a little iffy. I didn't pass out, nor did I loose my breakfast but I did feel a little queasy. I got over it as the day passed and I am excited to try again as from looking around on this site it seems like everything gets better over time. I find myself worrying now however that my anxiety will not pass because of the smell! This is a new experience to me and I was just wondering about how many times you had to see the cadaver before you got over the smell and everything. and If I cannot get over the smell all that well, I wonder if I should be rethinking my major. Any other tips would help ease my mind a bit, and I was wondering if anyone else has been affected by the smell a lot and how long it took to get over it! thanks in advance!