beetlebug424

I am curious about this as well, I've toyed with the idea of going this route myself.

I think you have your answer right there if the other option is to get your Masters to become some type of counselor. Nursing is a messy job, it's hard both mentally and physically. I enjoy being with my patients as well but I don't know if it's worth it either. I think if you choose to pursue your education either way it can only benefit you in the future. Good luck!

I'm right there with ya, I've been an LPN for about a year and half now. I like it but do I love it? I still don't know. I've looked into going back for my RN and there are many scholarships out there. Your facility may even offer tuition reimbursement. I know for me the longer I wait to go back to school the less I want to do it. Maybe set a time frame of like 6 months from now to make a decision and in the mean time do your research. What would be the pay increase once you graduate? How much would it cost to complete the degree? If you decided to go with your other choice what type of position could you expect to get and what is the salary for that? And finally do you like being a nurse, can you see yourself in this profession for the next 30 years?

You could pay the ten bucks a month to turn your cell into a hotspot, that makes your own wifi.

If I don't request nights off (and my agency requires that I do so a month in advance) I will end up working every night. Last month I requested two weekends off, because we are only required to work two weekends a month. I had a total of 4 nights off the whole month. None of those four nights were covered. OP are you saying I was responsible I'm getting those shifts covered? What in the world? I deserve time to myself, I'm tired of the office and the parents making me feel guilty because I don't want to work 365 days a year. I am per diem, I am not required to work any amount of hours. I do however have a primary case, it is not my responsibility to see that all of the shifts are covered for that case. That is the schedulers concern. My concern is going to and caring for the patient on the nights I'm scheduled and have agreed to work. I have picked up many shifts and changed plans many times if the family was in dire need. I do my job and I am good at it, does that mean I can't have any time to myself? I came to this thread after working 9 out 12 nights in a row looking for a little solidarity in a job that is very autonomous and I can't believe some of the things I'm hearing.

My favorite is when people tell you really gross things that you don't want to know about your family/friends bodies but preface it with "Well, you're a nurse so..."

Yikes! Well that's not what I want either! I knew when I got into this field it would be unlikely to get a job working M-F 9-5. But I thought I would at least get a break. Why the heck isn't there a union for nurses?

I'm glad I'm not the only one out there feeling this way. My problem is that the parents don't seem to understand I need a day off. I'm working a 16 night stretch with a Saturday off at the end. I can almost see the light at the end of this never ending tunnel. Unfortunately because I have a night off that shift is open, the mom can be difficult and the agency is having difficulty find nurses to cover. I'm getting pressure from both parents and the office to pick up the shift. I DONT WANT TO! How do you handle it when they are constantly bombarding you with requests like this?

Congrats! I know it's a tough job market out there for all nurses and especially for us LPNs!

After a year and half of working for a pediatric home care company I am beyond frustrated. I've been trying to find a new position for months now and although I have had a few interviews I haven't had any offers. I do enjoy the work but the schedule is driving me crazy! I currently work third shift and have a primary case. While third shift is not ideal I do understand we all have to pay our dues. My frustration is that the parents on my case really like me. I know that sounds like it wouldn't be a problem! However, I can't seem to get a regular schedule. It seems like every time I have a day off scheduled they either can't find a another nurse to cover or the parents request that I work and give me a pretty good guilt trip. For example last month I only had four days off the whole month, all of which were open shifts and had no coverage. I was receiving constant emails from the home care office and constant pressure to pick up the shifts from the parents. For those of you that currently work in home care/private duty how do you handle these situations. I need days off to recharge. They can't expect me to work everyday can they?

PA LPN 1.5 years experience pediatric home health $19.57/hr + $1 for nights + $1 for weekends

Hi! I am in my first semester about 6 weeks in to this practical nursing student experience. Whew! I didn't expect it to be easy but I definately recognize that I will not have much of a social life for the next year LOL. We have had two orientation sessions at different nursing homes (this will be our first clinical rotation) and tomorrow is the first day we are assigned patients. From what I can tell we will mostly be doing the stuff usually done by the CNA in the beginning. I will be completely honest and say I'm super nervous! If anyone has any advice or can give me an idea of what to expect I would appreciate it! Also, next week we have two all day clinical sessions and three tests, any hints on time management and helpful ways to study better would be great too!