LuvScience

Having your decision questioned by admin doesn't mean that you made an error in judgement. I agree with your assessment that the patient needed further evaluation. LTC administration is only interested in minimizing ED transfers for financial reasons. You have a solid rational for your decision, obtained a Dr.'s order and followed procedure which means that you don't need to worry any more about this event. Sometimes new nurses in LTC are a little too quick to transfer residents to the ED because they don't consider the larger picture and make use of all the resources at the facility level to meet the resident's needs first. However, I don't believe that you have made this mistake.

It sounds like the mom is overstating the danger of this particular situation in preparation for a lawsuit. However, I disagree with the other posters on this thread who are describing this situation as a minor mistake on the part of clinic staff. Closing and locking up the clinic with a forgotten patient in an exam room is an unacceptably deficient level of care. Licensed nurses and other healthcare professionals should be held to the same standard in an urgent care clinic as any other setting. I would be furious if this happened to one of my family members, especially an elder who might not be as capable as a younger person. Furthermore, if I "forgot" about a patient in this manner, I would, at the very least, expect to be fired.

I'm not a school nurse but is there some reason why a cup of tap water can't be served with lunch in addition to milk?

I don't have a problem with this as long as it is just a suggestion and not a requirement. I understand the objections voiced in this thread by most of the other posters. However, I have worked in a memory care unit before and believe that this type of emotional validation goes a long way with residents severely affected by dementia. Many of them live in a perpetual state of anxiety and confusion due to their disease. Trying to re-orient them to reality is usually impossible and sometimes even harmful. This happens to me less often as a nurse now, but when I was a CNA it wasn't unusual for one of these residents to say "I love you" to me as I was assisting them into bed at night. They had no idea who I was. In their mind I was just someone who had cared for their personal needs and shown them kindness. I could have been a friend, relative or complete stranger. They just couldn't remember but believed that I must care about them in order to be providing them with such personal care. When they said "I love you", I could have tried to side step the issue or remind them that I was just their nurse or CNA but why? It would have served no real purpose. They still wouldn't have remembered who I was and I would have missed an opportunity to quell their insecurities and reassure them that someone in their world does indeed care about them. I admit that I'm not completely comfortable saying to "I love you" to residents since I would normally reserve such a statement for family members. However, I believe that a moment of awkwardness or discomfort is a small price to pay for another person's sense of peace and happiness.

I'm an LPN now but I have worked in fast food and as a CNA in the past. I would say that CNA work is, without a doubt, more difficult than fast food. When I first became a CNA I missed my low stress/low responsibility job in fast food but I never seriously considered going back. As a CNA i made significantly more money per hour, received regular raises and had health insurance through my job. Moving from a minimum wage fast food job to a position as a CNA greatly improved my standard of living. I was able to move out of my parents' house, get my own apartment and work my way through LPN school.

Since you have been working towards paying off bills and saving money, it sounds like you are in a relativity good position to go back to school now if you choose to. However, I do not recommend doing so. IMHO anyone in their late 50(s) with a well established and decent paying career is better off saving for retirement rather than changing careers. Other posters have mentioned the potential downsides of becoming a nurse near age 60 so I won't repeat them. If you simply miss working with patients and desire to better yourself then my suggestion is to find fulfillment through volunteer work and/or new hobbies. Good luck with your decision.

IMHO this entire issue is much ado about nothing. Our national conversation seems to center around one manufactured controversy after the next. I suspect that a year or so from now, we will all be making impassioned arguments about some new national concern that doesn't really affect peoples lives, while all of the fears and concerns regarding who is allowed to use which bathroom will be long forgotten.

Sorry OP but you've blown your chance at your school's nursing program. I'm sure that you didn't realize the consequences of taking an Rx med that didn't belong to you but that doesn't change your current situation. IMO your best option now is to withdraw from your current school and begin applying to other schools in the area. Future employers and schools will not have access to the results of this drug test so you are not likely to face more any more severe consequences at this time. However, I hope that you have learned from this situation. If you do become a nurse then this type of mistake could cost you your career. Be warned.

Like many of the other posters here, I have no moral objection to marijuana and consider it safer than alcohol. However, I do not use it because I value my nursing license. I do personally think that the professional repercussions for using marijuana are overly severe in nursing. I have discussed this issue with friends and acquaintances in other professions such as doctors, lawyers, physical therapists, psychologists, teachers and engineers, they are shocked to hear that nurses can lose their careers due to using marijuana. They report feeling no such risk.

I hope that I am mistaken but it sounds like you are asking whether or not to lie on an application. Claiming to have experience that you do not actually have is not an option. There is nothing wrong with being a new nurse. We were all new once. My experience sounds somewhat similar to yours. I actually moved from one state to another right after getting my LPN and took a few months off before getting a job. I had no difficulty getting a job in LTC as a new nurse even though I had taken some time off. Your resume/applications should accurately reflect your education and experience. Fabricating any information in order to get a job could have seriously negative consequences. Good luck.

I was once a CNA. After I had worked as a CNA for a few years, I began to feel experienced and knowledgeable. I watched the nurses at my facility and came to the conclusion that I worked harder than they did and that their jobs didn't look overly difficult. My conclusions were very wrong. At the time, I didn't know what I didn't know. When I became a nurse I was in for a rude surprise. I learned that nurses had infinitely more responsibilities than I had been aware of before. When I was a CNA I worked hard but I also regularly received lunch breaks, went home when my shift was over and was able to leave the stresses of my work at work. Everything changed when I assumed the nurse's role. The obligations and responsibilities towards my patients became never ending. I actually started to miss working as a CNA because everything had been simpler then. As a CNA I couldn't understand why nurses didn't give my judgment or opinions the weight that I felt they deserved. However, at that time, my opinions were not based on a through understanding of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology. I didn't have the necessary body of knowledge to draw upon in order assess the needs of patients. As I said earlier, I didn't know what I didn't know. I know other former CNAs who have become nurses and they describe similar revelations. Of course, I agree that we should all treat our coworkers, fellow healthcare workers and fellow human beings with respect and civility. However, I suspect that the OP will also come to see his/her experiences in a different light if he/she continues on to become a nurse.

I also heard a very similar lecture from an instructor in nursing school. However, allowing a friend access to my personal bottle of Tylenol is not the same as actually administering it as a nurse. If a friend is visiting my home as says, "I have a headache. May I borrow some Tylenol?" and I reply "Sure. Here is the bottle", then my friend has just self-administered an OTC medication. If he/she is not sure how many to take or how often to take them then I can refer my friend to the directions on the bottle. In this situation I have not administered any medication or offered any medical advice. I would also argue that the right to self-administer OTC medication extends to a one's own child since the legal guardian of a child has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the child. I think that your instructor picked a poor example to make his/her point but the point still stands. Nurses do need to be aware of the extra liability and responsibly that comes with being a licensed professional. However, a little common sense goes a long way and there is no need to live in fear that normal life will somehow endanger your nursing license.

Are you absolutely positive that these nurses are deliberately ignoring you? I have a tendency to become hyper-focused during some activities such as reading. If someone approaches me while I'm reading a chart, they might think that I'm ignoring them when I'm actually just unaware of them. I think that my coworkers have learned over time that if I'm focused on something then they will need to speak up to get my attention. If I haven't acknowledged that someone is speaking to me then I probably haven't heard them.

I agree with TheCommuter, your prospects will be better outside of south Florida. If you need to stay in the area, then I suggest applying to every LTC/SNF within a reasonable driving distance. I would also recommend considering part-time and PRN positions as well as nights, afternoons and weekends. These less desirable shifts can be difficult fill and a facility that doesn't prefer new grads might make an exception for someone willing to be flexible.

I have had pretty good luck selling books via craigslist to other students at my school. If these books are still required for incoming students then you might be able to find an interested buyer that way.