tonypeggy

Just wanted to let you know that I agree - your new certification is most definitely something to flaunt on your resume. I would want to do the same.

If you treat your patients/residents the way you just treated lumbarpain, Jessie, you're not as great a nurse as you seem to think you are.

Congratulations! You hung in there and now the reward!!!

I thought we were supposed to be the patients' advocate. If the patient can't understand the nurse, then the nurse better start writing things down or get a translator to follow her around. Good grief, I'd complain, too. I think I'd get more tired of listening to the NURSES who complain about the patients' rightful complaints.

I hope you exhibit more compassion for your patients than you do for your sister-in-law.

Hello, everyone. Just to update you on my decision to ask for more $, what I actually decided to do was to accept the job offer at the higher salaried facility. As it turned out, (these are both nursing homes) the place with the lower salary wanted me to work two 12-hour shifts/week in one unit of the nursing home, and two 8-hour shifts at another unit of the same nursing home. I just didn't think I was ready to take on that much diversity in patient care at this time, so I accepted the other (higher salary) position which was a straight 5-8's per week, and same patients. Both were night postions, which I requested. The lady at the lower salaried position assured me that, should I change my mind down the road, PLEASE feel free to call her back. Sheesh, I can sure struggle my way through making decisions. I am so thankful for all of you who help me along.

Great points!!! Thank you for your insight. For some reason I thought it might be "unprofessional" to ask for a higher salary. . . I don't feel guilty anymore. I'll let everyone know how it comes out.

I need some advice. I have two job offers, very similar: same # of hours, benefits, etc., except one pays $1 more per hour. That extra pay is significant to me due to my current situation. I think I would prefer the lower salaried job more just because I enjoy the atmosphere of the place more. Is it unethical or sleazy if I was to ask the lower salaried job people if they would be willing to up my salary to match the other's salary?

I can't thank you enough for your belief in me. I've applied to another hospital in this area; however, the person in charge there knows I was a new-grad starting at this first hospital. I enclosed an explanation of why I discontinued the preceptorship. Wish me luck! And thanks a million for your words of encouragement. I needed that!

Did you have to do meds and charting for all 66 patients? How did you manage? I'm looking for suggestions since I'll be starting ltc in a week or so.

If possible get your LPN and work as one a day or two a week while completing your RN. Great experience and will make RN working easier!

In Wyoming nursing homes are always looking for LPN's.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write. When I talked to my supervisor last she stated there was no time left for me to get caught up to where they thought I should be. It was very clear they didn't want me there. I suggested another unit,or working nights (I did fine on med/surg nights), but she said if I couldn't do med/surg days then forget it 'cause they want nurses who can. (This is a hospital mainly med/surg).

Thanks, Eric, for moving my message into a more appropriate place. I'm still learning how to navigate here...!

Thank you, Healthy RN, for your input. Yes, they talked to me twice before this last time. I was open ears and assured them that I am always looking for ways to do things better, and their suggestions were good ones and I left the meetings excited to have suggestions to help me. I'm a stubborn die-hard and would ponder the day's activities when I'd get home at night and figure out ways to make things work better. I felt all my hard work was working! But, as I stated in another reply, it was just too late. At the last meeting when I defended myself and told my supervisor I was shocked at the report that was relayed from my preceptor, that I'd felt I was doing much better, and would like another preceptor she said the one I have is "the best we've got". It is obvious beyond a shadow of a doubt (I don't have time to give details) that I've been labeled a "dud" out of all the new hires. But as I stated in my other reply, I was the only new hire that didn't have prior nursing experience, so I felt I should have been given more time to prove myself. But I just really want to forget about all this and go on and get excited again about nursing. I'll work in a nursing home, I'm just hoping to get some encouraging responses about the benefits of working LTC...uhmmm...just so I feel better about everything....

Thank you for your advice. Yes, at the beginning I had trouble prioritizing, managing my time, etc., Everything was so new and overwhelming. I felt I was progressing, but not as fast as the other new hires, that's true. But I had no prior nursing experience, they all did. I think that made a big difference. Sometimes I'd get rattled when things were coming at me from all directions, but I was getting over it and doing quite well in the last few weeks, I felt. But by that time my preceptor had obviously given up on me 'cause she wrote that I was always late giving my meds. That wasn't true at all. I'd been getting them in on time. I told my supervisor that. She just replied that "my preceptor is the best we have and no, you can't have a different one. I really can't see any way you will be able to catch up to the other new hires." She all but pushed me out the door. All in all, I think I just astounded them on how slow I would catch on to things in the beginning. By the time things started to "click" for me, they'd given up on me. They even had the charge nurses watching me and reporting back to them. Sheesh. That just added to my stress. But really where I am at now is "Will a nursing home be a good place for me to develop into a more competent nurse? That's what they're telling me and I'm just wanting to hear that its true! Is a nursing home less stressful than med/surg?

I've been working med/surg as a new nurse for four months and was pretty much asked yesterday to resign or they'd resign me. They (my preceptor and also my supervisor) just didn't feel I was where I should be after four months -- they said I should be very close to being able to do patient care on my own of 5 patients and working towards 6. I thought I was doing so much better with time management, etc., that when the supervisor asked to "chat" with me, I naively thought she was going to praise me for such a great turn-around! Instead she suggested I try a new path and go work in a nursing home where things are not so hectic. So, that's what I'm going to do. All I've heard about nursing homes are nightmare stories of low staffing and HIGH patient numbers. But I'm determined to become a good nurse and will do whatever I need to do to achieve this. This is a small town and it's either the hospital or nursing homes, so that's my choice. Don't get me wrong, I love and respect old people and don't mind working in a nursing home, but right now my confidence is at an all time low and I'm scared I'll screw up my next job too.

THANK YOU so much for your reply. My sympathy goes to you - I know the disappointment and anguish of a husband finding someone new. When did you get your nursing degree? Was it right out of high school? Thanks again -- Kitty-Beth

I'm kinda new to this nursing stuff - are you saying that the hospitals in Boston don't hire ADN's now, only BSN? I'm entering an ADN program this fall and thought most hospitals accepted ADN...duh...

Thank you for that quote. Some people think it was really "courageous" for me to start nursing school at age 50, but I knew there was no way I was going to support myself and my younger children working at a convenience store. After 25 years of marriage my ex went nuts and l had to start new.