IftheShoeFits

I know this may have been asked before, but I need some recent information. I just got licensed as an LPN in the U.S.... well yesterday actually. My boyfriend/ will be husband is in the military and will be stationed in Germany in a few months. I will have some experience as an LPN in the US (although a few months will probably be the case). Really though... What are the prospects for LPN/ Licensed Practical Nurses in Germany or on US Army bases in Germany and getting a job on the base. ( Kaiserlaudern is where we would be really). I am also interested in what the options are off base. Obviously I would nee to learn German... but has anyone worked as an American off base? What are the qualifications? Thanks for all the help!

This post is very helpful as I might be going to Germany in the near future. Although I have no experience, thank you for the post. It has helped me as to what to expect.

I am taking the NCLEX PN in a week or so.... sooooo nervous. Never feel like I can know enough. Currently watching youtubes of nursing procedures etc.

as an almost new nurse entering the field, this discussion has been very helpful. It is the hardest thing as a healthcare worker, hardwired to save lives with resources available, to not use those resources.

Awesome article, this is super helpful. It is horrible that people act this way after grade school, but alas, they do. It is a sad life when they can only get satisfaction from bringing others down. It seems like they often do it because they want to stay the well liked person, and another well liked/ hard working person can just not be in the same place so they berate you hoping to bring themselves up.

I am no hospice nurse, just interested in the topic but found some interesting articles related to this discussion. Apparently there has been a correlation between neurological disorders and gastric bypass. This article notes how it could be due to vitamin deficiancies. --- Gastric Bypass Surgery Linked To Neurological Conditions, Study Suggests This one is a more reputable source noting the vitamin deficiancies and neurological issues--- JAMA Network | JAMA Neurology | The Neurological Complications of Bariatric Surgery I know its not exactly related but found it somewhat interesting to see this correlation. I would like to find out if the vitatmin deficiancy relates to creutzfeldt jakob disease at all.

This post has been very helpful! I too will be moving to OK from NY in the spring/ summer this year. Kind of excited to see a different pace from the northeast here. I am assuming the cost of living will be much lower as well have less taxes. Now I have no idea how many taxes they will take from my paycheck, but I know it will be nowhere near the amount taken out in NY. And no inspections?! That is, well, a relief, since I always forget to get my car inspected. Goodluck to all those moving to the midwest!

Its true, there is much better things to save my energies for.

Hi all, I am currently a nurse aide as well as an LPN student and I am working on getting over some of my worries and anxiety after work. I care so much about my patients and try so hard to make them safe and comfortable but sometimes it ends up stressing me out like I forgot something. Usually at the end of my shift doing aide work (which is 11pm) I will go into each of my patients rooms and make sure the bed rails are up, alarm is on, and they are safe and comfortable. If the patient has been incontinent I would also check to make sure they are dry. Last night I checked all of my patients and made sure all of the incontinent patients were dry as usual before I left. One of my patients had been incontinent in recent days and yesterday she was not for my shift. I felt pretty good about it because I successfully had taken her to the bathroom before she was incontinent, which was great. (I know, the little things that please). I had taken her to the bathroom at about 9:45pm, so I guess it slipped my mind to check her right before I left for the night. I did make sure she was safe and comfortable, and she was sound asleep when I left. Then I went home and realized that I had forgot to check if she was dry as well right before I left (even though I took her to the bathroom during the later end of my shift.) And it bothered me, I had nightmares that she got sick from being wet. Even as I type this it sounds like I am crazy. Or does it? As a nurse or an aide do you do similar things? Does anyone else experience these kind of worries? If so what do you do to get over them?

That is an excellent way to sum up how I feel, grown as a person. I haven't done the injection meds yet, but have done some wound care and PO meds. My fears too are slowly being diminished as I complete the tasks. Additionally, I have finally found a career that I love. I finally am not searching every night to try and figure out what I want to do with my life, now I know! I work as an aide part time and cant wait to be in the nurses position, do assessments, get more in depth with people and health problems. I love the challenges involved in nursing that I have experienced so far, and although sometimes it is hard to overcome, it is also rewarding to do so. Your post is very positive, I like it!

Hi allnurses! I am a fairly new nursing assistant who is also in nursing school (LPN). Nurse assistants do a lot each day, running around like crazy (so do nurses of course) and our lives can be filled with negativity and stress. So I just wanted to ask, what are some moments which make you feel good about what you do? I have a few; First off some of my patients are so awesome! Even in extreme pain they have time to say thank you and smile! I enjoy feeding those who cant feed themselves. Previously I hated it, I thought they would aspirate, but lately I really actually enjoy it. I love seeing people go home in a better condition then when they got in. I do not know what they were like prior to illness, but regardless they survived and now because of the care of everyone on our floor/ in the hospital, are going home. I enjoy the challenge of this job as well. What do you like about your job?

At present I am feeling the same way! I am trying to find out what is stressing me here are two things- 1. Being responsible for the health and safety of so many (what you had said, I feel the same). 2. Continual thought I missed doing something. At present I have been searching for things to say to myself on the way home to wind myself down so I can sleep (I work eves and get up for school pretty early so try to sleep quick, doesn't always work though). Have you found any ways to unwind lately that have worked?

Is it possible to work part time as suggested by hgrimmett? It is very true that its easier to get a job if you are currently employed. Also your references remember you better! Its good that you have savings and a support system though! Good luck to you

I like this thread idea! Well, it is all interesting. I am just starting nursing school this week after finishing my pre-reqs this last year. This week we had clinical at a nursing home and I was on the dementia floor. I was just reading up on Alzheimer's and dementia right now. I just think it is interesting what happens to the brain as we age. Although, I do not know all that much about it yet, it was certainly quite the experience to see it and how to work with people who are aging. I am sure I will be learning much more about this topic while I am at clinical here. One article mentioned how difficulty sleeping as we age is the beginning sign for Alzheimer's disease as there are plaque build ups in the brain causing the sleep problems. Article- BBC News - Bad sleep may predict Alzheimer's, says study

Hello, I am currently going through a bunch of different options concerning potentially entering the Army for a nursing career. One thing that has had unclear answers is if direct commission officers go through basic training. (It is not a problem as I am physically fit, and think it would be an interesting challenge, I am just curious). What particular training courses do direct commission RN's do? My boyfriend just completed Army Basic training and is now doing OCS and the specialized training after that. Is this the same for direct commission?

Maybe you could find a part time position and pick up shifts as needed. My new position as a nurse assistant allows flexible shifts and flex days. Then I can pick up more shifts as needed and as the hospital needs. I assume other hospitals or home care facilities are like that. good luck!

Hey! Props to you for changing careers! Yesterday was my first day on the job as a nurse assistant and I am changing careers. I am working a medical rehab unit. My boss is willing to work with my school scheduling and I have a great fellow nurse assistant who is super knowledgeable and hard working. She is orienting me and showing me the ropes. Being a nurse assistant or CNA while in school seems like it is going to help massively for school reasons as the terms and the work will overlap the material for tests. I dont know much about being a male and being a nurse, as I am a female, but I have heard that if you are confident and not nervous around patients, and tell them it is just part of your job, more will be accepting. That is not coming from experience though. Good luck!

Today was my first day too! I am not a CNA though only and NA- I have no prior certificate so today was just really getting oriented and observing. I don't feel completely comfortable either just yet, but it was my first day! You are not going to know everything just in one day. It takes some time. Try to ask what the term for something was again if they mention it too fast. Also, I am going to get a small notepad to keep in my scrubs and write down all the terms... I can get caught up in them too. Heck, before this week I didn't even know what ambulating and incontinence meant. The computers are the death of me. I am young and am supposed to be all computer literate, but that seems to be the part I understand the least! Do they give you a few days for observation?

If you have no prior experience I would say let them know of your good qualities and, if you can, relate anything you have previously done with the position. Also, definitely put in your cover letter your intentions and future ambitions with nursing school, it shows dedication and thinking ahead. Good Luck!

I called the board of nursing for NY state recently and they say that BOCES is a legit program, at least for NY state (I too am applying for one). Now, I do not know exactly of the prospects afterwords as far as jobs and what will or will not transfer or if RN schools accept the BOCES LPN but I would assume so because as aforementioned, you get licensed. What most likely will not transfer are classes like microbiology, anatomy and physiology and will most likely need to be retaken when getting an RN. Good luck!

Well, I don't know for sure yet, I too am trying to sort things out! Also, I dont know if I have been accepted into BOCES or not. They are supposed to notify me sometime this week.

Cmm- Thanks for the info! Its nice to hear all the good comments about BOCES and that your friend was able to get their licence so quickly after the program. Good luck to you in your LPN search!

Thanks for the information! I hope I get a good call back in the near future!

Technically I am staying behind right now. He is in Basic then has OCS then has AIT to become an officer. He is set to finish OCS around Thanksgiving and begin AIT at the start of the new year I believe. I am not sure how long the individual training is going to be but am estimating we are already going to be apart from summer this year till May/ June 2013 then he will get his orders, maybe earlier maybe later. Is there an average time for the AIT portion of officer training or does it vary greatly? (sorry for all the questions, I really appreciate all of the help so far though!) If I get into the LPN school it runs Oct- Oct 2013 so that will not put us too far off schedule and I can work full time during the program, and pay for it. So that would be nice. I just found the Indiana state university distance learning site! They have an LPN- BSN online portion which looks somewhat like a godsend. Thank you for all of the advice! I greatly appreciate it since I am so new to all of this. Additionally, an other experiences of what you did, schools that you attended, how long you were apart, etc etc. Is all welcomed I would love to hear!

Lovedija- Thank you for the info! I too am leaning toward the LPN route as it is fast, transferable, and affordable. This way I could possibly bridge LPN to BSN online later on. Do you know what the prospects are for LPN's working as civilians in military hospitals? Thank you!