Amber628

I Know in most states you will not be able to work as a CNA if you have an LPN license

I know depending on the hospital they have "pumping rooms" im pretty sure memorial sloan kettering and other big name hospitals ecourage/support it

I do understand where you are comming from, I once oriented on a case (that I didnt take) because the mom had hired help for EVERYTHING, a nurse for her son a nanny for her daughter, an assistant type woman who did cooking/cleaning/shopping and this woman was on the phone THE WHOLE 8 HOURS i was there... Never wrnt back to that house... Otherwise favt is that most caregivers are burnt out... They may sleep during the day but maybe the child kept them up all night or they stayed up worried. When my mother was caring for my grandma the only time she got aides (2hrs 3x wk) was when my grandma came from a hospital stay. You have no idea what it will do to a person until u do it 24hrs 7days a week. The only time my mother got a real break was when my brother or I stayed with my grandma so my mom could go out with friends or sleep at her boyfriends for a night, otherwise she was exhausted mentally emotionally and physically... She never slept more than 3 hrs in fear of my grandma wandering or hurting herself...she lost weight and her appetite and looked like hell... She couldnt go anywhere unless she brought my grandma who was like an 80 year old 150lb toddler. I wish my mom would have had more help, and even if she slept the whole time the nurse or aide was there... It was what she needed... IMO i am a home health LPN and i know that my patients caregivers need breaks... Its not my right to judge weather they sleep or watch tv or go shopping... I am there for 8,10,12,14 or 16 hours not 24

i could not agree with this more! I started off as a new grad LPN in a nursing home because although I have always wanted to do peds i was discouraged by everyone thats LPNs esp. New grads do not work in peds! I was a nurse for about 8 months when I got hired for a pediatric homecare agency! I now work with vent/trach peds and have so much exp. & knowledge. I hated the nursing home, 30 patients, co workers who were lazy, didnt care or hated new grads, no support from management. Although I make 3$ less an hour and I dont want to be in homecare forever I am getting valuable experience with pediatrics for when I graduate my LPN to RN bridge and hopefully I will get a position with Peds in acute care!

Why did you become a nurse if you dont "love people" ? Do you love to help or care for people? I am asking this because many of times i find that prior classmates, coworkers ect who are nurses because its "good money" or a stable job usually have **** poor attitudes or are crappy nurses. IMO, i would like to hear your response

I work for preffered. They have classes before they let you go on a case and they also orient u atleast 3 full days before they let you on your own, because i have vent/trach exp i passed the exam with 1 wrong so i did not have to take the classes. The DON there is very good, she cares about her nurses and is extremely helpful. They dont try to push a case on you if you dont like it or feel u cant handle it. I oriented on one particular case for a day and hated it and the office said thats fine I didnt have to go back, where as in other agencies they tried to get me to stay with a case. Preferred starts new grad LPNs at 21 an hour. But they dont offer weekend diffs. I also work for star peds and they start you at 20 but have night and weekend diffs. Star offers benefits, preferred does not. I was able to negotiate a higher rate of pay for both agencies because of my experience, dont be afraid to ask! Both ***** at Star and ***** at preferred are great and they care about their nurses!

Jersey College in Ramsey has a full time 15 mo LPN to RN and you dont need to retake a&p if you had it in your LPN program. Holy Name in Teaneck also offers it but you will need your pre reqs. mulhenberg, and trinitas are also other options besides the county colleges

and BTW, I work as a PCT in the hospital, I get only TWO BREAKS in my 8 hr shift, a 15 minute and an 30 min lunch, I NEVER take more breaks than that ESPECIALLY to go smoke. My PTS come first, and I wear a PPE gown to go outside and smoke and shoe covers so I dont drag it back in with me

and BTW, I work as a PCT in the hospital, I get only TWO BREAKS in my 8 hr shift, a 15 minute and an 30 min lunch, I NEVER take more breaks than that ESPECIALLY

Some replys on here are really out of hand! Everyone has their vice, weather is smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy foods, tanning, ect. To say that a person can or cannot smoke while they are not at work is ridiculous. I dont understand why no one sees a problem with this. If this is allowed then they will move on to other things as well. I am a smoker and I agree with smoke free facilities and also higher premiums. So essentially I am paying for my habit. Although, what I do outside of work does not concern my employer! and to the posters who said even smoke particles from someones house carry and can exacerbate asthma symptoms, seriously? What about all of us city nurses who walk/ride public transportation to work, the dust the grime ect. Seriously Its NOT just smokers. What about the cat/dog lover who brings in the pet dander ect. Its not smokers ITS EVERYONE, unless u live in some microbe-free bubble I do not know about...

I dont think anyone should assume someone is in scrubs so they just got off work; sometimes after class when I was in the night program for LPN wed have a final or HESI and go to chilis or somewhere and have a drink to celebrate.in our ALL white scrubs... Food for thought

Hmmm. You can choose things like religion so how is smoking different?

Keep reading! Dont fall behind! Use quizlet.com or the quizlet app to make flashcards, it also makes games and tests with the flashcards...highlight highlight Highlight. Get a study partner or group so u guys can outline a chapter each (example if u have a test on ch 1-4 , you each outline 2 chapters and make copies for the other person) A&P flashcards and games can be found online also lots of nursing apps use them to ur advantage :) Also when u get to pharmacology use mosbys drug book and make drug index cards to help u learn the drug its action side effects ect

I think alot of people have hit the nail on the head, currently as a nursing student i hear ALOT of my peers saying they wont work here or there. As a new nurse TAKE WHAT YOU CAN being picky, isnt going to land you a job. It is much easier to get a job when you already have one! Best of luck jobhunting !

Personally, If i was you id look into a part time program. Not only will it give you more important time with family, but theres nothing worse than being stressed about school AND money. Also part time gives u more time to really focus on classe instead of being bombared wit 4-6 classes each semester. IMO id stay teaching and go part time :)

this is very true; i am in LPN school now and my instructors do not reflect to students how the real world is, as LPNs we will have to do a med pass on 20-50 patients in a nursing home, sorry you do not have time to "crush each med seperately" when your patient has 10-25 meds! Also, they do not explain to them that as a nurse, ESPECIALLY in LTC (which is where 90% of the jobs are for LPNs in NJ) you may not always have someone to run to. As nurses we are supposed to be taught critical thinking, and I think my instructors are too worried about test scores then making GOOD nurses.

HMMM... On the other end; did you ever think that the "know it alls" happen to spend hours studying or have been doing things for a long time? Perhaps they have degrees in a related field. You would be suprised how much a PCT; EMT; PARAMEDIC or CNA knows. Especially if they've been doing it a long time. I do not like people in my class with poor attitudes. I am currently dealing with this ALOT since i've switched to the day program. In my night LVN program I had alot of others who were similiar to me, actively participated and worked in the medical field for years. Now that I am on days I have alot of younger persons, with sh*t poor attitudes and get mad when I answer a question they do not know the answer to. HMM.. I was in a BSN program for almost 4 semesters and dropped out due to financial reasons in 2009. So I am starting from LVN bc its AFFORDABLE. So, yes I DO know ALOT of whats going on! Not to mention I STUDY MY A$$ OFF!

it depends if you are taking ADN for LPN or RN; for LVN you will take NCLEX PN ; for RN you will take NCLEX RN. You must continue to bridge LPN;RN;BSN;MSN

You may not LIKE being a CNA somedays. We all have those days, BUT being a CNA before nursing school gives a big advantage when you start nursing school. The first clinical in nursing school you will have is usually doing CNA work Nd learning AM care ect. It is tough and physically exhausting BUT you can make good money (depending on where u live) also try toget into a hospital instead of Long term theres more options as a CNA & alot of learning in a hospital setting. Ive done home care; LTC & now hospital and it helps alot for me with nursing school! Most of the nurses on my unit are AWESOME! And let me assist/help and teach me when they are doing things :) BEST OF LUCK

Day shift is CRAZY period. CNAs have a tough job but its way harder to be a nurse! Although it sucks now you'll get better; BUT u do need to use common sense. When your a CNA you may have 10-15 pts on your assigment and you have 3 hours to get them all fed & out of bed, not to mention a few will have showers, some will be total care and others you may have to use a lift! It takes time and youll learn your pts and find a routine. Your job will orient you DONT worry. Try to find other aides at your job, seasoned aides can be rough sometimes at first but they can teach you MANY tricks and things to help you along :)

This was a very good article. I do understand the "nurses eat their young" its the same in MOST healthcare. When I was a fresh MA; or CNA in LtC.. also now that I am a PCT in a hospital & in LPN school. I have alot of new nurses on the unit and i see older nurses with the attitude than new grads dont know anything. While they might not know it all they all offer valuable aspects.

I dont understand it either! I am a PCT in a hospital and I am currently in LPN school, during my PCT orientation I had girls who were RN students and asked me WHY I was taking pharm?! I asked them how did they not take it and they told me "teachers incorperated it" I think it makes WAYYY more sense to take it as a class IMO

basic pharmacology for nurses 15th edition by clayton; stock; cooper pub by mosby / elsevier it comes with evolve online and has a matching study guide its a GREAT book. breaks everything down by diseases and has all nursing processes / implementations ect + comes with a disc for the PC for help also =]

ive never heard of a program requiring a specific BRAND; a color yes, brand NO. but i would search amazon/ebay/google for your brand with an elastic waistband, much more comfortable. Ask your Dean if you can buy another brand bc your pants dont say up and you dont want your behind all out during skills or clinicals; as long as ur color matches i dont see why not.

st francis in trenton. its about 10 months. BUT you need prereqs. ALL lpn to RN in NJ you will need pre reqs; - some programs even require you have a liscense and working for 1 year min. go to a local county college and take your pre reqs; if youve ever taken classes before science classes can be no later than 5 years old; other gen. req. such as english 10 yrs you will need A & P I A&P II ENG I&II MICROBIOLOGY GEN PSYCH LIFESPAN PYSCH COLLEGE ALG. That can be done in 9 months if you do classes like this: fall 2012 -- a&p I, eng I, gen pysch & college alg. winter 2012 --a&p II spring 2013-- microbio ; eng 2 & lifespan