roreyn02

Ive always been interested in home health, but I surely do not want to do it as a nurse.. Heres the thing, I dont beleive I ever was a nurse. Im just a guy who passed the exams with the minimum score to get thru nursing. I crammed when I studied and spit the info back out on the tests. Now, when I actually did the nursing duties, it always felt.... awkward. Like when I would talk to a doctor on the phone, they seemed to wonder if they were speaking with a nurse, or housekeeping or something. My answer to the doctor was always, "I dont know" or "uhh.... whats that mean?" Im a bumbling clueless guy and im a complete klutz. The more intense and acute a situation gets the stupider I get. And that is NOT going to change... Now, im pretty certain that im a very smart individual... I dont have the kind of intellegence that a true nurse has though, which is intellegence in an acute situation and the ability to recall all kinds of general health info... Im perfectly ok with being a CNA or doing housekeeping, or some other low paying non-professional work for awhile till I find out where to go next. Im going to keep trying to increase productivity at this warehouse job.. But I can already feel that im going to fail, because I just hate this job too. Its extremely time intensive probably more so than nursing. Once I get away from this "rebound" job, im probably going to ask around see if theres places that will work me as a CNA, or just apply for housekeeping at a nursing home or something till my license expires. I doubt a place would check wether or not im licensed as a nurse if I apply for housekeeping.

I have a very odd question to ask: How do I get back to work as a nursing assistant? As some of you may read about a month ago.. I was fired. For incompetence as well as a bit of an angry outburst. Im an LPN, just got my license in 2012, and the thought of going back to being a nurse makes me feel horrible. I was so unhappy with the job. Since the day I began working as a nurse ive slowly become more and more angry and frustrated. I absolutely hated being a nurse. I dont even want to be a medication aid. I dont want to touch pills. I went into the field of nursing to "be there" for someone in need.. I was proud as a nursing assistant. I felt great. I was always told how nice and patient I was by residents. I was often told I was their favorite. Female residents wanted me to care for them over other female staff. I didn't have to worry about giving anyone medication, or assesing or talking to an angry doctor or calling the shots. Another thing I just HATED about the job, was being the "leader" or the "boss". As a nurse I was happy to get paid more, but after awhile there was something I missed, and it was the feeling that I was competent, and capable. I missed people knowing they could count on me. I miss feeling like the best guy for the job. And im ready to take a lower salary to have those things back. Im currently working in a warehouse putting groceries on a pallet. It pays even better than a nurse, eventually if one sticks at the job long enough and is productive enough they will get as much as an RN makes, no education or training needed. Im not getting what I want out of this job either though... Im not able to feel like the best guy for the job. I dont feel like I fit in at the warehouse. Its hurting my shoulders having to jerk those packages off the ramps all day, and having to turn the wheel so far on the forklift cart to make sharp turns strains my shoulders even more. I never had this problem lifting people out of beds. Im not meeting the minimum productivity standards for this warehouse either... nowhere near it. And I do not see myself making it, ever. Im just not that fast. I am getting so stressed that I cant sleep, which is why im here typing to get all this off my chest even though I have to be there again in just a few hours. Family and friends are going to be so upset with me. There going to be so confused as to why I would go through all the training and then become a CNA again. I could work at wal mart or something and make almost as much... But I dont see myself stocking shelves or being a cashier very well.. I made an amazing CNA and I wish i could go back... In fact I wish that instead of going anywhere near college that I would have just gotten this certification right out of high school and stayed there. But everyone, family, friend and peers said "your too smart for that job"...

Heh... Yea most of the residents think im a sweetie and all... but doing what I did was not something a "sweetie" would do. I dont see myself as a sweetie, sure I can be comforting for a resident, but if im frustrated and I want to cuss you out and hit you ill head over to the restroom were you wont see it. These residents are usually people who just chose not to like me for absolutely no reason, who have some kind of cognitive dysfunction or dementia. Ive been like this for awhile staff never reported it till now. As of right now though, I am thinking that maybe it was more incompetence that cost me my job, ive felt incompetent in nursing for a long long time, and NOTHING in my life has ever frustrated me more than nursing. Had they not fired me, but called me out on my passive aggressive behaviors I know I would have adjusted. Im not so out of control that I wont remember to close the door next time. I just hope that when management said it was "borderline abuse" that it didnt mean that I was somehow going to get abuse on my record.. If thats the case I probably wont be working AT ALL anytime soon in ANYTHING. They tell me that according to what they see in my charting and how I handle situations on the floor that I lack assertiveness(like I said aggression does not equal assertiveness, and aggression does not mean im hurting loved ones, throwing things, or breaking things), and that I lack the knowledge and skills that nursing school was supposed to have provided. So, it seems to me that I may have slipped thru the cracks and barely made it by in nursing and got the paperwork saying that I am capable, but thats all paperwork, its not 100% accurate. Just because you go through school and get the degree doesnt make you competent. This wasn't my dream job. I was always into more scientific things, like math, phyisics, chemistry, microbiological research. But another problem with me is I cant "juggle" I cant go to school AND work like everyone else does and get a good grade. I cannot think straight or use my reasoning skills unless im sitting down with a cup of coffee. I remember taking an entry exam to the school I went into and they told me I have the highest math score they ever seen. Of course, I havent developed this skill and I dont have any credentials. But I do remember math classes being the lowest stress courses for me, I was always confident in those classes. I remember people all freaking out in nursing school about the "math portion" of the test, there all sitting there grinding away at their math notes. I didnt even study and passed it easily. Ive been thinking I should have maybe been a math professor or something.. I remember being evaluated a long time ago in some IQ test at school and it showed that im very conceptual, and very good at reasoning. Traits that are good for someone who sits at a desk and balances equations and stuff. But that im very very weak at "putting things into practice" or making real things occur. So anything like art, engineering... or nursing.. are my weak points. Other than that, im awesome at menial labor like mopping floors, hauling trash, or being a nursing assistant. Just so long as im following orders.

No, not yet. As of right now I feel like the main reason for job loss was the incompetence. But im much more worried about the passive aggression. I dont want to be changed... I feel like this problem could easily be helped by closing the door, or heading to the restroom. In fact, I know that is all it would take... Nothing, no job or anything has frustrated me more than nursing has. I have every right to be who I am. And if it hurts someone else ill keep it to myself.. If I were competent on the job perhaps I would have been given a warning to fix the behavior. I dont know, I just wish I did know. I want to be able to come to terms with that. Im not a bully. I dont think I am anyway... maybe in my imagination I like to be especially when someone frustrates me. And I ALWAYS vent AWAY from the resident. Ill vent away from staff as well in the future. But I doubt ill be a nurse then.

So I was just fired today. First thing management brought up was my passive aggressive personality... Ive never hurt anyone in my entire life, never neglected anyone or abused any resident I cared for. The residents I care for who are cognitive will all tell you im kind, I dont raise my voice and yell like many other nurses. But deep inside I carry a pretty aggressive personality, and ive vented around other staff and in very inappropriate ways. I swear about residents that get on my nerve.. They caught me making an offensive gesture in their direction in the resident restroom. The resident cannot see or hear what I am saying and doing, neither do the other residents. I dont say anything bad about one resident to another... But I guess I can see now that staff might assume im capable of all kinds of horrible things due to my way of acting out my aggression. Not good for the healthcare team at all. I deserve to be called out on it. I feel horrible right now. I dont mean any harm at all to anyone. I will take care of the residents to the very best of my ability no matter how much they get on my nerve, thats why most of them like me. These residents deserve respect. Even behind the scenes. There lives are very hard. Now also what was brought up by management who fired me was incompetence. I was told that I am not assertive, my documentation is unsatisfactory and so is my knowledge. I will humbly admit that, this is probably true... I may not be the guy for the job as a nurse. My personality issue needs to be resolved regardless of what job I go to from here though, or maybe if im able to get re-training and counseling somehow and keep my license to practice. I felt like I was learning so much from this job and that I was improving. I absolutely hate being a boss, I hate being in charge... Over the weekend staff were complaining to me that one of the aids was not "pulling her weight" and participating enough.. I would stop by and help her with ADLs and I was hoping this would get her moving... I can see how thats not right, I need to get her under my thumb and tell her to work. But im just so.... passive. Being aggressive is not the same as being assertive.. =( And being aggressive does not always mean your hitting people, throwing things, and directly cursing at a person. If I lose my license due to incompetence, I guess thats fair... Its been tough, I cant think straight in stressful situations, I can follow directions very very well though, which is why I made a good nursing assistant. My main concern here is when management said my passive aggresive behaviors were "borderline abuse". That made my heart jump into my throat. Im so afraid that I might somehow have some kind of abuse record that will follow me around. I dont deserve that. Im good with children, children I meet like me more than their own parents because im so tendor and kind with them, and im just like that with the residents. If ANYONE frustrates me though, no matter how innocent, I will swear about them and say aggressive things. I can now see that this is probably very shocking for my peers who most of the time see a light-hearted nice guy. Its such a strong contrast of personality. Management told me they were shocked to hear these things about me. Is my aggression alone, even though I wasnt damaging property, hurting anyone, or yelling at or putting someone down, enough reason to fire me? And, this was the first time I was called out on it... I mean, everyone no matter how old, how responsible has moments where someone from the outside needs to call them out on their flaws. If I were competent as a nurse, would they have called me out on it and told me if they see it again I could be fired? I know there are nurses out there with much worse historys than mine. I have a clean criminal record, never abused drugs or alcohol. And I hear stories all the time about nurses with history's of alcohol abuse, and DUI's. I guess there still allowed to work because of competence... Thats the key I guess. And I understand.

Hi everyone, LPN here from the midwest. I just had a meeting at work and heard that because of medicare cuts they may have to cut back on census and thus cut back on employees. They havent mentioned it but I think there also going to run into trouble with the fact that the new laws require any business of 50 or more employees is REQUIRED to provide health insurance to it's employees. My place of work does not provide benefits its a small town for profit facility. We DO have like exactly 50 employees. So yea, im guessing the fact that there gonna be required to provide us insurance is another reason why they might have to cut back. Its kinda scaring me though, im beginning to wonder what might happen. Right now nursing and CNA work is one place where you are always able to find a job. Is that going to change and all the sudden it will be tough to find places to work because facilities will start cutting down on staff and residents? Where will those residents go anyway? I probably just started a political argument, but im really not interested in the bickering between the right and the left right now. The laws been passed and im just wanting to know what we are stuck with. Id like a more non partisan discussion. Unbiased facts. Not looking for blame games like "the liberals are ruining us" or "the redneck conservatives dont know whats good for them". Looking for intellegent responses id rather not anyone bother talking like they do in congress, fox, or msnbc. From my point of view, both sides have good points, but when one side is correct the other side just refuses to recognize this. Anyway... tell me what you all think? Whats going to happen to our jobs when it comes to nursing and healthcare?

Im an LPN, I think perfectly fine with it. Im working as an aid as I purse my RN right now I hope to make it and im putting all my efforts into it but if I dont make it ill be glad to have my LPN license to fall back on. I dont really have any desire to move away from long term care even if I graduate from the ADN program and pass the RN boards. The only reason I really got my LPN was because I needed a job with a little bit more salary than an CNA, other than the low salary I love working as an aid, its a great job for me because im patient and the residents I care for all like that about me. The way I see it, there is no such thing as "just" a CNA or "just" an LPN because healthcare will never work without these people. Im hoping they dont "phase out" LPN's from long term care, I know these nurses are limited in their scope of practice, so are CNA's but because they are limited they end up doing some very important tasks that the RN's and the physicians need done while they do their part. We need to realize that in the USA we all make different salaries but that doesnt make any one of us less important. There will always be a place for all of us in healthcare. I just hope that my LPN license lasts quite awhile longer if I dont get my RN because I want to at least get my loans payed off and my money's worth out of it before they phase them out and force me to go back to a CNA salary. No problem, ill always be a valuable citizen.

It should be legalized why worry about wether or not someone smokes a little pot once in awhile? I wouldnt smoke it even if it was legal its not my thing. I dont drink/smoke/do drugs. I often hear people say "I dont someone who smokes a few joints when their off work taking care of my grandma". Well fine im not a pothead so dont worry about me. But what if one day someone says, "I dont want someone who has a few drinks over the weekend to take care of my grandma" If we were to keep people who have a few beers on their time off out of the medical field that would weed out just about EVERYONE. A number of people who work in the medical field are darn near alcoholics during their time off. Im not saying a lot of people or only a few people I dont know so im just saying a number of people. Ive had people come to work at our nursing home who had the smell of alcohol in their breath and leaving empty beer cans in people's rooms. They got rid of him though. But I just think that as long as a person does their job and does it well we shouldnt worry about what they do at home. I may not drink/smoke/do drugs, but theres other things about me that people might find really controversial and just terrible. I play violent video games, I never go to church(im not religious), I might listen to some really crazy rock music sometimes like van halen but these are personal things that work isnt really allowed to dig into. Now if im sitting there at work with my headphones on and letting everyone's beds get wet, skipping out on med pass, or basically just not doing my job cuz I want to listen to music or play a gameboy then I can see how thats a problem. Or if I just call in because I want to sit at home and play video games. But I dont have those problems, and im pretty sure a little bit of marijuana during a person's time off could ever hurt. Just dont drive or work while doing it. Anyway.. I am NOT at ALL trying to say that I shouldnt try and enforce a new "no smoking in the car" policy. This is the way of the world, laws are strict on pot and thats how its going to be. Doesnt matter how much I complain. I just find it ridiculous when theres such strict laws against marijuana which has never in the history of mankind ever killed anyone, yet all the judges, police, and the ignorant backwood rednecks got some idea that its ok to pour gallons of alcohol down their throats each week. Prohibition of alcohol was just as dumb as prohibition at all. Too bad Ron Paul probably isnt going to make it, from what I hear he was going to end prohibition of everything and save this country from all the efforts WASTED on the "war on drugs". And NO im not PRO drug use. I just feel like we should treat people who do them like they got a problem not like criminals. Rather than deny them employment because they have a drug history we need to work on getting them working again. Blacklisting of people who use drugs only FORCES them into a LIFE OF CRIME! IF you cant work because your BLACKLISTED your forced to deal more drugs or steal cars to make ends meet! Im speaking for people I know whose lives are ruined because they messed up a few times with drug use. They never committed any other crimes and their ruined for it. Now I see myself being very successful compared to them, I dont want to lose what ive earned but I think its unfair. I guess ive changed this topic into a politcal one now sorry.

Well like I said its a relative. very close relative. Guess ill try to enforce a no smoking policy in the car maybe he wont be like that. And hes not a b/f a lot of people kinda been talking like he is but im a guy, a straight guy and ive been close friends/relative to this person since we were born. (I have this posted at the end of this whole topic im new to this site I meant to post it here)

Nah im a straight dude this is one of my relatives thats around my age. Hes always sees me as "too strict and uptight" about things. I dont drink, smoke, havent even tried pot. Tells me I should "try everything at least once" and all that. If I start enforcing a no pot in the car policy hes gonna ignore it. The car is really the only place where its dangerous, since I live in a very remote backwoods part of nebraska theres almost no chance he'll be caught smoking it in my backyard surrounded by trees. Id never go so far as to say you cant smoke it there.

Hi im an LPN in the iowa/nebraska/south dakota area. (yes my city is divided into three states, they are all compact states). I dont do random drug tests at my facility they only do one when you first get hired. I am drug free but I still have concerns because I am around 2nd hand marijuana smoke every once in awhile. One of these days when I leave the place I work and move on to a facility that does more strict drug testing im afraid I might have my entire career that I worked so hard for destroyed. That would be the worst thing ever... So im wondering am I alone? Are there any other nurses out there that hang around people that have a little smoke in your car once in awhile? I always have them crack a window open but I get really anxious when I can smell it. I keep thinking "oh no my urine is getting dirtier and dirtier with each breath!". Its always me driving and him in the passenger seat. I dont hang out with a bad crowd. This person is a family member and hes not a bad person for lighting up a little pot once in awhile, it just kinda keeps him from getting a decent job. He doesnt force me to do anything he knows that I cant put my career at risk. In the midwest you cant do ANYTHING with pot on your record. I know its a ridiculous world we live in. The law treats pot like its some kind of dangerous drug. Anyway... just want to know anyone else around pot enough to smell it in the air around you but dont smoke it and do a lot of random drug tests? It would be nice to know beause if it anyone has ever lost a job from 2nd hand marijuana smoke im probably going to have to have a "no pot in the car" policy. Of course... he'll probably just tell me im being overly worried or something.

Im going for my ADN but they dont allow you into the ADN program unless you have passed the state boards and are a licensed nurse. Otherwise i'd probably just have skipped doing the boards and went straight through. I should be an RN by may. And yea I work at a dinky little for profit LTC facility. I dont know how you find a state/federal LTC facility in my area like how do you tell? Does it have a big old sign on it saying "state/federal LTC facility" or on their home page? My Facility has no "home page" doesnt have computer charting, wifi, or electric beds even we use the old fashioned crank beds. No benefits at all, aids make 9.5 an hour. But at this point in life I only need a little spare change each week to survive really. I should be able to keep up till summer. I want to get out of here ASAP when ive finished. I know I have much more oppurtunity elsewhere when im ready to take on a full time schedule but getting the education is my priority now. ANd I did apply for a job at a nursing home close by as an LPN. This place has benefits which is nice. But they turned me down for someone "with a little more experience" I dont know if I beleive that though, because we all have to start off without experience, otherwise no one would get the oppurtunity to actually get experience in the first place. I find myself too busy with homework to surf the net for jobs, or type up a nice resume.

Hi there. Just got my LPN in July havent used it yet. Im still doing aid work at my local nursing home. They are hiring an LPN for night shifts and I had been doing night shifts because I prefer them. I started the ADN program at my community college. So im putting in 17 hours a week all weekend day shifts. The LPN job is extremely attractive but the hours are SO not what I want during school. I seriously prefer to just work my same hours now and maintain the status quo rather than get a higher salary right now. It makes getting my RN easier for me because I can focus on studying rather than finding a new job with a completely new set of hours, and probably MORE hours. Any opinions on this decision? Also... I want to say that a few weeks ago I wanted to stop my education here because I am totally fine with being "stuck" in long term care because it feels right to me. Only reason I am going for RN is because of the extra pay, a variety of new places to work that I "Might" want to take up, and because of that little rumor going around about phasing LPN's out of health care totally! Scares me a bit. So being an LPN would be a totally satisfying career for me to be in for the rest of my life. As long as I can KEEP it for the rest of my life. I often here that rumor is all just a lie, that they cant get rid of us because we cost less and we are able to go places RN's prefer to stay away from like long term care and home health. And the BSN only rumor I doubt because if everyone has to have a bachelor's degree who will be on the floor and who will be in the desk jobs? I look at the employee list at my nursing home you got tons and tons of aids and they come and go at random, then a few LPNs that usually stick around, then even fewer RN's which are usually on those MDS sheets or whatever, or DON or administrator rarely on the floor. So from that point of view it looks pretty good, till I heard this rumor that one nursing home turned all the LPN's into med aids. And another rumor about clinics replacing their well paid LPN's with lower wage medical assistants and stuff. I was actually thinking of being a "glorified LPN" and just getting IV therapy certification, ACLS and stuff like that and see where that would take me salarywise and stuff. Figured it would be a bit easier and less costly than becoming an RN. But im not following that path right now I WILL go for my RN im NOT going to waste the money ive invested in advancing my career. But I really wish I could feel the comfort of having my LPN because.... you never know what issues can come up. Life is weird like that, someone could die I could get hurt and have to leave school for awhile, maybe ill run out of gas money or money for groceries.... Or I might just not make it. Now I dont want to hear a "dont give up yet!" speech because ive had plenty of that already im NOT giving up!!! And no feeling secure with my LPN is not going to make me think "oh well ill quit here then!" because either way the money ive invested is at stake if I give up. I HATE! and I mean HATE!!! wasting money! From what I hear LPNs make about 12-16 dollars a hour round where I live. That sound pretty good? Midwest has a lower cost of living than many other parts of the USA. I just read some posts from detroit some new lpn says there making 26.50 to start! Now I dont really know if I can beleive that! But I guess detroit it costs a ton to live?? Rural areas like where im from dont cost as much. So yea just becuse the number is bigger doesn't mean that it IS bigger.