LyssC_RN

What??? No nurse in ltc would dare leave like that...not before the next shift nurse finished counting narcotics and everything was good. You are always responsible for closing narcotics before leaving...And having it verified. That is your job on the line if that count is wrong.

unfortunately its rare for a ltc to be adequately staffed. More like forever shortstaffed...at my nursing home, cnas resign all the time. And in a given shift up to 6cnas call out. Um yea like the floors can afford even one cna calling out, on every shift...

To the OP: where was your first job at? Is the nursing home a good place to begin? I have a choice btw nursing home and urgent care.

thanks!

Which one, in your opinion, would prepare me better nurse overall as someone who wants to work in a hospital someday? Graduated with as ASN in June 2012 and then became pregnant with my son. Only started working since March. I've been at a nursing home for over a month as a full time night shift charge nurse who is also responsible for meds & treatment cart for a floor of 40 residents. It it's a rehab floor so its not just geriatrics and pts change often. It seems like the majority of my job is mostly paperwork and pushing the cart around but it just seems like a LOT of endless busywork I need to stay on top of...with not a lot of room or time to learn...also it seems like I no longer see my 1yr old soon anymore since I need to grab sleep whenever I can. The urgent care job is per diem during days and it is a LOT too but it seems like I would be able to practice various skills more and experience more on a daily basis. They have a room for trauma, a sterile room, an xray room, and several examination rooms. BUT the full time paycheck id nice to get. Blah. Just wanted some opinions from you all. Thanks in advance! Also wondering what type of nurse/charcteristics are more suited for ltc vs urgent care, etc. I think I could handle ltc better if I didn't have to do both

My facility's application states that new employees are on call for at least 120 days...Anyway I have the graveyard shift, and they called me at 1230pm to work on my night off (wed night), yet I had clocked out at 1020am!! Um sorry but I barely can function during the day. I needed my SLEEP

hm I have been a charge nurse and med nurse for over a month for a floor of 40 residents. And even I received 10days of orientation, and there were STILL things which eluded me. I can't imagine just three days of orientation. Maybe with just a straight up medication nurse position.

Wow...I guess the real answers to this poster's question really began on the last page. I do prefer forums without drama myself. Really, nurses should try to help one another. Unfortunately, there will be that ego driven or whatever MD that will make your life a living hell. For no other reason except that it is something with them and NOT with you. I went through it for about 6months...and yes I accepted the fact that I would be yelled at as a novice nurse and all...but he was also treating his most dependable nursing "assistant" (of 7yrs) the same way, not to mention the rest of the staff, and I was APPALLED. Btw she WAS a nurse in every sense of what she was doing bit because of her legal status she could not advance. I quit recently and I don't regret it one bit. She was thrilled for me. Two wks later she got her papers and she quit too. Woot.

Congratulations on the job offer! That definitely doesn't sound like a bad starting wage at all, and especially in an area that doesn't have a high cost of living. I think the larger cities/hospitals pay just a bit higher...but i believe we may get taxed more as well (esp NYC and California). It's also much harder to get a job in general for a new grad (positions for new grads are almost nonexistent actually, its the new nurses with 2+yrs of medsurg experience that have more opportunities). The cost of living is expensive in cities as well. I understand that it will be difficult to uproot your family for work...however, it depends on how you feel about the job and the hospital as well. Do you think it'll be a good place to learn and grow? Getting in your initial 2 yrs so you can move on to a more prime position later on is an opportunity you can't pass up. And hopefully you will get raises or added bonuses if you get extra certifications or during review time as well :) I just graduated in June, and during our last semester, the professors actually told us to apply everywhere, and to be prepared to relocate for our jobs since the market for new grads in NYC is almost nonexistent with regard to the hospitals. I'm casting my net wide...applying to hospitals in NYC, NYS, Boston, Florida, California, and Texas. We'll see what happens.