Starkrav

Hi all, I graduated in November, discovered I was pregnant a week and a half ago, and took and passed my boards a week ago. I am thrilled to be pregnant, because with my health history I wasn't sure if I would be able to conceive. At the same time, t...

Hi All, I am a new RN looking for work. So far I have not had any luck landing a med-surg/hospital position. A few of the home health care agencies in town are hiring, and I'm considering applying. But here is my concern - Once I work in home care, w...

Thanks guys. You all have great suggestions. I've decided to wait to apply until after my appointment with the OB on February 1st, just to see what she says. I know many women work high stress jobs or night positions while pregnant. I'm just not sure...

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice. I've been working at a nursing home as an LPN for the past 9 months while in school for my RN. For the past several months I have been PRN, working minimal hours. I'm now done with my RN, and am waiting to take my...

The DON told me that I could use her as a reference even if she is no longer the DON, because she was at one time my DON. Is that not actually the case? =/

I think it depends on what is most important to you. Schedule? Pay? Experience? Nurse-patient ratio? Any long term goals that you need to consider? Also, at the small hospital, do you know if low census is a common problem?

Hi all, I'm a new RN grad and I'm looking for advice. Right now, I hate nursing. I'm thinking I picked the wrong career, but I'm hoping you guys might have some words of encouragement or advice to someone just entering the field. FYI - I've been work...

Thanks Crunch. It's been a bad situation and your comment is nice to hear.

Man oh man, I wish I had time to do everything. If it was only a matter of choosing when to do what, then I wouldn't have a problem. When I say, "is it okay to blow off a resident request?", I mean it. I literally do not have time to take care of eve...

Why check the BP? what about resident rights? When I read through the incident reports filed by state for our facility, several of the deficiencies occurred simply because a resident asked for something that they did not receive. I get the point; the...

If I were in your situation I would ask for additional orientation. Explain that you cannot safely identify every resident using the facility's ID system, and that you do not feel comfortable passing medications on your own until you become familiar ...

I cannot accept the poor staffing in LTC; it makes me sick. The facility that I have been working in has two floors. Downstairs has 36 residents, which has 1 nurse and 2-3 aides on days. Upstairs has only 14 residents, with 1 nurse and 1 aide, but th...

I live in Iowa, and my understanding is that Certified Medication Aides (as we call them) can only pass non-parenteral medications. Like you, I am questioning my facility's use of CMAs. I tried to find some sort of scope of practice for CMAs in my st...

Exactly! It makes absolutely no sense! Well I ended up putting in my two weeks notice. Not because of the scheduling, but because of the job itself. I knew I hated the job, and the facility was a disaster... but it wasn't until I began searching onli...

Thanks everyone. It helps to hear other perspectives. I ended up putting in my notice last Thursday. The final straw for me was feeling like my license was at stake. I know nursing can be crazy, but I do think the facility I have been working in is ...

In the nursing home we refer to the patients as residents (it's a long-term care facility).

Want to know the most frustrating part? When I was first hired, I was working every other weekend. I had heard from fellow employees that the schedule changes all of the time, so I approached my boss and asked her - "since I'm only here every other w...

I'm so good at awfulizing So I have a question about the whole new nurses prioritizing tasks on the same level thing. Is it okay to blow off a patient request if it's a low priority? For example, let's say one "healthy" patient asks to have their BP...

Thanks, that's what I need to hear. I've never not given notice at a job and I don't plan to start now. I really want to leave this job in good standing, especially since this is my first nursing job. I'm actually thinking I may have to continue work...

I can handle stress to a certain level, and I can handle certain types of stress better than others. For example, stress in an emergency situation doesn't get under my skin nearly as much as when I'm asked to make and serve breakfast while doing my b...

I feel for you! I got two days of training to take care of 14 residents in long-term care. I know the acuity is low, but I frequently work without an aide and it's beyond overwhelming. (I'm currently trying to figure out how to leave that job). Trust...