gooodnitenurse

I worked in LTC for over 30 years, it does not get better. get out while you are still young and before you become stereotyped. some employers think LTC nurses just care for elderly. they have no idea. with an RN degree you can work almost anywhere you want. I don't know where you live but I would apply at a hospital for operating room, flight nurse, emergency or ICU. some hospitals offer internships. I would encourage you to specialize in an area you are interested in working. good luck to you.

get out now before you become stereotyped to LTC. long term care is just a nice term for nursing home only patients are sicker and need more attention. the enviornment you are in is there to stay and only get worse. i am an LVN with 26 years of LTC/SNF and trying to get another job out of this area is nearly impossible because most employers think "nursing home" and think you dont know anything. i dont know where you live but a brand new grad should be able to get a good job anywhere. it may pay less but a lighter load may be worth it. there is a hospital in the city where i live is offering a $15000.00 sign on bonuse for RNs.

please let me apologize for my remake about being amazed by your need for clarification on this order. i meant no harm and of course no question is a stupid question especially when it comes to correct medication dosage. again i am sorry for my statement.

if you only have 250 mg tabs available than you would have to give 4 tabs to equal 1000 mg. if this was the case we would have to re write the order to reflect what mg tab is being given. crazy but state surveyors would give you a deficiency if not. i don't miss long term care a bit. lol

i am amazed that you need clarification for this order. the medication may not be available in 1000 mg tablets, that is why it is written 500 mg, 2 tabs. if you give 2 250 mg tabs that would be a medication error because that is equal to 500 mg one tab. when i was in long term care the orders had to be written to match what mg tab we had in stock. it is crazy because that is why nurses learn dosage calculation to figure out how many mg in how many tabs or whatever.

i have been working in a max security prison for almost a year now, having spent 26 years in long term care before accepting this position i am amazed by a practice in this environment that is common and accepted. when a medication is discontinued or and offender moves to another facility, their meds do not go with them but are hoarded by the nursing staff to use for transient offenders. i am so disturbed by this practice and have discussed it many times with the charge nurse and the adon superviser and they both support the practice and i have been told to "leave it alone" and " you are the only nurse that has a problem with this." I believe that just because everyone is doing it doesnt make it right or legal. at the very least this is insurance abuse. can any one tell me that this practice is legal in the correctional environment, then maybe i can let it go. this practice has given rise to other issues of medication shortages but i cannot discuss this with anyone at the workplace because i am seen as a troublemaker. i look forward to any feed back that any one can offer on this subject.

sorry I assumed you were an LVN/LPN. if you are a registered nurse you have many job opportunities and can choose where you want to work. think about why you became a nurse and what you really want to do than apply for it. once again good luck, I envy your degree

welcome to long term care. there may be more organized and up to date places to work but ltc is basically the same where ever you go. if you do decide to find another job try rehabs or long term acute care or even a drs clinic. these are about the only jobs available for LPNs/LVNs I have worked ltc for 26 years of my 30 years as a nurse. you will eventually learn to organize and prioritize your work the longer you do it. 26 patients is a rather light load compared to a lot of places. it seems I never could get off the med cart and unfortunately it is not the only duty you are responsible for plus It was virtually impossible to find and 8 hour shift in this field. good luck to you

this is not a mental illness issue, these individuals are sexual predators/offenders who have been discharged from PAMIO programs because they are narcissistic and anti social, they are no longer in the program so they do not care. the max security where I work the security does nothing to curb this behavior, the offenders are sly and clever enough to position themselves where you can see them but the officer cannot and therefore does not write them up for it . it is also the common attitude form security and even nursing staff that "boys will be boys".

i have been working in a maximum security PAMIO unit for about 5 months now and totally confused about the nurses role in "use of force" situations. I do not understand why the psych nurse (LVN} has to be involved in a security issue while it is in progress. I fully understand why after an offender has been exposed to mk9 or whatever should be seen by triage or medical but why in during progress. I would like very much to hear some feedback from nurses who are involved in UOF in the prisons where they work.