nerdynurse7

Hello everyone, just a quick run down on my job history I was a CNA for 4 years in nursing home, assisted living, and adult daycare settings working for an agency some of the time. I did one time go to a home as VNA and vowed to never do it again because they gave me a patient that was breaking all the rules, smoking inside, on drugs and it was very unsafe and intimidating for me. But then I became an LPN for 3 years and worked in nursing home and did adult daycare. Lastly now I'm an RN for 3 years now and have worked in skilled nursing rehab and have been working on a telemetry unit for about 2 years now. After being pregnant during the pandemic and being burnout in general with a little one at home, I was looking for something away from the hospital. I was curious about the ins and outs of VNA to see if it is something I could do. Pros and cons? and Yes I'm afraid of going into some peoples homes after my first experience, but would like to know your experience. Thanks in advance!

I work in a telemetry unit at a hospital but I have been wanting to learn more about labs and medical treatment for various diagnosis and conditions. I would appreciate resources that guide medical treatment for various conditions/diagnosis. Please and thank you!

Support, advice and community you cannot find anywhere else. Very resourceful. Can ask questions without feeling stupid... sometimes when people are nice.

I am new to Telemetry nursing and to the hospital setting. Although, I started at a community hospital it is a difference from Rehab nursing and SNF, which I have experience with. I have been trained on reading telemetry strips but I feel like in those courses they teach you the cookie cutter rhythms etc. I have been looking at the monitors at work and sometimes struggle to understand what is happening. Like when the monitor calls a rhythm VTACH or AFIB but it’s really not. I ask other nurses and they review the rhythms and say it’s fine. I am looking for a book or other resources to better understand telemetry, the monitors and treatment for different rhythms. I appreciate any advice posted. Thank you !

Hello fellow nurse friends! I am reaching out to you in regards to Case Management information. I have recently viewed many job openings for Case Management and was drawn to it for many reasons. But first let me tell you a little of what I am currently doing. I have been a LPN and RN in acute rehab/ SNF for a total of 3 years and I do not feel valued. I had to cut back from 32 hours to 24 hours due to the work life balance. I am scheduled from 7am- 3:30, but always leave 2-4 hours later depending on the day. As much as I use time management to my advantage, working with 8-12 patients in an acute rehab does not seem manageable. I am feeling burnt out due to the liability and toxic environment in this clinical setting. I feel like this job is affecting my personal wellbeing. I am also underpaid compared to other employers. I also work per diem at a primary care health center; mostly educating diabetic patients, monitoring hypertensive patients, administering immunizations, and completing in house lab work. In this setting, I do not feel stressed, but the pay is not great. I was intrigued by case management because it seems to be on the rise. I like the idea of being able to collaborate care for patients and not be so involved in the clinical aspect (hands on). Although I am passionate about being hands on, I do not think it will be healthy for me to continue. I have seen many job postings for case management, many do not specify exact experience with case management. I did work for an Adult Day Center for 5 months, evaluating patients for needs, which I find some similarities to case management. My sister is a clinical social worker currently working as a case manager for an acute rehab, but I know it differs between RNs and other titles. Overall, I am looking for a better quality of life for myself while still enjoying my career. I would like to hear what does case management entail? How many patients do you see a day? Do you work at home, or out of a facility, or home care? What experience is required? What degree is required? Any special trainings? Can you work part time? What are the usual hours? What is the salary/pay? Any information is helpful. Thank you.

After being offered opportunities about both companies, I decided to continue with the Rehabilitation Hospital. I feel like it was a better fit for me and I would be happier there. I am excited to start in two weeks! Thank you for all your lovely perspectives

I have recently been torn between two companies; I am not sure if both will offer me a job but I am at the next step and want to be prepared. The first job is a rehabilitation hospital which will give me the skills I need to end up in a higher acuity specialty, which is where I believe I want my career to head. The downside is that they offer 8 hour shifts and about a 4 dollar decrease than the second job. The second job is a dialysis job which offers a higher pay, and 12-14 hour shifts, which means I will be working less days more hours, which I do prefer. Bottom line I feel like the rehabilitation job will offer me the critical thinking skills and hands on skills I need to advance my career into a hospital in Boston, but the dialysis job offers me a great schedule and a great pay for a part time online student. Help? Can I still get into a hospital after being a dialysis nurse or should I continue with the rehab?

I wanted to update. I did start applying to more jobs. I landed an interview with a Rehabilitation center that offered me a job. I was not impressed by the interview and lack of information. I can expand on it if necessary but will just state that for now. But I am going to another interview for an Urgent Care next week. I feel like this is more acute experience that could be valuable in the future career goals that I want to accomplish. I have been networking and even then it is tough. I am not giving up even if it means I have to crawl before I walk. Lastly, I have heard people say acute care is not everything but I am passionate about trying it and figuring out if it is for me.

I live in Boston and recently received my RN license. I have an Associates degree and am currently enrolled to finish my Bachelors degree. I have 5 years experience in the healthcare field: 3 years as a nursing assistant and 2 years as an LPN. I have applied to many new graduate positions and others. I want to work in an acute setting but it seems like they all require BSN degree and specified experience. I need any advice on landing a job and how to get a foot in the door. Links to resources/videos etc would be helpful too.

After a long wait with MA Board of Nursing application process I finally received my ATT. I had waited 3 months after graduating to take the NCLEX-RN due to complications with my application. I quickly scheduled my exam date for 2 weeks and purchased the Uworld NCLEX questions bank. I almost everyday doing questions and reading rationales. I mostly received the average scores with the Uworld questions. 2 weeks later I took my exam and my computer stopped at 75 questions. I thought I failed... 2 days later I purchased the quick results for $8. On the screen the results appeared "Unofficial Pass"! I was so excited. The moment I was waiting for had finally come true. I am lucky to say I barely studied for the exam and was able to pass. I had this same issue in Nursing School where I would take in the lectures, lightly read material, watch videos and then sit for exams. I believe its due to my strong grasp of science and using critical thinking that I can get away with it. I recommend you study and practice questions as much as possible. My school offered the 3 day course with ATI that came with a book and some other resources. I personally love ATI and feel like a program like that will prepare your mind for the exam. Good luck to all!

I am finishing up my LPN-RN program this spring and am looking to relocate to Florida. I am hoping for a Nurse Residency program and Florida seems to have a lot to offer. I have been wanting to move out of New England and into a warmer state for a while. I am single with a dog so I don't have a problem with picking up and moving. I will be applying to the nurse residency programs within the next couple of weeks and was not sure if they will consider me until I have a Florida RN License. Should I wait until I have my license in Florida? I also will not be getting an apartment until I know which hospital I agree to work for. Any tips on relocating? Nurse residency programs? Florida? Licensing? I would appreciate feedback. Thank you.

Thank you. It was my first time, I was extremely nervous. Definitely more careful now, still feel terrible about it.

The medication was accounted for, missed dose as in I never gave it. It was a narcotic.

I am an LPN working with an agency. Today was my first day at a facility I have never been to. The facility is a nursing/rehab center, so basically a nursing home. I was placed on the Long Term unit with 33 patients and 3 nurses aides. Besides a completely messy nurses station, I noted that there was not sufficient supplies and support. I had to pass medications and do treatments , vitals, and assessments on 33 patients. At this facility they use a computer MAR attached to the med cart. This computer kept turning off despite the fact that it was charged. It turned off about 10 times or more during the shift, but it would turn on after I pressed around. Bottom line it was an insane shift where there was no time but to pass meds, and complete my tasks as quickly as I could. When doing count at the end of the shift I noted I missed a dose ( narcotic) of a patient. The supervisor was notified and a report was made. I feel as if this was completely out of my control and unfair due to the circumstances, what do you think? Also, I wanted answers on where medication error reports go. Will I be contacted by the board of nursing? Will it show up on my license? What happens next?

I had an interview a week ago on Monday for a LPN per diem position with an agency that sends you to different facilities. I had originally applied for the job online a couple months ago and was in contact with the company. I had delayed my hiring process because I had to relocate to a different city within the same state. I went in for the interview Monday October 16th. I met with the recruiter/staffing coordinator. She had me fill out paperwork after asking me questions and reviewing my experience. I completed my drug test on Wednesday and all she had to do was contact my references which are aware they are my references. I am positive my drug test was clean. It has been a week and I have not heard back from the company. The woman had told me she was going to try to get me into work that same weekend. Today I sent her out an email stating I was following up and checking in to see if she needed any additional information. Still waiting for a response... Should I call the company? or should I wait to get contacted?... If they do not contact me why do you think they choose to do so if she stated I basically had the job? ... I am just confused and would like an answer. Appreciate any feedback in advance. Thank you.