McArdle

I would love to get into a nursing program but the community colleges around me make it so incredibly difficult to even be consisdered. I could enroll into a private lpn program and be guaranteed a seat in their next class but their tuitions are at least 20k. I did find one lpn school that is only 7k and I could start this Jan. However, the drive to and from the school is 2 hours and 20 min each way. I would have to attend 4 days a week. Do you think the drive is doable? That would be 4hrs and 40min of driving each day. I just dont know... I would love to enroll but im not sure if the drive would end up being just too much. What do you guys think? This paticular lpn program is a year long. thanks stacey

I recently interviewed with a family for a private duty position. Without going into the specifics, I will say that the patient has Nooners syndrome, is on a vent, with a g-tube and trach. I will be getting paid directly from the state. I just finished my very first shift and I was with a LPN that was showing me her routine. Im feeling a little overwhelmed to say the least. I have never been around any patients that needed the care that this patient does. My exp is as a CNA in a LTC facility on the Alzheimers unit. All of my residents were ambulatory and able to feed them selves..ect. I watched the LPN give a nebulizer treatment, put medicine in the g-tube, check the vent and reposition tubing through out the night. She also had to suction the trach 5 times and once while she was suctioning, the patient got agitated and she had to "bag" him giving him O2 with the bag. My "orientation" with the nurse will last for 2 shifts. Although the patients mother explained that she will oversee me after orientation untill she is confident that Im able to do everything. I feel like Im not catching on fast enough. Is it reasonable for other people to know this stuff after an orientation of 2 shifts? Im just scared that Ill do something wrong or forget a step. I told the LPN I was with, that Im really surprised that the state says its okay for people other than actual nurses to be providing this care. The nurse told me that years ago..only RN's or LPN's could be hired for the posistion but now the state says that CNA's and even PA's (patient assistant's...who have never had any formal health care training) can do the job as long as they have the required 2 shift orientation and are able to demonstrate the skills back to the nurse. I am thrilled to have this expierence as Im sure it will help me in nursing school a great deal, but I dont want the exp at the expense of the patient's health or safety. Iv'e only met the patient twice but I already really like him. He is such a sweet boy with a very optimistic attitude. Anyways, how long does it take before you get to feeling confident and comfortable with this level of patient care?

I have read so many posts regarding nurses having their licenses suspended or revoked for diverting drugs. Is this as prevelant with doctors? Are some doctors known to write bogus scripts or divert drugs as well? I know your going to have exceptions, but Im wondering if this practice is mostly a "nursing" problem or if all health care workers have the same percentage of their professions affected by this?

Im just wondering, what is the publics perception of nurses and nursing in general? I have always considered nurses to be professionals. However, after speaking with my father he explained that while he views doctors as having "white collar" jobs, he views nurses as having "blue collar" jobs. Im curious as to how prevalent that opinion is with people outside the medical world. Do nurses view themselves as professionals?

Im feeling so much better today. My husbands best friend is a lawyer so he took my case. He told me he has already spoken with the prosecuting atrny and that since this is my first offence I will be put on probation for 6 months and at the end of the six months the case will be dismissed. I will not be convicted of anything. My record being as good as it was played a big part in me getting probation. This event is not something that I would EVER repeat again. I feel horrible about the whole thing and have definatley learned from my mistake. I will not be able to drive for the next 6 months and I have to attend a "victims impact panel" but that is a small price to pay. Thank you to the people that were supportive of me. I know you are not supporting what I did, but the fact that I made a mistake and am learning from it. As far as taking the NCLEX I emailed the BON and I got an email back saying that they do not look at any arrests thet were not followed by a conviction. The only thing they are looking for are actual convictions of either a misdomeaner or felony so I should be okay.

I still cant believe this happened to me. This last Sat. night I was coming home from my girlfiends bachlorette party. I was pulled over and got a DUI. Im sooo mad at myself for letting this happen. My record was spotless before this. I hadnt even gotten a speeding ticket in the last 7 years. Here I am taking all these prereqs in hope of getting admitted to the nursing program and I think I just blew it by being so careless and stupid. Do any of you here in Illinois have exp with having a DUI on your record and being able to sit for the boards? I would hate to spend the next couple of years in nursing school to only be told I wont be able to sit for the exam because of this DUI. Im not sure what to do.

Can any Deaconess students in Illinois tell me, do they set you up with a clinical site when it comes time or is it up to the student to find the site? I am in Il and am considering Deaconess because distance leaning would really fit into my lifestyle right now, not to mention the fact the the nursing programs here have a pretty long waiting list. The only thing holding me back is my concern over the clinicals. If its up to the student, Im wondering how hard it would be to find a place that is willing to host a student durring their clinicals. Thanks! Stacey

Thank you for your support. Even though I am no longer employed there, I cant help but think about this paticular resident and the whole situation in general. I dont want this incident to haunt me as Nurse100 suggested (and I know it will), so Im calling the numbers that Silentfades supplied first thing Tues morning. Im only a cna at this point but I can still advocate for my patients and whats wrong and what is right. Thanks all

I am currently a CNA and am doing my prerequisites for the LPN program at my local community college. Although I live in IL (not far from the IN border), I have worked as a CNA in IN for the past 2 years. After getting tired of the drive and the traffic, I decided to start a new CNA job closer to home. I got a job at a LTC facility in their Alzheimers unit. Ive always worked with Alzheimers patients so I felt pretty comfortable with the position. Well, me and another cna were in a patients room getting her changed because her clothes were soaked with urine. This resident can be combative at times and very sweet at other times. She constantly calls out for her sister and is always trying to "rally" the other residents into making a "break for it!". Well, while we were getting her changed she flat out slapped the other CNA across her face. This CNA hauled off and slapped her across her face right back and yelled at her! She then proceeded to stomp on the stuffed animal that this resident always carries around with her (a unicorn). I felt this was totally inappropriate and uncalled for and just flat out WRONG! After all, this resident is in the alzheimers unit for a reason! I reported what I saw to my nurse manager (who is a LPN and about 24 years old). Nothing was done and I feel my nurse manager is more intrested in hooking up with the head of the maintenance dept than she is about the residents care. She is always on the phone with this guy and rarely comes out of her "office". When she does, its usually to give one of the residents a shot of Ativan so they dont bug her for the rest of the night. Sorry for the negativity in this post but I am just very discouraged by this experience. I will never be that kind of nurse and if I do ever feel like this kind of behavior is okay I will get out of nursing pronto!

Has anyone here taken the LPN program at JJC? Did you like the program? Is there a long waiting list? Were the instructors nice and did they have clinical rotations at Silver Cross? Im just starting to do the prereqs and hope the waiting list isnt too long. Thanks for any insight you can share! Stacey

Hi all I was told I will have to have a laproscomy because of my endometriosis. I know its an outpatient procedure so really no big deal. I did have one when I was 17 yrs old but am now 35 and for the life of me, I cant remember if they give you anthing for the pain afterwards? I guess Im just a big baby...I tried tylenol, mydol, excedrin, asprin, and aleive when I get cramps or a headache but they dont do squat. For anyone out there that has had a laproscomy, how long did it take you to get back to work/school? Was it painful afterwards? Did they give you anything or should I stock up on a bunch of otc stuff and hope for the best? :uhoh21:

Forgive me, I am not a nurse but am looking for advice and thought you all may be able to give me some insight into the health care field. I will be attending school next month and have narrowed my choices down to 2 programs. #1: Cardiology Technician: EKG REC and INTERPRETATION, TREADMILL STRESS TESTING, HOLTER MONITORING. #2: E.N.D.Technology: Monitoring the brain, EEG, SLEEP STUDIES. I have a good idea what the positions are based on the job descriptions but was hoping you guys could give me your opinion on which job is needed more? Which pays better? Which offers room for more advancement ect. Thanks a bunch!!

My niece is wanting to attend nursing school very much. She will be applying next year. I found this site through a internet search site and thought I would check it out as Im out of touch with the field of nursing but love my niece very much and want whats best for her. I am saddend to hear that alot of you are so tired of this field. After reading posts about all the endless regulations and silly rules (like not having hand lotion in the office for example), it seems that the people in charge of these rules look at nurses, like they are the equivilant of grade school children. And it seems you dont get much respect from the doctors or patients either. I know when my neighbor's mother was in the hospital for heart problems, my neighbor came home from the hospital (after visiting her mom) and all she did was complain about how dumb and uncaring the nursing staff was. She also went on to say that one of nurses could hardly speak any English. And then there are those posts about all the inner office bullying and such. Makes me think alot of those nurses are unbalanced or in need of therapy or something. Im going to direct my niece to this site as I think this will be an eye opener for her. She will probably choose to attend nursing school anyhow, as she is very caring of others and always wants to help those in need and do what she can. Anyways, thank you to all the nurses out there and the job you do. Im sorry the nursing field can be a bummer at times and that it has gotten to where it is.