Homesteader2B

My facility is LTC and Sub-acute/rehab. On the LTC floors it's about 1:30 and on sub-acute it's 2:31 plus a nurse at the desk to do admissions. Right now the census is low but those are the max number of patients. The LTC floor is not easy, especially having many patients with behavior issues, half the floor is diabetic and having to constantly redirect the wanderers to keep them out of trouble.

Hi everyone, Thank you for your replies. My facility does supply me with Nitrile gloves. They ordered them immediately when I told them that I cannot wear the latex. I've even ordered a case for myself, and intend to keep a box in my truck, just in case they run out and do not reorder them in time. I cannot wear vinyl either because the accelerators used to make them give me itchy blisters on my hands. My problem is that there are boxes upon boxes of latex gloves (not the low protein variety) everywhere on the floors and everyone else wears them, touching everything and then I touch the desk, doorknobs, wheelchairs, etc and I get itchy rashes and wheezing. I am not sure what happened the other day with the swelling of the throat, but I am just a bit nervous to go back to work tomorrow and have it happen again. I don't want to look for another job because 1) not many places around here are hiring anymore and 2) most of the other facilities use latex gloves anyway. I am pretty well attached to my residents also and really do not want to start over at the bottom of the ladder, so to speak. There have been a few firings of nurses/CNAs in the past month or two, and I am concerned that this problem makes me an easy target to be next out the door. I saw an allergist today who is not convinced that my breathing episode was caused entirely by the latex, but agrees that I am allergic to it. The only other thing I thought it could be is possibly mold in the facility, but I had the skin test done for 13 molds and negative for every one. I suppose I will just have to see what happens tomorrow when I go in. I pray it won't happen again. I also plan to talk to the employee health nurse about the possibility of the facility changing over to nitrile or vinyl. I'll keep my fingers crossed! Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate them! ~Kelly

Hi, Recently I have become very allergic to latex (most recently my throat started swelling up at work) and unfortunately I work in a facility where nearly everyone uses latex gloves. The facility supplies me with nitrile gloves however. The facility is very thrifty (read: cheap) and latex gloves, being the cheapest, are what they use. My question is, does my employer have the ability to terminate me if I cannot work in the building because of the latex? Should they be forced to switch to non-latex exam gloves and is it possible to do this? Each time I go in there I have a reaction and it's been getting worse but I don't want to change employers because I've been there for four years. Any insight is greatly appreciated! ~Kelly

first born, lpn (perhaps that selection should have been included in the poll), alcoholic father. however it has nothing to do with the alcoholism...grandmother was a nurse, aunt is a nurse, mother is a lab technologist...medical professions run in the family. :)

My most difficult classes thus far are Precalculus II and General Chem II (the weeding-out class). Nursing courses are not that difficult for me. I didn't have a hard time in LPN school. It was not bad. The tests were easy, if you studied. I am in A & P II this semester and many of my fellow classmates are getting all bent out of shape because the [college] professor expects college-level performance from the students! They want extra credit, extra points, curved grades, etc. I don't know what is wrong with these people! What happened to working hard, applying yourself and actually studying to earn the good grades? Granted that many of these students are just out of high school, but that's no excuse. More professors should teach the way my Chem professor does; you get the grade you earn. No gifts, no breaks. I am studying science because I want a Biochem or Chem degree as well. I am appalled that the nursing profession does not require the study of the fundamental sciences (Biology, General and Organic Chemistry, General Microbiology and the mathematics that go with those subjects). It is disturbing that the county college requires only nursing microbiology (note that this is not General Micro) and A & P I/II! No Biology or Chemistry or Algebra. Nursing programs should be revamped to include these sciences, along with the social sciences needed. Some nurses want the same respect as doctors and in some cases, want to be doctors, but they don't even have the basic scientific background that a medical professional should have. Hopefully, the nursing curriculum will change for the better. ~Kelly

What does this mean "with 2 year advanced experience"? ~Kelly

Does anyone know if Wisconsin accepts an ASN from Excelsior College and will the state let me sit for the boards if I have an Excelsior degree?? I haven't been able to find any information on the WI BON website to answer my question. Thanks! Kelly

Greetings, I wish I had some words of wisdom to share, but I too am having a very difficult time in nursing. I am ready to leave the profession altogether. I am an LPN working in LTC for 3 years and I am so burned out. I used to enjoy the facility where I presently work, but lately I just can't stand it! I cannot complete a morning med pass (including the tx, feeding and misc stuff) in the two hour window. I give ALL of the meds and make sure the residents take them. I toilet people and feed and help the CNAs. Some other nurses that work on my unit do not pick up any of that extra work. These other nurses also get their med passes done in 1 and a half hours! Something is wrong with either my work or what they are doing! Of course, they complain that I take too long, but I answer..."do you want speed or accuracy?...'cause you're not getting both". I am very tired of the backstabbing at my facility! Also, I am tired of the charge nurse passing meds for the other one every day. I was under the impression that only the nurse on the cart was allowed to pass the meds! I guess my head is still stuck in nursing school! I am so stressed out from this job and a common response is to go work somewhere else, but it's going to be the same at any other nursing home. I am working on the ASN (with Excelsior) but I am so fed up that I don't know if I'm going to keep working as an LPN. I really care for my residents and it saddens me to think about leaving. I've gotten attached to many of them but it's not worth the stress and depression. I've decided that I'm going back to college to pursue a BS in biochem or molecular bio and then apply to veterinary school. It's something that I've wanted to do forever and I now have the motivation. I hope that nursing will get better for you and that you find an area that really fits you. Good luck! Kelly

Hi, I am considering moving to southern WI (Beloit/Janesville/Madison area) in a year or so. At present I am an LPN with three years LTC experience. I am working on the ASN-RN also, with Excelsior college. I am hoping that I can get my RN license before moving, but if not I would want to work as an LPN. Does anyone know about how much the hourly wage is for that area in a LTC facility? Another question I have for those of you from WI; Does the WI BON accept the ASN from Excelsior college? How about a RN license from NJ, if the nurse graduated from Excelsior? Thanks for any help! Kelly in NJ

I'd love to work in Germany, UK, Poland, Ireland, Norway or Austria (in that order). I'm in the process of earning my BSN-RN and learning German, because I seriously want to live/work in Germany. ~Kelly

We had one resident on 3mg of Haldol Q12° for a long time. He passed and now we have another resident on 0.5mg. I don't know about the other floors. It seems like the MDs are going crazy with the Novolog insulin now. About 75% of our diabetics (and there are a lot) are on Novolog. It is super fast acting (like 10-15 min). Viele Grüße, Kelly

I work in LTC on a 60 bed unit, but work with another nurse and we each get half of the residents. I'm in NJ.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has any info about working in a veterinary hospital as a nurse, either LPN or RN. I've been told that some animal hospitals will hire nurses but I don't know how true that is. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks for any help! ~Kelly