stippie09

As a new grad RN last year in a LTC I found I difficult to supervise my aides at times. Like the other posters said, be respectful and assist your aides as much as you can, they do back breaking work all day. Tell them what you need done first thing when they come in, and follow up on that a few hours before they leave. Most will be respectful to you but there are definitely some that will push and push you. Take them aside to hash it out, then tell them what you need done. If it's still a problem, you might have to write them up. Good luck!

Hello all. I do have some input as a RN in a LTC. While getting all you vs in the first 30 minutes of the shift sounds good, for some shifts (especially 1st) this is nearly impossible. When the aides come in on 1st, they have to get 3 people cleaned up and ready for breakfast, and take them to the dining room to eat before the trays come on the hall. Then 1 aide goes to the dining room while the other aide passes trays and helps feed residents. My advice to the OP is to take you bp cuff and stethoscope and leave it on your cart. Just get the BPs and HRs before administering certain meds. The aides can get the rest after breakfast. If you aide says they are too busy, help them with time management, after all that's a huge component of your day. Hope this helps, good luck!!

When in LTC, it is quite difficult to do a full set of vs when giving a narcotic. Here's why, you have a average or 20-30 residents any given day, 3/4 of those residents get prn pain meds either q4 or q6. If you are doing your med pass and 3 people ask at once, can you really stop to do a full assessment on every person before giving a Norco/percocet 5/235mg?? No you dont. What you need to do is look them in the eyes, determine if they are unusually sleepy or their breathing is off in any way (then you want to do a full assessment). Yes, with something as strong as dilaudid I would definitely cover all your bases first. But chances are, these people have been taking these pain pills for years and it rarely affects them. But you should follow up.

As a nurse, I've worked all shifts. I work twelves and I believe 7a-7p is the most difficult. 5 med passes, 3 meals, 20+ txs a day, labs, orders, family members. And not to mention administration breathing down your neck every 10 minutes.

1. 88 bed facility 2. 25:1 ratio 3. 15:1 4. I give all my residents quality care, but I'm not able to do everything that they deserve. 5. Mostly computer charting, some paper. 6. Not "mandatory" OT perse but I always have OT due to understaffing. 7. I started in LTC after I got my RN license. I have been employed for a little over a year now. 8. No, I feel like I'm constantly walking on eggshells, just waiting for something tragic to happen. Our aides aren't allowed to do cpr, so it's up to the nurses (4 max at a time). 9. Mix of rehab, long term, lock down alzheimers. 10. 25.75/hr. I feel like I am underpaid for doing the jobs of a supervisor, med nurse, TX nurse, housekeeper, aide and waitress. And documentation on top of that. 11. Ohio

Hi! Ive been working at a long term care facility for about a month now and I took my nclex in May and this is my first job. I work nights. I have an average if 40 pts to care for. Its extremely hard abd frustrating at times but what works for me is to write down everything you need to do, eat a good meal before work bc you never know if you will get a break. And above all else, keep in mind what you became a nurse for. Good luck!

Im sorry to hear you failed. Im going to give you a list of things you need to know like the back of your hand to be prepared. All lab values (coagulation, abgs, electrolytes, wbc, rbc). Infection control!! Safety (always pick the patients safety over yours). Remember your ABCs (airway breathing circulation). Be somewhat familiar with ekgs. There is a study guide (37pgs) floating around on this website that really helped me prepare. And yes I did kaplan, qbank and the live class and it really helped. Good luck!

This wasn't a mispronounciation but it was still pretty funny. When I was a student I found a diagnosis of hyperpotassemia instead of hyperkalemia. The kicker was, it had a diagnosis code and everything!!

Here's a scary situation, im a new grad rn working nights in a nursing home/snf. I am responsible for 2 halls with a total of 41 residents. I am responsible for meds, charting, treatments, and emergencies.im scared to death something will happen. But I follow all my safety rules and C.Y.A. all the way.

Here's my two cents on the matter. If hospitals want their nurses to paint a picture of health for their patients, they need to worry how obese nurses will look to their patients. Who will be able to get to you faster if your heart stops? A obese nurse, no! Nursing is very stressful and if you want to have a cigarette to calm down then fine, who cares. Its sad really.

What state are you in? I've never been alcohol tested and was wondering where you are. Ive heard of NPs at the bigger hospitals getting tested but alcohol from the BON? In my personal opinion it's just another way to tell nurses how to live their lives. I understand drugs but alcohol too?

New grad RN in Dayton, $27/hr with $3 shift differential.

I did not always read everything bc I had, on average, 7 chapters per class per week. What helped me was to read the main part about a disease/problem and write down your nusing process for that disease process. Also, when you have many diseases that are similar, find what makes that disease different from the rest. Having a good a&p and pathophysiology foundation will really help as well

Hello, I took my nclexrn in May and passed. I attended Kaplan college, so by default I had the Kaplan whole review session/books following. I bombed my alternate format test as well and satas were my weak point. The thing you have to get stuck in your head is to treat those questions like true/false. Also, know your lab values and precautions like the back of your hand. Theres a great ~37 pg study guide out there for nclex tips (search kaplan nclex study guide). Take your time, ask yourself exactly what the question is asking you and you will do great. Good luck to you!!

I believe the hardest part, for me, was med surg. Rhe information was so vast that I could hardly keep up sometimes. You have to commit to studying all the time, and understand that it will be hard to be social if you are going to make it. Med/surg is all the procedures, skills and assessments. IVs, foleys, trachs, suture removal etc... diagnostic tests and knowing lab values are a huge part of it as well.