jennilea

Lol thanks guys! Wondered if I was going crazy here! These girls are documenting that they washed breakfast dishes, rinsed washclothes, put earrings on, ect... One LPN who actually charts that she gives an assesment every morning! Meanwhile, patient experiences out of the ordinary medical issues and all that gets charted is "Pt experienced episode of passing out. Placed back to bed. Left in care of mother". Not "syncope", no vs, absolutely no other details!!! But, hey, at least she picked out her earrings and got her hair braided that day! We also had an issue with an incontinence rash that went on for 6 weeks, with each nurse putting different assortment of creams, ointments, and powders with no consistancy to the tx, other than they were all HOTPACKING a diaper rash! I stuck with Calmoseptine, came in one night and one of these girls actually left me a note that I needed to be hotpacking the area and putting TAO on it and not Calmo!!!! Went to the mom on that one but mostly I just come in, read these ridiculous notes, roll my eyes and wonder if I have finally become that cynical old nurse I never wanted to be, lol.

Congratulations for making it through your first semester! Get some relaxation in before Med/Surg begins and your whole life goes back to revolving around school!

I am an LPN with many years of experience, mostly LTC. For the past year I have been doing Home Health nursing as an independent contractor. I have noticed that some nurses are charting every single thing they do t/o the shift. Is this the norm for this field? When I write my nursing note I do not include what I feel are trivial details: "Applied socks to pt's feet, then applied sneakers to pt's feet. Tied sneakers". Nor do I chart what I feel are obvious parts of a routine. For example, I would chart: "Patient assisted to shower chair, shower given, then assisted back to w/c"; whereas some coworkers chart out every detail- "pt assisted to bathroom. Shirt removed. Pt stood up, then stepped and pivoted to shower chair. Pants and brief pulled down. Pt sat on shower chair. Pants and brief removed..." I am sure you get where I am going with this. I give a narrative of the ADL's and save my detailed charting for the actual nursing tasks I perform: meds, treatments, TF, ect.... My understanding is that we are supposed to be documenting enough to validate the care being paid for and at the same time covering our butts should anything we do ever be called into question. I would appreciate any input on this topic from other nurses as to what they are documenting on. Thank you!

"Where"

"What part of her post suggested she is an LPN? To answer the OP's question..." Well that was uncalled for. Where in her post did she specify that she was an RN? I don't see how that even makes a difference. I was simply offering advice, just like you. I don't see any reason why you felt the need to dumb down my reply. Regardless of LPN or RN licensure you can still obtain an NPI number and bill through Medicaid. There are many high tech cases were a new nurse can gain valuable experience in a wide variety of fields. The compensation is very competitive, especially for an RN.

You might want to consider obtaining your NPI number. That would enable you to do home care and bill Medicaid. The pay is good for an LPN, $21-$30 an hour depending on what type of case. The best part is that you are your own boss and the jobs are plentiful. Also, your job options aren't limited to geriatrics or low paying MD office jobs. LPN's aren't valued in NY like they used to be. Many hospitals are phasing them out in favor of RN's. I worked in geriatrics for many years and it is a high stress, high burn out job. I love what I do now and I am making much more money than in the nursing homes. Many clients advertise on Craigslist. Many would be willing to take on a new nurse, they are anxious to find coverage and would be willing to train you to take care of them or their loved one. You can find information at "emedny.org". The process is a huge pain but if you can find another nurse to guide you through it would be easier. As far as where to live, stay out of the major cities, pick a suburb of any of them. I live outside of Syracuse, NY and feel very safe. Central NY is a good area.