jpLPN

Ive been an LPN for 12 years now and trust me you WILL find a job. I chose LPN because it was the only seat open. RN programs were filled. SO I took it as quick as the words were said to me! Yes you can work in LTC but you can also work on a sub acute floor and really its hopping busy full of many different patients. I sought out this opportunity knowing that it would build up my skills and make me marketable. When i was in LPN school my instructors would emphasis that you need to get your feet wet in sub acute if you have the opportunity. I had all kinds of patients: post surgery, new trachs, post cardiac, pts who had been in traumatic accidents...all kinds. It pushed my skill level and gave me a whole bunch of learning experience. After doing this for many years I floated down to LTC which was a different pace but still had alot of younger patients and at times sub acute patients mixed in. I did alot of pallative care, still did IV's (I was also certified to insert them). In ten years time at one job I did as much as I could and learned as much as I could. Your license will be what you make it! This week I just started work at the local VA hospital. So yes....you see LPN's will always have a job. As far as pay it depends on where your living/working. Dont expect to start out making a stellar salary without any experience. As with any career you need to get experience under your belt and then you will earn more. The good thing about all of this is that you can go on and get your RN and move on and up from there.

First off I have to REALLY put emphasis on a few things. -A new nurse should NEVER have 4 days of orientation. -Two halls of patients is unsafe -Its YOUR license on the line and you have to protect it, even if it means your gonna **** someone off. Remember how hard you worked for your license. Dont compromise the value of it. Now..I will say this: Get the hell out of there. You have a few month experience so start looking elsewhere. This isnt the norm of places. When you start to apply and you interview you ask: how long is your orientation process and what does it involve. Also will you have a mentor? My first job out of nursing school was hell and I had some of the worse mentors. Seriously it was a huge lesson in ethics. After a few months I started applying to other places and found a better job. At this job I had 4 weeks of orientation. I worked sub acute (thats the experience that I really wanted under my belt) for 7 years and then did long term care for 3. I just started a job at the local VA hospital. And yes Im an LPN! You have to advocate for yourslef and you need to work for an employer that will support you. Also you cant get too bogged down on how long its taking you to do things and that you have to stay late to finish work. This is kinda of the norm until you get your feet wet and get a routine down. It will come with time. Also if you passing meds for more that 20-22 pts on a LTC floor thats not safe for the pts or for you. This should serve as a HUGE warning sign to get out of this job pronto. Know the confines of your license and also your comfort level of what your being thrown into. Dont compromise this for the sake of just having a job and getting experience. Its your license. And on another not I wouldnt work for agency right away...thats a whole new ballgame. Build up your skills and confidence and then seek it out. Yeah the money is good but there is a reason for that, you NEVER know what your walking into.

So to update: I started with the VA this past Monday. Monday was HR stuff and sign your name a million times. Tues I was on the unit and was totally lost. Im so use to the stone age of nursing. I was very weary when I felt like i was hearing and gaining a feeling that after 2 weeks Id be on my own. The following day I had a crash course overview of the computer systems. After this (and seemingly so feeling more at a loss) I was met by a really nice nurse educator who soothed many of my "*** did I just get myself into". Really after my Tues on the unit and how I was feeling I was 2nd guessing my decision. So I spent a few days getting some nurse overview orientation. Most everything is online, including nursing procedures, etc. Yes its a new world but one i think will get much easier as time goes on. Also having never been in the military I have to get use to the language/ling being used. This coming week I have the hospital wide oreintation for a few days as well as a speicalized training and pharmacology exam. And really for those in the process or getting ready to start your orientation surely you must expect a pharm exam at some point. If you know your meds and how to do this..then your going to be just fine. Dont second guess yourself. Its all part of the process. I have to say that my HR experience up to getting hired and my physical has been very frustrating. Thank god for msg boards like this so I was able to undertstand things better. I know the VA Im at had a huge turnaround with the HR dept so things have been a little bit slow and thats understandable. I have to admit that I was a little surprised at how much will be taken out of my paycheck for benefits and such. Im not use to paying so much out, but then again I dont think I have ever had such benefits including a pension. I plan to offset this with OT when I can. And oh...a uniform allowance?? really? wow Everyone I have met have been really super friendly and that has made things so much better. Thus far Im enjoying it and am eager to get to work. I know it will be different and have its challenges and I know I will feel like a brand new nurse out of nursing school again (not!) but it will be worth it. I plan to excel myself at this job and take as many trainings as I can. The VA emphasis that this is not just a job but a career and it provides many learning opportunities. So...Im totally happy that Im out of my previous LTC job where I was constantly working myself beyond all reason and getting very little recognition from the higher ups. Crap after 10years at my previous job I didnt get so much as a card. That was kind of crappy but says alot to me. At the VA I have been given so much respect in such a short amount of time and have been treated/referred to as a professional. That feels like a million bucks. Really it does.

My physical is done, fingerprints done and HR called to let me know they are sending offer letter and to confirm start date in a few weeks. The first offer of salary was low and I honestly couldnt understand why they came back so low and graded me so low based on my experience. I wasnt looking for a huge leap in salary but something equal too it. It went back to the baord andthey returned with a more money and a higher grade and I accepted it. I guess submitting paycheck stubs is optional but personally I dont feel this should be a factor in determining your salary...in any kind of employment. Im still unclear as to what the orientation will be, what my hours will be during this time, what to wear, etc.....just a big wait and see I guess.

Just to mention...if you happen to have student loans that might not be in nursing, you can still qualify for student loan forgiveness after ten years via fed gov program

When they gave me my first salary offer I rejected it and it went back to the board for review. They told me that I could submit paycheck stubs and I absolutely refused. I never did this for a job offer nor was I going to do it now. I just feel like it gives more leverage to lowball. And besides, what nurses paycheck isnt a little inflated because of OT????

Still waiting on offer letter. My start date is not until end of July. I have physical this week (praytell what that shall involve). My background stuff is "closed". I have to clarify what orientation involves and all that other stuff. Im hoping it does not involve me having to contact this person or that person and tons of running around on my own to get info. If it does it just going to feela little more sour to me and will leave me wondering if I want this job really if HR is so messed up like this. We shall see.

My experience with the VA hiring process has been far beyond stellar. It has left me completely clueless as to what the procedures and steps were. I have been working with two HR people and both do not seem to talk to each other. I applied for a job in march and was selected and interviewed in late march. I was offered the job several days later. In speaking with the HR person the hours of the job seemed to now include primary day's but rotating evenings and NIGHTS! I can handle evenings but nights I cant do....I made that very clear in my interview. I guess they threw that in as a curve ball in offering me the job. I asked to speak directly to the person in charge of the unit and she assured me that it dosent happen frequently and you are to know your sched 30days in advance. Also too that having a rotating sched on as needed basis is part of all the nursing sched in the VA's (not sure if this is actually true everywhere or just there). Then almost a month later, in the midst of completing my vetpro I got a call with the salary offer which was super duper low. The position was for a locked psych unit. Im not a new nurse (10 years exp and 15 years psych exp). I refused the offer and it went back to the board with my completed vetpro stuff. After several phone calls and endless emails I heard back on the offer which went up in pay and grade. I was satisfied with it and accepted. Fast fwd to the last week when I got a call from the head of HR to apologize for the circus of the boarding process and the length of time is has taken. I return call to him explaining that I had alot of questions about the process and the communication sucked basically. I also told him that I was going ahead an dplanning a vacation in JULY. I have been waiting forever to hear something and well....I have a life! His return call told me that the process takes time and to take my vacation and not worry about it affecting start date. Ok good. I then finally get ahold of the HR person who has been sort of working with m....she needed info from me to complete my offer letter. Two things: all the info she needed SHE HAS (dob, address, etc...) For real? She then told me that I have a start date in 9 days. What? Um no. She was rather rude and huffy with me. She then gave me another date at end of july. Mind you I have yet to complete a physical or fingerprints yet...I got a call to sched that but couldnt get to a phone to return the call before 3pm. I also got the equips stuff for background info check....all which has to be done within 5 calendar days of receipt. I wrote back to the person doing background check stuff and said there is no way I can do all this in 5 days. Some people work 12 hours shifts and have to work the next several days. How can I possibly get all that done. Of course there was a giant red box warning that failure to comply will rescind the offer. I havent heard anything back from that email. Seriously. This has not been a good expereince at all. Nope. I am BEYOND hesitant to give a two weeks notice until everything is fully complete and done. I dont want to jepordize my current job. I work in a LTC facility and although not the best my sched is something that many would love to get their hands on. I am thinking of calling back the head of HR and talking to him about all of this. I dont think its crazy to not give my two weeks notice until I know for sure that everything is done and complete and they give me a start date after this. I seriouly hope the VA is worth all this hassel.