Loca

I understand. I got my RN license because I wanted to be the one who said "you can't do that"....My first two years in nursing I learned the hard way that direct care staff will all the sudden go blind, deaf and dumb when questioned by state or administration for that matter, and I also learned not to go to administration or my don but to call state. This "violates" the "chain of command", but too many times of watching "internal investigations" go awry has taught me not to trust my supervisors to do the right thing. I AM THE Licensed Professional and I will turn in abuse, I Will protect my patients and my license. There are whistle blower laws and you should check into them. Good Luck.

UNDERSTAFFING FACILITIES IS WRONG WRONG WRONG!!! IT IS THIS WAY ALL OVER THE COUNTRY-THIS MEANS PTS. ARE NOT GETTING THE CARE THEY DESERVE, SHAME ON THE SYSTEM THAT KEEPS THIS TRAVESTY IN PLACE....(I WORK SHORT ON AIDES IN LTC FACILITY AND HAVE NO TIME TO BE THE RN I WANT TO BE AND THE RN MY PTS DESERVE) :angryfire/FRUSTRATED

Personally, this RN has her ADN and enough experience working with BSN's and ADN's to realize stereotypes are no where to be found. Try telling nurses apart without prior knowledge of which program they went through and I assure you it isn't possible. I will tell you that we are all in the middle of a nursing shortage and poor conditions for nurses as well as those they care for affect ALL OF US equally. So as my father used to say--- for some people that diploma may just be another peice of paper to wipe your ____with--It all depends on each person individually. I have seen some ADN's who act professionally and have a knowledge base that outshines some BSN's and I have seen BSN's who have made me want to continue on..... PEACE

The nursing shortage is no joke. The Administrators, Managers and powers that be need to be part of the solution. Staffing by numbers does not work because of the need to adjust for acuity--I work in a nursing home and it isn't uncommon for me to have 61 residents and one LPN working with me (last night)--I refuse to give substandard care and also refuse to cut corners on charting etc. I work 2-10PM and last night came home at 1 AM--guess what first thing I did is hit the bathroom (no breaks)...Now, I have worked in a hospital and find they have their own set of problems which are of a similar nature. I find that some of the nurses who don't burn out are giving substandard care, hurrying through treatments (or not doing them)...skipping out on assessing etc. Do we want all the squeaky wheels to find new professions when they are the nurses who are adament about doing their job and doing it right? Do we want all the quality to leave the field of nursing so those who have found ways to compensate for the poor conditions by being poor nurses can be the ones who are left to care for us one day?

I am an RN working in a nursing home that utilizes Certified Medication Aides. They are to pass po meds to stable residents. PRN medication must be authorized by a nurse and Yes, they do operate under my license, a fact I am highly aware and mindful of. This is a practice that I am uncomfortable with but is a common practice in my state. I recently have been working with a DON consultant on coming up with guidelines for CMA's. Another facility was actually using them for "Charge" and putting them in charge over CNA's. YIKES!!!! This has been a thorn in my flesh where our facility is concerned. I recently had to battle with the DON about keeping CMA's from writing in the Nurses Notes...CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!!! I am careful to only delegate to the CMA duties I am comfortable with, I perform assessments at the beginning of each shift and do not delegate the CMA to give po meds to the residents who have a higher acuity. The Nurse Practice Act puts the RN in the very scary postion of having his/her license on the line every time we are at work. We are trained extensively (or at least I was) to delegate appropriately. The LPN's that work my shift are also operating under my license and are not, under the Nurse Practice Act, allowed to do "assessments", so if I was to get too wrapped around the axle ( and I have!) I would have to admit that I get nervous when I read the LPN who says she "assesses" before giving medication. Neither CMA's or LPN's are to "assess", they may report what they "observe". Our CMA's take a one semester course. Our LPN's take a one year program. It all boils down to the fact that as an RN it falls on me. The staff that work under me on my shift think I am too "nosey", and "controlling" and I even heard an LPN say "don't worry so much about what is going on at my station, I will handle my aides".....guess what?! LPN's, CMA's, Aides....it all falls under my license. I love my job--but due to the shortage of nurses we do what we can, my heart breaks at this dilemma.....

Hi! I passed my RN boards one year ago this upcoming June and I know exactly how you feel. I started out in a nursing home where I worked as an LPN and recently began a hospital position working in an acute care environment. I hadn't started and IV since clinicals and the atmosphere is entirely different. My orientation feels very scattered and the nurses who are orienting me are new also...Ugh! It has been a difficult road of discovery since becoming an RN and finding my niche has not been an easy task. Hang in there--I guess I will too!!

I agree. I have been very disillusioned by the lack of professionalism among the nurses I work with. Recently I had to explain to a nurse's aide why it was not appropriate to belch in the face of a resident in the nursing home. The aide stated it didn't offend any of the other RN's why was I making a big deal out of it? We deal with difficult situations requiring a sense of humor but when that involves ignoring the right to dignity and respect of the pt. and/or their family--I take offense.