SheenaBeckom

I can't believe that you were written up after one month of nursing experience. It is absolutely absurd. If I were you I would get the heck away from that facility asap. Every nurse has made a rookie mistake and believe me you will never make it again. Brush it off as a lesson learned and continue to grow and learn in this awesome field.

I worked as a school nurse for 4 years and throughout that time I worked for a long term care facility every other weekend and on summer breaks. I already had my hospital experience right after nursing school so I already had my skills. I just needed somewhere to keep them up. Look for a long term care facility that offers continuing education. I know UHS-Pruitt corporation has some of the best. It is very difficult to get into the acute care setting after the first two years of your nursing career.

The reason you are encouraged to start your career in the hospital is for the experience. You receive additional training and that is where most of your clinical skills will be used. Most nurses develop the skills they need to carry them through their career in their first years. As a new nurse you should want to grab every opportunity you can to enhance your career. The more you can do the more profitable you are to your facility.

I agree that rules are an absolutely necessary but they have to be bent at times. I think what you did was done out of love and compassion. I know that bringing a smile to my residents face is one of the most rewarding things. Just knowing that if for only a short time they were happy.

I have been an LPN since 1997 and I have worked in several different areas of nursing. I started my career in a hospital on the Medical floor, then to a School Nurse, Long Term Care, Wound Care Coordinate, Primary Care Nurse for a Surgeon back to Long Term Care. Acute care payed the least but that is where you gain the skills to carry you throughout your whole career. School nursing hourly pay was decent but you only work so many days a year so they divide your salary between 12 months and that makes for a smaller monthly income. The benefits are a major plus including teacher retirement. Really not the place to use your skills. I made a decent salary working for a physician but the hours can be long and so much to do in a day. The plus side is no holidays and the things your doctor does to show his appreciation for your dedication and hard work. Long Term Care pays the best by far. There is a reason you will make that money though. It is the hardest aspect of nursing I have ever done. High nurse to patient ratios, very little support staff and all accountability on you. The same was true for wound care, accountability extremely high. I am drawn to the Long term care setting not for the money but the relationships you form with your residents. You actually become more like a big dysfunctional family. You still use your skills but you better bring them with you because most don't offer any continuing education. There are some that do but you have to request it and they are usually not offered often. I just don't think money should be the driving force in your career because most with that mindset of making money were probably not called to the field. Nurses that have received the call to nursing usually work two jobs especially LPN's.

Hopefully the facility you start your career with will offer a.continuing education course on IV and central lines. Watching a seasoned nurse insert an IV a few times and having them let you feel the veins, the where and why's of that site and telling you how to start the IV from start to finish is key. Next, take advantage of every insertion you can.