PIANISTRN

Hello, I have started a charge nurse position in LTC-been there about 3 months. I have no one to ask at work because I don't want to get in trouble if I didn't address it right away. I didn't know how to approach it so I hope someone can help me (the following names are made up) Our weekly vital signs are done every sunday. the following Tue, an LPN Mary came up to me and stated the following: "Mr. Jones asked me if the vital signs usually get done on Sunday coz he said he didn't get them done. I confronted the aide (Lisa) and she said "well, I did it when he was sleeping" I told her "first of all, you should never do care when a resident is sleeping and second of all, he'll know if you touched him (coz we know him very well ). Lisa turned red and walked away." It's too late now to address that situation but how can I monitor her next time? It's tough coz it's a he said she said situation. next time if Lisa produces vital signs and then I immediately come to resident and say " Has Lisa come in yet to do your vital signs" and he says no. Is that "substantial"? Does anyone have any ideas because I cannot just accuse someone of falsifying records. This patient takes cardiac meds and if something goes wrong, we're liable. We know she's doing it but we don't have evidence. In the past there had been a situation where our thermometer was missing (later found in a resident's room ) but when we looked at the vital signs sheet Lisa was the only person that had her vitals with a temp. listed. When confronted, she said the thermometer was here at the nurses station, someone must have took it after me and left it in the resident's room. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hello I have read some posts regarding IV infusion therapy nurses. Does anyone know how I can get started on this? I tried to email the Infusion nurse society but I haven't gotten a response. What qualifications do I need and also I hear some nurses work at pharmacies and do this. Any info would be greatly appreciated =) I am in South Jersey so if anyone knows of any place in that area, please let me know. Thanks again.

Any others working at SMH?? Anyone?

When I called Sarasota Memorial, they said patient ratio is 5:1 on nights for med/surg. Is that really possible? I'm used to getting max 8 patients at where I work. That is definitely a plus for me if that was the case. If you had to start all over again, would you choose Blake Medical or SMH? Are the benefits any better for full timers??Thanks for the input...

Hi, Just wondering what the nurse to patient ratio is right now in Med-Surg NIGHTS at Sarasota Memorial. How about the other hospitals in the area?

Hi, I definitely think it's better to work 12 hour shifts. I work nights 7p-7am 3 nights a week and I'm off for 4. I have 2 kids also so it's good coz i can still drop them off and pick them up from school. If you have children it's definitely better to work nights so you don't miss any of the school events. I have friends that work 8 hr shifts 5 days a week and they really don't like it. It took me only a week to get adjusted to the nights schedule. It's definitely feasible

Hello everyone, My husband will be graduating from LPN school soon. Anybody know of any hospitals in Orange or Seminole County that take new grads? When looking into some hospital websites, it seems like most need at least one year hospital experience, but WHERE can he get the experience ??? Any input would be greatly appreciated =)

In the local pharmacy, I found this great product called "Corn Husker's"Lotion. I used to have really dry hands, especially in the winter time and they would even crack to the point that it would be painful. When I tried to use other lotions (even the medicated ones) I would have like a burning and painful sensation upon contact. With this corn husker's lotion, it has worked very well for me. When it goes on your skin, it feels cool and is not painful. My hands have been cracked and bleeding before and this definitely helped to heal it. I highly recommend it over any other lotion. And it is inexpensive too =)

Thanks for all the info =)

Hello everyone, My family and I are planning to move to Florida and I heard Orlando area has some nice hospitals to work for. I also heard there are better sections of Orlando to live at. Can anyone tell me which towns have good school system and not too much property taxes? Also if anyone can give advice on which hospital provides a "fair" working environment. Also, are there any facilities that have a good benefits package for LPN's? My husband will be graduating shortly. I am an RN also looking for a hospital that doesn't have dangerously high nurse:patient ratios (in Med Surg) We're actually open to other towns also .Any input would be HIGHLY appreciated. This is a big move for us so we hope it will be a positive experience. (We are currently living in New Jersey) Thanks...

Thanks--Are there any hospitals near those areas that you mentioned that are nice places to work???

Hello, Can anyone give me input on which areas of NC have low prices for houses (and low taxes), preferably under 100,000 for 3 bedroom. I saw some in realtor.com near Greensboro area but are there hospitals nearby that have decent starting salaries for RN's? I am from NJ --my salary is good but compared to house prices, my family still cannot afford a house here. We are looking for a place where our money can go "further" We would like a more rural setting. Any info would be great =) Thanks...

Thanks for the input. Do you know which towns have decently priced houses that are near those 2 hospitals you mentioned? i'm hoping to find a house that is under the 200,000 range and is still in a nice area with good schools. I also heard that Dayton is not a very desirable area, is that true? I just hope to find a hospital that I will enjoy working at--I'm not the type to jump from job to job

Hello everyone, My family and I were planning to relocate to Ohio--We were looking into the Dayton area--Has anyone worked in any of the Dayton hospitals? I would like some input on the working conditions (probably on a medsurg floor), also I'd like to know the price range of the houses around there. Over here, I wouldn't be able to buy a house for less than 400,000 Also, does anyone know the starting wage for RN in that area?? Thanks. Any input would be great =)

Hello, I did my pscyh rotation in St Mary's Hospital in Passaic County. It is a very small unit but the people are really great to work with. The big psych hospital in Bergen County is Bergen Regional but I didn't hear too much good reviews about it. ( In fact all I've heard is "overworked and underpaid")