LTC_RN

When the nurse I am reporting off to decides she would rather text on her phone! Unless it is an emergency situation, the texting can wait until AFTER I am finished giving important information about your residents! (I'm in LTC) Also, I have one particular CNA that is constantly wanting me to write behaviors in the behavior log book for things that ARE NOT BEHAVIORS! For instance, this CNA came to me the other day and said I needed to record a behavior for Mr.xyz, because when she went to toilet him he had an erection and apparently he laughed when she noticed it....okay, she entered his room in the middle of the night and he had an erection, so? These things happen! LOL. He probably laughed because it was embarrassing for him too! I asked, "did he ask you to touch it?" She said "no!" Okay then. If he didn't say or do anything inappropriate then an erection IS NOT A BEHAVIOR! We are going to run into this kinda thing in LTC, this is their home! Okay, vent over! LOL :)

You need to look this up in your textbook. We will not supply you with answers to homework questions. Good luck :)

WOW! That still feels unreal to type :) I graduated in May 2015, passed NCLEX in July, and started working in August in a LTC facility. I'm still amazed that I managed to make it though nursing school and the NCLEX! I think I checked the nursing board website at least 10 times during the week after passing just to make sure my licence still stated "active" LOL Anyway, the majority of my former classmates are now working in hospitals and when I tell them that I took a LTC position they always say, "Just keep trying...you'll get a hospital job eventually." My two sister-in-laws work in hospitals as RN's and both of them feel that I'm wasting my time in LTC and that I won't be marketable in the future. Here's the thing... I'm perfectly HAPPY working LTC! I was hired in at the same hourly wage as the hospitals near me and I feel that I get plenty of hands-on experience! I am charge nurse of two halls. I currently have 23 residents that I provide care for during my 12 hour shifts. In my four months on the job I've had to insert IV's, foley caths, and suppositories. I've given all types of injections. I've placed several wound vacs, changed dressings on all types of wounds, and removed surgical staples. I've toileted and bathed more residents than I can count. Perform assessments, take vitals, and call physicians on a regular basis. And unfortunately, I've seen 5 resident deaths. This doesn't even include the stacks of paperwork, labs, charting, making appointments and transportation arrangements for residents. Oh yea, and passing medications :) But most importantly, I get to become familiar with my residents. I can walk in the room and notice if something is wrong just by the way my resident looks or speaks...I don't think you can get that in acute care hospitals. I am proud to be a LTC nurse. Will I stay in this specialty forever? Who knows. But I won't be disappointed or feel like I short-changed myself if I do.