moretonel

No.

I'm doing private on a 18 month old. She was a premie. In addition to other medical issues Baby Doe (BD) is late with reaching some physical developmental milestones. BD goes to physical therapy once a week, I attend also. Although I'm officially there for only the medical issues, all my possible "down time" I happily spend "playing" with BD engaging the different physical therapy excercises. I put BD AFOs on and place in stander for 20 minutes most days. Anybody else use stander or do excercises to strengthen core, back, legs with the goal of being able to sit upright unassisted, stand holding on to sofa, crawl using legs (not just arms, like an "army crawl")?

I'm an LPN with 2 years LTC experience working 3rd shift. I've now been working a month part-time 2nd shift as a pediatric PDN for an intellectually and developmentally disabled child. I'm breaking with the vast majority of comments, and don't mind being the "baby sitter" during the huge amount of down time. I don't mind entertaining young siblings. I even sometimes bottle feed the 2-month old. I don't do things as laundry, cook, or clean. The caretaker does that because of the freed up time she has from me "baby sitting". I perform clinical skills - nebulizers, chest oscillation vest, oral suctioning, feeding tube stoma care, medication administration. But I also assist the caregiver in bathing. Though I must say, I would not do this full time because I would feel like my nursing skills would be wasted - of the time spent with the child each shift, I'd say only about 10% is spent on actual clinical skills. My full-time job at the LTC facility makes sure my skills are kept sharpened. Anyone else feel this way?

The definition of sacrifice I give to my sons - giving up a little now for something greater later. You are being offered a valuable learning experience that will pay off in a huge way in only one year. Your pay should increase to be on the same level or higher than your peers after you finished your residency. Forty-five minutes to an hour commute is not uncommon. Let's do a comparison: one year in SNF - no closer to acute care job, one year in residency program - attained acute care job. Yes, you sacrificed $7/hr for a year to obtain (possibly) $7/hr more plus better benefits. Rarely are there perfect situations. There well usually be some kind of sacrifice, inconvenience, discomfort, annoyance, challenge, extra effort in any situation. Try your hardest to obtain perfection, but don't make it an all or nothing deal, or a lose-lose situation - you're unhappy working in a SNF because it's not exactly what you want, or you're unhappy working in a residency program because it's not exactly what you want (although in a year's time it will give you what you want). Where's the happy.

Achieve Test Prep and The College Network are TEST PREP PROVIDERS (NOT A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY) and PUBLISHING COMPANIES, selling test preparation guides and materials for CLEP, DSST, and UExcel exams. You STILL have to be accepted and enrolled in a school that ACCEPTS transfer credits from these exams. You STILL have to be accepted and enrolled in an Associate's or Bachelor's degree nursing program. Achieve Test Prep do have UExcel nursing exams. This is where the scam comes in. ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED NO NURSING PROGRAM ACCEPTS NURSING CREDITS FROM ANOTHER NURSING PROGRAM, MUCH MUCH LESS WILL A NURSING PROGRAM ACCEPT CREDITS FROM A CREDIT-BY-EXAM TEST. Achieve Test Prep own website says (under the "What Is Credit-By-Examination" heading - https://www.achievetestprep.com/healthcare-degrees): "Our Credit-by-Examination Test-Out Program is a test-prep curriculum for college students interested in fast-tracking their general education courses". Not even EC will accept UExcel nursing credits, though they do accept many of the UExcel general requirements credits. In fact, you can prepare for UExcel exams directly THROUGH Excelsior. Excelsior College IS a college. The nursing program is nationally accredited, and is recognized by the National League of Nursing as a Center of Excellence. I'm not trying to sell you on EC, but since you were "looking at EC and also Achieve", I'm trying to give an unbiased assessment. EC does have drawbacks, the biggest being that EC nursing graduates of all levels, and EC nursing graduates who later earn higher degrees from other programs, will not be eligible to hold licenses in California, Maryland, and Georgia, ever. I'm just starting the ASN program, taking my last pre-requirement (Microbiology) starting in about 2 weeks, online. No lab component - one of the issues CA, MA, and GA have with issuing RN licenses to EC grads. Since I'm close to 50 years old, and not planning to move to any of those states, it's not an issue with me. You, being from California, it's NOT an option for you either. Western Governor's University (WGU) would be for you, if trying to the online LPN-to-RN route. The take-away - Achieve and College Network ARE SCAMS. It's better to get an associate's from a local community college, maybe in Health Careers or Medical Assistant to get your pre-requirements (Chemistry, Biology, A&P I, A&P II, Microbiology) and most of your general requirements. It will take you 2 years to fulfill your pre-requirements, might as well get a degree with them.

I have a much different take on this matter. First, OP said was new to vent and trach, not a new nurse. Isn't everybody new to vent and trach initially, with no experience? How is OP to get experience unless OP is assigned a patient. How did anybody get experience until assigned a patient on a trach and vent. I'm sure OP will be orientated in the office on a mannequin, and in the home with the client - changing trach, suctioning trach, attaching ventilator, going over different scenarios several times. Is that enough preparation? I would argue yes, IF not a new grad. I am an LPN with 2 years experience working in LTC/Rehab, and 6 months experience in a medical group home with intellectually and developmentally disabled residents. I've done IVs, wound vacs, dressing changes, external fixator care, etc. I remember my first code and using the AED, my first fall with fracture, my first anaphylactic reaction, etc. The more emergencies I handled, the better I got handling emergencies, even those I never specifically experienced before. I'm soon starting part-time shift care with trach and vent clients. I've had a little trach experience, no vent experience. I've gone through the 2 day office orientation on trachs and vents. I feel confident. I was drilled over and over and over on different scenarios. I know, I know, it's not exactly the same on real people. Again, I ask, didn't everybody have to have their first? Everyday I go over the material they gave me. I'm good in emergency situations. I know how to access for respiratory distress, cardiac distress, diabetic distress. I have experience intervening in respiratory, cardiac, and diabetic distress situations. I've given the nitroglycerin, the glucagon, the nebulizer, increased O2 and monitor O2 saturation with pulse ox. I have inserted Foley catheters, securing them by inflating the balloon (exact same procedure inflating cuff on a trach, and inflating balloon on MIC-key tube). No, I don't specifically have vent and trach experience, but I have 2 years nursing experience with similar skill sets that are transferable to trach and vent care and maintenance; and, 2 years experience intervening in emergencies. OP, you did not say if you are a new grad or what nursing experience you have. If a new grad, then I would agree with other posters, you're not ready. You need the nursing village to help grow you up (and no, it's not a perfect village - some nurses eat their own, etc). You need other nurses around you to learn from, to ask questions, to be mentored; preferably, in a LTC/rehab or hospital, where you will gain a huge skill set. If OP has 1 or 2 years experience dealing with emergencies, and having the skill set gained from working LTC/rehab or hospital, then you should be qualified and competent. I have no hesitation accepting responsibility of caring for trach and vent client, knowing that my experience has more than adequately prepared me.

I'm starting shift care (private duty, extended care home health - functionally all the same, one on one skilled nursing care for up to 12 hours per shift) for the first time, soon. I'm reading AN discussions to get a feel for the issues pertaining to shift care. It seems there is a lot of down time. Curious, if not interacting with the client, what else would you be doing during the shift? Just trying to get a heads-up.

I do currently work full-time at LTC as LPN. I will be adding part-time employment as LPN doing extended-care-home-health/shift-care/private-duty, whatever you want to call it, doing skilled nursing care - vents, trachs, G-tubes, wounds, etc. The same skills I do at LTC (except for vents) but one-on-one on a 4 to 6 hour shift. Answers will be like: "I've never known any male nurses to be refused." "I've seen 3 male nurses refused." "I've been working home health for 5 years and only seen 1 refuse a male nurse."

I completely understand that a patient can refuse care from any caregiver for any reason, I'm not arguing against it. I've been a CNA and Patient Care Tech, and came across several no-male-aid patients, no offense taken. As an LPN of 2 years at 2 LTC/rehab, only one resident no male nurse, no offense taken. I'm about to start part-time home health shift care. I was just trying to get a sense of how often an assignment will not be given me because client does not want male care, no offense taken, because I was already taken off an assignment before I even started (at another agency) once the family found out I was male. Again, I'm not arguing against it, not offended by it, just trying to get a feel for how steady a clientele I'll have.

In addition to being an LPN, I am nationally certified as an EMT-B. I took the EMT-B class in the time between graduating from LPN school and taking the NCLEX-PN (it was a 3 month class - yes, I waited 3 months to take the NCLEX). My thinking was that it was another option if it took a while to get that first LPN job - I could volunteer as EMT-B to keep up assessment, wound care and treatment skills. I never worked as an EMT-B, but I still keep it active. You never know. As my mom always told me, "It's best to have and not need, than to need and not have". I didn't list it on my resume when applied for LPN jobs, but I might in the future want to do disaster relief or emergency management roles.

I appreciate the response, but you did not address what I was asking. I asked if a potential client would not even ACCEPT CARE FROM A MALE NURSE. You do not fit in that category, you DID accept from a male nurse.

Is it difficult for a male LPN to be given a regularly scheduled assignment. How many families in your agency have said "no" to male nurses?

I'm in CT. $24/hr

How many nursing jobs do you have? Half the nurses (RN and LPN) I work with in a LTC have 1 or 2 other part-time/per-diem jobs. My wife works at a medical office, the LPN there also works hospice and another per-diem job. I also work per-diem on a regular basis at a group home and pick up here and there at another LTC. How common is this? How many places do you work, and how often, and why?

My comment/question may be a little off topic. How does working night shift put stress on a marriage, particularly to the point where it ruins a marriage? I work night shift at a LTC, and have no clue what marital problems that could cause. Just curious.