magslu

You are in a tough position, if you have a back problem, sitting at a desk job isn't going to help you anyway. Keep trying for various jobs, not all will require experience. I found that being persistent when looking for work pays off. Don't give up on what you love to do

sdugan I was terminated in a similar fashion. They took situations and turned them into major issues. I told friends about it just to get a sanity check if I really did something off. In the end, I realize..... if they don't like you and it could be for the way you wear your hair even. They will build a case against you....for me, it was to build a misconduct case so they could block my unemployment. I pretty much found something better, the company treats me right...... move on...let it go and find a place that appreciates you

I wonder about you also !!!! ummmm...I really don't like to judge anyone and bullying is not in my interest. However, I think you get a kick out of bullying.... This girl needs some coaching and she is well over her head....people like you are just so darn worried about competition instead of helping her... she apparently knows what she's done wrong She made a mistake by coming to this forum to look for any support so....keep it up...condemn the world, think we are all dishonest...etc....you have a problem !!!

Starl I am sorry for the multitude of negative responses you are receiving on the board here. I also have been blasted by them. I am new to nursing also, I also moved to different agencies, facilities looking for my right fit as well. I do not think there is anything wrong with you. You were not careful, should have read the doctors orders and not relied on the out going nurse to tell you everything. Keep in mind as I have found, not many nurses will help you and I hope you can decipher this by the reactions you receive on the board here. You need to be CAREFUL, with home care, you have the time to read those orders !!! I agree, the facility is dangerous as it is bulked with too many patients and not enough time or staff. I don't care what anyone says on this board. Too bad the nurses do not stick together to report the dangerous conditions for the patients and the staff. However, everyone is so afraid to lose a job !!! I remember meeting my trainer at the facility I oriented with, she was employed for 5 years there and it is still a mystery to me, why she would want to work the way she did. She guzzled a lunch in 5 minutes, no peeing or taking a sip of water the entire shift. I find it inhumane, to be subjected to this day after day. I think you are smart to take that bridge to RN, there are more options for you. Just let your mistakes be a learning experience. The nurses here have made them as well, we are human and not perfect. However, you will encounter this mentality of being criticized. Remember !! be CAREFUL you have human lives in your hands !! there is nothing at all wrong with you, you are new !!

Hi Neezy I relate to you as well, I can relate to the misery. I just don't know how you stuck with it for so long. I have been slammed on this forum also, I asked the same question in a previous posting and got anywhere from ...are you really a nurse to employers are going to wonder why I switched multiple jobs. I was in IT for 36 years, I never hated it. But, I thought I would go into nursing, change careers and I feel it is not what I thought it was going to be. I worked in LTC pushing a cart for a week and I learned quickly it was not for me, nor would it ever be. I'd rather work at Walmart (but that won't pay my bills unfortunately). I went into hospice, I did all the right things, advocated for my patients just to find out that mentioning "meditation" to one of my patients and making respiratory distress a priority over announcing my name landed me a bye-bye "you don't fit" and off I was seeking another job. honestly, I do not know how you stuck with it. I am going on to RN myself, just to hurdle the limited options we have as LPNs and the lack of respect I notice happens. I am so sorry that you are getting nasty, cold or insensitive responses. I do not think you have drama. But, I do think you have the right idea of elevating your education. It will open many other doors. I have many local nursing friends that hate LPN nursing as well, we are not alone !!!!! my hat is off to you for sticking it out so long

BSNbeDONE, ASN, BSN, LPN, RN thank you, I think this was a culture shock... I intended on getting to exactly what you said, "infomatics" !! I just want back into a corporate position. I work best there. I can handle politics much better than what I have encountered. Thank you for well taken advice !!

Well you got your point out there and your judgment....great job

Alex, I did not have TErMINATIONS..... I quit the home care...like I said...if you can read I quit the cart pushing job.....if you can read I was let go in my hospice job....yes..... and this was because I was not a good fit ..as the HR person put it....I was the only one of my race employeed on the team.....ok ??...get the reading on the wall right I very much take responsibility for myself and my actions... I could have continued to push a cart and not cared if the meds were done or if I had to make short cuts (like all of you do). I spared those patients by bowing out gracefully. Funny, the director came running out to my car to ask me if there was anything he could do to keep me there..... you need to read better AND your spelling is atrocious learnt is spelled LEARNED

ok happy people.... you took your swings you all must make the fit....yes, you are right, I cannot fit into this sector. I do not need a therapist as a crutch or meds to open my eyes to a very miserable profession you all seem to complain about. I'm complaining and only in to 7 months of it I watched a DON yelling at an HHA (not coaching them) but in a full fledge yelling in the dining room of an Alzheimer wing (nice place to do it, because these patients don't have the capacity to make a complaint !!). I could hear the yelling while I was doing a wound care in a closed room. I came out to see her blasting the HHA, the poor HHA with a shocked face , the DON turned her head like in the exorcist and put a smile on her face as she looked at me (for real ??? and I have a problem ?). This crap was never tolerated at my professional place of employment. to be honest, I came to vent, but I no longer need to think any of you could advocate, support or not be nonjudgmental. I doubt you are happy with your jobs and if prozac keeps you going, that is your choice, but it is not where I'm going to let me be pushed. where ever I go to seek a profession is my concern, I need no advice from mean spirited health care workers who have no business advising or making evaluations of such things. I am disappointed here with all of you....... well.... you can keep your crappy career.... Fortunately I have choices

Yes, totally interesting. I had 36 years of IT experience with the same company, a fortune 500 company as well and with none of the nonsense I have been encountering, imagine that !!!! imagine not sticking it out in nursing positions I find problematic !!! albeit, I was let go for reasons unknown, perhaps I was the only one on the team of a certain race and I did not fit...consider that ... Oh...and why did I leave my high paid cushy position with a full pension and 401k that was matched appropriately ??? well, to do what any good nurse intends...to give back fortunately I was intelligent enough to realize I went to school for more than a washer woman and a slave to a patient that mistreated her nurses fortunately I was intelligent enough to realize that keeping up with med pass was not going to work and I found it dangerous for the patients as well as stressing myself lets see how far you go in 36 years with your presumptuous opinions...... and lets see how burned out you get with 10 years into nursing..... pension for you is not even heard of, and I bet you can't even bring enough salary in to even consider banking any of it for the future. you sound totally like a nurse I would dread working with, negative and SUSPICIOUS !!! So, please before you put on that presumptuous hat, consider the situation holistically and not with personal suspicion. I thought you were trained for that

I have been reading so many articles of the trials and tribulations and I can relate to more of them than I want to. In ways, I wish I read the articles in this website before I put myself through the very tough nursing school. I am only a one year LPN, with 7 months under my belt. In this short time, I had several jobs, homecare, facility, hospice. I took on the role as an HHA in the home care one, I was summoned with a bell to give the patient her meds when she felt she wanted them, not when they were scheduled. I left that position with the agency saying this is dangerous, they returned a response of "please don't make waves for us, just do as she asks". This meant bringing my own toilet paper, doing laundry, vacuuming, washing their lunch and dinner plates and sitting in an unheated room with my own blanket. I did the facility gig, pushing the med cart. sitting in a dirty depressing break room and watching my trainer guzzle a sandwich quicker than anything less than normal. My feet expanded like a good year blimp, my throat was dry from lack of fluid which I guess is the point to limit bathroom breaks. When set on my own, I just could not keep up with the meds and treatments. The day passed well, but the cranky night nurse gave me trouble. I quickly replied "you can yell all you want, but I am not coming back here tomorrow". The other nurses laughed, not at me, but that I stood up to her. That was week enough for me. Then I rested with hospice as a field nurse. This came with great relief. I worked independently, probably more than I should have. I took the job on with such joy, I was helping people and no one ever made a complaint. The patients were all so happy to see me, this meant so much to me. My case manager would send me to so many patients even though we were supposed to have a split schedule where each of us visited the patients once. However, she saw me as the gopher, sending me twice and gathering my data to enter into the system as her own visit. I would speak to her on the phone throughout the day to report in and hear her parrot in the background. I really didn't mind. But, then I became the brunt of bullying, over compensated punishment, viral emails reporting a trumped up issue. Long story short, I lost the job (as I posted this last week). It was shocking although it shouldn't have been. Perhaps what shocks me, is that my case manager never stepped up to advocate for me. To clear the accusations or have them dismissed. For the 7 months, I covered for her, we went to dinners, had personal talks, she would call me until 10pm. Now that I'm gone, I have not had one phone call. Simply, I was used. Well, I guess now she needs to do double work and has no time to sit around with her parrot all day. Honestly, I wish I never went to nursing school. Nursing is not what I thought it would be and from reading the posts here, I'm not so sure there are any happy nurses.

I agree with this, it is no longer safe for you there. If you stay, they will continue to find things to pick on until you are fired. Did they give you a policy handbook of some sort ? an attorney is going to ask you this. Not that this will help you. Your boss is already has her knickers in a knot. I learned in my quick short time as a nurse that once management does not like you, they will continue to pick on things. This happened to me, they took small events, not even actionable and turned them into a compilation to let me go.

commuter...you said it well they do tend to take advantage, they don't want to be inconvenient in finding the replacement so, they but the burden on the nurse. More importantly, I have seen too many times when management could care less about a patient and that seems to go against what we were trained for (advocacy). when my company kicked me out of a facility for asking a patient if she would be interested in a meditation class at her facility to calm her anxieties... I knew something was terribly wrong with management.

i did it at 55... I'm having a hard time with the culture... but, you are not too late

I knew it was coming. I was not happy with the way I was being treated. I woke up in the morning dreading what might be ahead for the day. I loved the work, the clients, they loved me. However, my company did not appreciate me. I was badgered for the most part, the only LPN hired in the company and treated like a dirty dish rag. I did my work, was on time, started at 9am and documented until 8pm in the evening, driving 200 miles a day, door to door, worked in the inner city, one time asked to "just step over a gun on the steps". I never complained, never turned down a patient. I never got called into the office to be disciplined. I had 3 events, today was the last. First was not announcing my name when walking into a patient room, I had my reasons, the patient was gasping for life and that was my priority. next, I had a 95 yr old patient, she suffered anxiety and pain and had her senses. I asked her if she would consider a meditation class the facility offered, she thought it would be helpful after seeing her blood pressure go down while having easy conversation with me. I got an email from my administrator saying that massive damage control needed to be done for the damage I did by asking the staff if they offered meditation. I really thought I was doing a good thing for the patient. the straw that broke the back was today, we got a new case manager, I was supposed to tour her around, I mentioned the policy of not offering meditation to any of our patients because it landed me in trouble. My DON said I was being unprofessional. The next second, I'm down in personnel being told I've done too many things and I'm not a good fit. Honestly, they did me a favor, I constantly felt it was just a matter of time that they would find some petty problem with me. I might get scrutinized here, but I know fully well, I did nothing to deserve being kicked out of 2 facilities and explaining to the new case manager to not mention meditation. I feel there is something psychotic with the company... I even got a text message from the DON that fired me 2 hours after I left, saying I should try xyz company for a job, she would give me a good reference....for real ? you fire me and then offer ideas for another job ?!?!? this is venting and there is no solution, not happy with nursing, couldn't even make it 7 months when I made it 36 years with a large corporation in another field. just venting

Hello vspaniel I live in New Jersey, a new LPN also. I left the IT field for nursing. You will not make 50K for quite a while. A full time job is next to impossible to get (it seems south jersey has more job opportunities - some hospitals still hire). But, north Jersey is saturated. You have limited choices here, pushing a med cart (stressful, because you barely have time to complete the function, let alone taking a lunch break). You can work in a doctors office, but I was offered 16hr , this could be full time. There are flu clinics, but this is seasonal. You can get per diem home care, but never know when or where or who you will be working with. The pay in the nursing homes can be 21 - 28 hr (pushing med cart). You can do the LPN program and bridge to RN (another 3 semesters). With the RN you can get 10.00 more an hour. The LPN is not an easy program to complete. If you pass the entrance exam, the school accepts you, but this is no indication you will continue. Half the students are let go in the first semester, and the rest couldn't pass the subsequent semesters. Our graduating class started with 52 and ended with 15 passing students. The pay is not nearly close to what it should be for the responsibility (the advanced nurses I know with many years of experience are complaining about how nursing salaries have gone way down over the years) I would also consider how you will be treated. I have been hammered, made to feel incompetent, everyone is your boss and they use the opportunity not constructively in guiding you, but to show their superiority trip. The nurses I met unfortunately are not necessarily friendly either, they will offer little to no help to a new nurse (and you will need help, because nursing school only touches on things you will be doing).. I would stick to computer operator, spend money on a new technical job. PCage has a good program and they arrange classes that work for people with jobs, the school is less expensive, the outcome pay is much more and chances to get full time work is substantially better. You don't get pulled through the coals as you will with nursing. good luck

been there....!!! oh...you made me laugh, you lightened the situation !! thank you Yes...I think you are right... a nut case for sure. I'm glad I am not her employee and I feel so terribly bad for her HHA's that work so diligently there and are afraid to stand up to the abusive treatment.

Hi.. there is no option to apologize again. My mgt now feels the comment to me was hostile and that the personality fit is not right between us. This DON has been having random issues with other nurses from outside agencies and not because of age. I suppose I'm lucky in a way that my mgt has supported me on this, I did not think they were being supportive. Perhaps I have been doing something right in the company. Not fired, but would like to get some time in the company and move to a better position.

Kay, I had many talks with my team members since this happened. I learned many other nurses were pulled out of this facility because of trouble with this same DON. My company relies on the facilities to bring in business. So, unfortunately they cannot stand up for me and this DON has great control. For her, it is a power trip (as explained by the nurse I report to). You are so right, I was attacked !!! In the past I did treatments at the facility, I heard her assistant one day yelling at an HHA with totally uncalled for language. I could hear it from the room I was in. I followed the yelling, just to see her turn her head and give me a big grin, with the HHA standing there and a shocked look on her face. I wanted to say something, but bit my tongue and never felt good about myself after that. This is a tiny facility with dementia and alzheimer pt's, they aren't equipped enough to make a complaint against these occurrences. The HHA's need their jobs and don't want to stand up to it and I cannot believe this continues to go on. I am glad I don't have to work with that DON anymore to be honest, but I miss my patients there thank you for your support, I'm learning this profession is a totally different beast from what I was used to doing. It is a learning experience and I will power through it......but thank you again !!! I bet you are a great nurse to work with !!!!

Nuguy what really happened is exactly what I described. If you read my post, I was called out to the hallway to be reprimanded for not introducing myself. There was no (missing the point) and nothing was mentioned to me about being reprimanded for panicking in front of anyone. I have done many continuous care cases alone and I have had the Cheyne stoke breathing (what you deem to be chain smoking ? a joke ? for real ?) under control with medication. There is no paranoid twist to the story as you would like to propose. Wow... you must have been lucky enough to get through your time as a new nurse unscathed, and to grow into being arrogant to others.

thank you moriah02 I thought this also..I was more concerned about the gasping pt than saying my greeting. I was scheduled to go again at the end of the week. When I saw her, I nodded my head and smiled (what I felt was an alternative to a verbal acknowledgement) to avoid anymore unpleasantries. This apparently bugged her because she called my DON to complain I didn't acknowledge her. I have been kicked out of the facility now. My company feels the incident isn't good for business and if their DON has a personal issue with me, it's best to keep me out of there. I find it all out of place. wow, how this kind of discourages me from the whole nursing experience

Hi Commuter, You are right for what ever it is worth, I will not push the cart. I did one day of it, falling behind, not going to the bathroom or taking lunch, no time to do a treatment. I realize there are short cuts, but my conscious would not let me sleep So...I had my day today, and it didn't fair well. I still have a job, but I'm sure this is a large mark against me. I am starting to look at other options, don't know what or where...but will try thank you for caring !!

Hi guys I'm dreading the day ahead.... I am new to nursing, it is my second career, so I am ancient. I don't even have 6 months into the field and I'm having trouble. I work in hospice...when I started I raved how much I loved my job, since then, three wonderful nurses left the company. I am now the only LPN there. I work full time and that is even more rare for my area. I went to one of the facilities this week to do my routine wound care. I also look in to check on the other patients. They are all dementia pt's qualified for hospice and for the most part pretty much stable. the door to my wound care products was locked. So I started my rounds. I knocked on the door for one of our pt's. I cracked it and was waved to come in by the DON, a man was sitting in a chair next to the pt with his back to me. I looked at the pt, he was in distress, gasping for air. I looked to the DON who was kneeling at the foot of the bed doing nothing more and (donned in a serene - how wonderful the progression of death is.... smile on her sick face). I immediately went into OMG, this pt is in crisis, not knowing who the man in the chair was, I bent to her and whispered, do you need me to do anything ? does the pt need continuous care ?. she replied she wasn't sure yet and then introduced me to the man, who was the pt son, I shook his hand and greeted him...... do you see what I did wrong here ???? then she said to the son, the pt needs to be turned, we are going to find the HHA. She ushered me out the door and blasted me for not announcing myself. I apologized and agreed it was wrong. I said I understand the facility policy and will not do it again. She did not stop there ( by the way, I'm old enough to be her mother ). She continued, and said, it is not about policy, it is about being human and you are not being human !! I was shocked, hurt and tried to deflect the conversation. I already made my sincere apologies. Then she demanded me go back in the room to turn that pt, stating it is my job as a hospice nurse to do so. I am not stationed at this facility for the day, my company wants the nurses to do visits and move on to the next pt. So, the company has HHA's stationed at these facilities and this is part of their function. I told her I would find our HHA to help (feeling I should be out of her site and hair until she calms down). Well, this infuriated her even more, with more harsh words. I called my case mgr, who was on her way to do her daily check on this pt. I called my DON to give her a heads up a complaint might come through. My DON was very understanding and told me not to cry, she understood. Well, the next day, I am asked to repeat the episode, this time my DON was not so understanding. She said they must have taught you in school about entering a room. This was a one time episode and situational, I do announce myself, however, I was more concerned about the pt condition then an introduction when she knew me already. Did this really need to go to a level of considering me not human ??? I feel it was a hostile attack, I feel if I went into that room to turn the pt, she would have blasted me for something else. So...all of this has caused a big meeting, my DON and this facility DON and it is sometime today. It will not be in my favor because the facility brings our company business. I'd like to say, just find another hospice job, but they don't hire full time LPN's just perdiem continuous care in my area. I can't push a med cart, because ethically I feel it's dangerous when you can't pass all the meds on time and working in a dr office you get paid little money. I worked 36 years for one company and now I can't even make it 6 months in nursing !!! honestly haven't been happy since the 3 nice nurses left I am so beat down