Queen Tiye

Review disorders system by system, or more specifically, the ailments you see in your Pts now. You can also read some journals on the common diseases. Review best practices on the BON website.

I meant to specify, Med/ Surg ratios.

Can anyone please tell me what typical nurse-patient ratios are in New Jersey?

It sounds like this is the culture on this unit and you won't be able to change it unless you are interested in becoming the unit manager and hiring new people. Another option is to leave.

That's what we get, I've met a few NPs that mislead people to believe they are medical doctors. I witnessed a psych NP telling the Pt that she was the doctor more than once, she even said it in front of a psychiatrist once. I was being treated by an NP once and she attempted to represent herself as a doctor. Also, everyone wants to wear a white coat now — dieticians, RTs, etc. The hospital is still an elitist field.

You can be protected by the law as a Whistleblower. If you do not report this to the state you will be culpable. If your leadership finds out what you did, they will fire you sooner or later. Report up the chain of command and document. The offending parties should be taken off the schedule immediately until further investigation. If they are not then go straight to the state because other patients are in danger. Resist being sucked into this facility's tangle of dysfunction and abuse. Unfortunately, your license is at risk Im when you continue to work at a facility that you know abuses patients.

I received notice that I will be going before peer review. Should I get a lawyer. Should the lawyer attend the review with me?

This Charge Nurse sounds like one I worked with and she is emotionally abusive and grossly unprofessional. She will likely not stop unless you check her. It may help if you speak to her privately and tell her specifically what you will not tolerate. If she is not receptive, email the next in the chain of command. If this is the culture on the unit, you might consider planning your exit.

I don’t think it is possible to chart that extensively and actually provide quality Pt care. The flowsherts are pretty detail oriented.

Well now having an ADN isn’t enough and newer nurses are being required to obtain a BSN. In response to the sentiment that LVNs aren’t respected as nurses, I encourage you to “know your stuff”, and let your work speak for itself. Show up in your charting, your documented interventions and follow-up. Listen to videos on the diseases you see most frequently and understand the disease processes, complications and expected interventions, and show your thoroughness in your documentation. I worked in LTC and there was zero education provided to me. I know all LVNs don’t work in LTCs but most do. I know you come out of school with a wealth of information and ready and able to perform, but LTC can quickly dull this sharpness by grossly overwhelming LVNs and RNs. We learn how to work the heck out of an impossible situation but lose a lot of knowledge because caring for too many people becomes very task oriented.

I’m surprised no one has commented yet as this is a common experience for many new nurses. Even for some experienced nurses who are training in a new specialty. Spending 12 to 13 hours three times a week with a preceptor you don’t mesh well with can be very challenging. Ideally, a preceptor should nurture your confidence and skill and be empowering. In the best situations they want to know how you learn best and will adjust the way they communicate with you. In the best circumstance, you feel safe expressing yourself. Do you think you’d feel more at ease with another preceptor? Never allow yourself to be rushed by anyone when giving meds. The goal is to be in the room for med pass and assessment no more than 5-10 minutes. It will take time to accomplish this and other time management skills. Do you have weekly check-ins with your unit manager? Can you request it?

Hello, I just read a post by an LVN stating that LVNs are looked down upon. I have also heard from more than a few LVNs that RNs do not respect or take their role seriously. I am an RN and I have worked with many, many RNs and we have also worked shoulder to should with LVNs. I must say that never one time have I ever heard an RN, NP, physician, or anyone else condemn an LVNs status, knowledge, expertise, or performance.

Maybe work in an LTC or in SN as an RN to demonstrate that you can manage the patient load as RN? Perhaps repost asking former LVNs that have transitioned to RNs how they did it. Good luck.

Hello, I am sorry you are experiencing this. Do you have nursing liability insurance? If not, get some asap even though it may not cover this incident. If you already have insurance, call the company and discuss mom's allegations. If you do not have insurance, call a lawyer and consult them on how to proceed.

I know this post is a few months old, but ill chime in. Though the choice to attend private or community college is personal when asked I always recommend community college because you will get a thorough education that is more affordable than private institutions. We get the same pay when we graduate and that 16k x 4 years can be a down payment on an investment property or anything else you would like to do with it. Even if you bridge over to a public university for an RN-BSN the cost will be considerably less than attending a private institution. Nurses are in great demand, as long as you attend a properly credentialed program you will find work.