Put off by LTC

Ok so I'm a big mouth and have gotten way over the new-grad shivers over time. Try this, if you really don't mind looking for another job if you have to.

Keep track for a shift of what you do. How many dressings, how many diaper changes, how many pills you passed (exactly how many, not how many patients), how many g-tubes you cleared, how many people you turned, how many folks you picked up from nearly falling on the floor, how many aids you had to search for and how many times, you get the picture.

Then the moment someone tells you you slept, whip out your list. "Look, last night I passed 1,354 pills, crushed 927 of them, changed 19 dressings, cleaned 38 butts, made 16 beds, searched for 2 aids 19 times, found them 6 times, peed for a total of 2.4 minutes, ate for 1.7 minutes, charted on 37 people in handwriting you can read, called 4 doctors, called 3 doctors AGAIN, took out 8 bags of trash, bathed 8 people, two of them twice and did it all in EIGHT hours. If you do'nt think I did enough, YOU try it. Here's report, have a nice day .

That should shut 'em up. Folks will stamp on you if you let them. If you know you're doing everything you can and doing a good job, stand up for it. If they never get off your back, despite your good job, bow out and let them find someone else who wants to do all of the above!

Good luck!

Now that is a great suggestion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I have been in long term care for 25 years and have found, in my way up the ladder that it can be a career you can love. I too started as an LPN, and, as hard as it may be, I do recommend that you start back to school as soon as possible. There are many wonderful facilities that are cutting edge in the types of patients you care for. I would strongly recommend a not for profit setting, as for profits do tend to be all about the dollars, rather than evidence based practice and elevation of competency. Good luck!