Should I stay or should I go? ALF nightmare!!!!

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Where do I start off? Ok I'm a new grad LPN and I recently accepted a job at ALF. So excited that I recieved this job, I overlooked that I will be the only nurse on the 3 to 11 shift :uhoh3:....That was my first mistake!!! My second mistake was that I will be working with med techs.:eek: And the big DOOZY, only being oriented in 2 shifts!!!!:confused::confused::confused: I mean Brand New nurse isn't stamped any bigger on my forehead?! So hey I'm an Optimist(up until this morning) I told myself I'll go ahead and try it out. Not only was my orientation crappy, I was left alone after 2 hours with a Med Tech!!! Not once did I orientate with a nurse. I'm sorry to bash med techs but you cant just pass pills and not assess or follow up. I wonder what is going on with the laws now a days. I never was on the same hall for my orientation or the same shift, so basically I dont know the residents names well or their habits. :crying2: I felt so lost when I was by myself as far as med pass and organizing my time. And on top of that I had to slip the assignment with the CNA and I had to give showers and pass meds to ppl I dont know. Its hard when you have 2 sun downers trying to escape, a med pass, a doctor on the phone, prescriptions that need to be ordered, 2 showers, and a CNA who tells you what their going to do and what their not going to do. Literally, yesterday was the worse day of my life!!! I felt so lost, I didnt know where nothing was at :uhoh3::uhoh3::uhoh3:. So after the work day from h-e- double hockey sticks this brand new lpn went home. I never was the type to give up so I came in from an orientation for the 11-7 shift. Well.....that too was cut short! I was trained by a med tech for about 1 hour before she slipped and fell in urine :eek: She had to go home and I was by myself all alllloooonnnee!!!! Once again she only told be things about the nursing station not the patients so I was left in the dark. After going home after AWD...another work diaster! The LPN who does the schedule called me wanting to stick me on several 11-7 shifts for next month. I was saying *** ***! She told me this was going to be once in awhile not like a permanant shift! Overall I am I feel this place exhaust me and is taking advantage of me being new. I just want to leave and never return! NEVER! But I know there are excited experienced nurses out there who can give me wonderful advice. So shall I stay or shall I go?:down::up:

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I'm a new grad too.. that place sounds like a freaking nightmare, and that's BS that you didn't even receive orientation with a nurse. I'd keep the job for now, but keep looking for better opportunities on the side (maybe a place where you'll actually receive a real orientation, heh). I would go to your DON or nurse manager or whoever your boss is and demand (nicely, of course) a better orientation - with an actual nurse, not a med tech.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Mental Health, Community.

I'm in the same boat.

Started working in ALF the beginning of this month after I accepted the job for the 3-11p shift. I had a short and cruddy orientation. Thrown out to the wolves. I didn't know what to do or where to start. I was assigned to do the memory units med pass/treatments my first day by myself. The only time I had seen a med pass on these 2 units was my last day of orientation and the person "training" me didn't have any interest in training me :uhoh21:. I tried to take in and remember all I could and what do you know...they threw me in the memory units my first day by myself....identifying the residents was a nightmare...locating them was even more difficult...they're everywhere.

I was a complete mess. I hate this. I don't feel like a nurse...I feel like a pill pusher...a warm body to stick in a shift. Its unfair to the residents...this is there home and themselves and their loved ones EXPECT that the nurses and med techs know what they are doing...so far only 2 out of 6 nurses know what they're doing...and don't get me started on the med techs....they are helpful but I was put to follow them most of my orientation. THEY ARE NOT NURSES! So did I learn how to do the paperwork, charting, dealing with the families, doctors, and pharmacy?>??? NOPE! :banghead: I don't know but they don't teach you in LPN school how to work in a ALF or LTC...WHY IS THAT?!?!?!?!?! When that is where the majority of grads go after school!?!?!!

I feel like I want to quit but I can't :cry:. I am, however, keeping a look out for better opportunities. I know us new nurses have to pay our dues....but I would appreciate as a newbie a little more detailed explanations instead of short one worded answers. I would appreciate a TOUR of the facility before being thrown to do med passes on 4 different floors...or how about the crap I've been taught that I actually SHOULDN'T be doing (combining med times, borrowing meds, signing off on things you haven't done, charting on someone you haven't seen in person yet, pre-pouring meds):nono:

Can someone please teach me THE RIGHT WAY? I mean, what do you expect when state comes to audit?!?! I'm a mess and I feel torn. I need this job but I'm afraid that I'm risking my license by working here.

I understand your frustrations! Have you found a new place to work since you wrote this?

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Wow that is crazy! I'm a new grad LPN too and working at an ALF, but my experience is much different than both of yours. I only got 8 days orientation, which doesn't sound like alot but it did prepare me fairly well and I was with nurses my entire time, other LPN's or RN's. We have med-techs so I don't pass meds at all, although one night I did have to jump on a med cart when one of the med techs had an emergency and had to leave. Our med-techs are great and answered countless questions for me when I first started, I'm really lucky to have gotten the job where I am.

Good luck to both of you and to the OP I hope your job is going better now, hopefully at a new place!

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So I too am a new LPN and just started working in ALF. It wasn't that bad. but I was told I would have a med tech and CNA on the shift with me. Turns out there was no Med tech, only 1 CNA and that is for 3 floors. So I'm hoping that was just being short-handed and not the regular way it goes around. They pass all their meds out in the open and then don't have no identifying bracelet on or anything, and I am so not comfortable with that. They said oh you will get to learn them.. I'm sorry I don't think that is safe. Anyways... hopefully everything get better!

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Wow! Home health LPN commenting here. I've never worked in that setting, but make visits to pt's in assisted living frequently. In Illinois we don't have med techs, but the assisted living aids can provide "med reminders". At one of the facilities I visit all new AL employees, including nurses, "shadow" another employee for a couple of days before being on their own.

Back when I was a new grad I had a couple of jobs that were similar in that I felt "thrown to the wolves". I didn't stay long (one month at one place) and learned to ask to follow (shadow) another nurse before accepting the position. If they didn't allow that, I asked for a tour. You can learn alot about the place on a tour if you keep your eyes & ears open.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Cardiac & Medical ICU.

I swear I'm in almost an identical situation as many of you. I too just began a job at an LTC/rehabilitation facility and I find myself wanting to kill myself even before I get to the floor. Between having to pass meds and do BS testing TWICE during this shift as well the countless things that can go wrong and all the Pts being in different places and 99% of all my patients AND co-workers speaking SPANISH versus my Ukrainian English-speaking self, and attempts not to look so new or like an idiot and end up taking forever and being unconfident and never knowing anything about the Pts whenever family ask me something and always feeling like I will burst into tears every time and apologizing for just about everything and just wanting to disappear and then dreading my very first 7-3 alone shift that I feel is more overwhelming sometimes than the 3-11 due to the volume of people and administrators constantly there in that shift, I just want to die.

I dont feel like I nurse at all and if anything I feel I knew more as a student back way back when than I do now. Dont even get me started about IVS. All I'm trying to do is get by and become an RN so I can forget that LTC even exists. I'm also left always wondering how the state lets my facility off with letting LPNs do admission assessments and write telephone orders. License scare much?

However, not being a quitter and having nowhere else to go due to my lack of experience, I just have to grit my teeth and see if things will be easier at least after a few months. If not then screw this job, back to my comfortable retail job it is!

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Specializes in Cardiac & Medical ICU.

And I WISH we had med techs at our facility.

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