Switched to LVN from the Business World and am UNDERWHELMED!

Nurses LPN/LVN

Updated:   Published

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Have been attending an LVN Program in since August 2021-I keep thinking things are better but they do not improve- I came from the business world and had the opportunity to work from some nice places.  This place is really yucky.  The administration and operations of this school has been, well, awful. And they charge 36K for a 13 month program. They are always out of everything and all the equipment is broken down. The clinical site where they have us is awful as well and after 7 weeks we are still doing CNA stuff , not passing meds.  We have to bring our own washcloths and N-95's and face shields and have to wait outside in the cold until our teacher gets there. She is always 10 minutes late. They won't even let us have water or heat our lunch up anywhere. There are not even enough chairs for us all to sit in the room they give us, and they make us switch places all the time.     It is so unprofessional all across the board- are these normal standards for LVN- are we like the trash nurses because we are not RN's yet?  I am in California so I would love to hear if this is the norm.  When I ask questions they just explain this is how it is because of COVID-but the students in other clinical sites in our school are not experiencing this.  How do you even deal with this-I tried to email the Clinical Instructor Coordinator and she blew up at me- I don't feel like asking for water and a chair is out of line.  Is nursing like camping?  Do they even have break rooms like most companies do?  I just don't know what to expect.

Specializes in retired LTC.

gems - clap  clap  clap. Honestly spoken. Not expecting social pleasantries in HC.

1 Votes

Gosh Fellow Nurses-

I couldn't disagree with some of you  more-are these negative answers how you would speak to a patient?  I might take you more seriously is your whole industry wasn't in decline-I am not blaming nurses for this, but what you are saying is just not the correct way to go about this situation and nurses CAN play a part in the solution.  Your industry needs to change and you may want to think about ways to help do this.  There are several petitions on Change.org and other groups you can make your voices heard in.  Especially now that things are in crisis- this is the exactly right time to start asking for what you want to be a successful nurse-not just financially or benefits but also in your day to day duties and environments.  Healthcare is business- I am not saying I agree with that-but that's what it is.  In business, when you want something- you negotiate for it.  To quote a popular saying "closed mouths don't get fed."   I am NOT an entitled person- I am a person in a first world country asking for tools I need to succeed.  I need a chair and a table or desk to complete the 1 hour assignment on my computer that is required of me during that clinical session.    That is a the tool I need-so I asked for it.  Believe me, the executives at the top are asking for plenty- and they are not taking the left-over money and putting it back into the pockets of the poor.  They are having the company lease them another top of the line Mercedes and pay for their premium gym membership and first class airline tickets.  I've been doing the expense reports for years-believe me.  I am not asking for champagne and roses- I get to ask for a chair and water in our country-it is not me being weak or "entitled."

In business,  lot of times, they can write things off as business expenses-there's tons of ways to get things done- it's all in how how you ask for them and who you partner with in management. But you have to have the desire to do them-I realize this is not what most nurses want to do, but if you want to improve your situation, you have to open your mouth and ask for it. Negotiating for most people is often worse than going in for a root canal, but it is necessary. Not like a Karen ?, but like a person who is asking for the tools they need to be successful and to continue working in their company.  You don't have any people to partner with in management? Well, that's part of the problem.  You have to develop those relationships-they are your colleagues-not your masters.  Business is give and take- let them know what you need and let them know what is working-everyone benefits.

And guess what? In the case of our clinical site, I asked in a nice way and the teacher asked in a nice way and the clinical director asked in a nice way and like magic, we had an unused room at the facility with chairs for everyone. Ask and ye shall receive:) Is this going to happen every time? No, of course not,  But it will NEVER happen if we don't ask.  In fact, the one site was so problematic, the clinical director put us for one day a week at another spot-which is LOVELY. The one site wasn't working so she changed it for the better. The new site actually want us there and in turn we work hard for them and are now passing meds and doing patient care and helping out in every way we can.  The last hour of clinical we go to the room and we do our paperwork on the computer.  So 11 fellow students have benefited from me saying " Gosh, can we do better here?"  You may say that is only one instance but it isn't actually. 

By starting a dialogue with school administrators, I got the situation for myself and 30 fellow student nurses improved. I have had the copy machines and printers upgraded to newer models-they were on a service contract so only had to ask for better machines-no one had asked in years so they had just kept the same.

 I got the water dispensers all serviced and working- BTW clean water is a HUMAN RIGHT.  "The human right to water and sanitation is a principle that acknowledges that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to every person's life. It was recognized as a human right by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 July 2010"  If you do not have access to clean and abundant drinking water while on the job-you may want to think about asking.

I got the teachers and course directors to look at our student workloads across classes and make a few adjustments so that big projects and midterms etc. did not land back to back in one week-these are all things they should be doing but had not because COVID messed everything up. 

Now fellow students ask me to send and email about this or that-and I do it.  We don't get everything we want but at least we try and everyone is feeling better-not abused and overwhelmed.

Nursing doesn't have to be a miserable drudge- it's only if you put up with sub-par behavior and standards- and fellow nurses- when we are not putting the gas mask on ourselves before helping others- we aren't doing it right.  We don't have to be so tough and put up with crappy situations- if your current job is pushing back on you and your team when asking for basics- keep your resume tuned up, look on Glassdoor and read the reviews for a better place and move on up!   Honestly, not all places are the same.  We need to fill up our own gas tanks- then we can go.  Just like a car- we need to be maintained.  I am stunned by some of the fellow nurses and former nurses self-care.  I'm not talking about going to the spa, just basic stuff.  We don't have to be hard as nails with ourselves- the job is tough but we don't have to be not even willing to put a bandaid on ourselves if we need it.

I know you will say "it's not like that in the real world" or "this girl is in for a BIG surprise" or whatever.  You may be right- But I survived in the tech industry and believe me, it is just as tough and more of a wild west atmosphere- look at some of the headlines about how they treat people in tech. 

Will you get everything you want? Of course not, but ask and keep on asking as the bible says.  Start a dialogue, not a one-off argument. Develop relationships- if you don't have time at least try to help anyone else who is working to improve your situation.  Be patient- be kind. Have a thick skin. Bring in people-doctors, administrators to improve your situation.  Make it better for the generation of nurses who follow you.  Life is too short -we spend too much time at work not to have it be tolerable.

I will close now and go back to my studies, but would like to end on this.  I have asked both the State and the school to look into adding a basic  communication class to the curriculum- in the first semester of school so we can benefit from it.  As nurses we communicate with everyone from Doctors to Families to CNA's to Janitors-and yet they don't teach ANY of the major communication schools of thought like Non-Violent Communication for example.  Knowledge is power.  

 

2 Votes
Specializes in Dialysis.
15 minutes ago, Horsegirl said:

Gosh Fellow Nurses-

I couldn't disagree with some of you  more-are these negative answers how you would speak to a patient?  I might take you more seriously is your whole industry wasn't in decline-I am not blaming nurses for this, but what you are saying is just not the correct way to go about this situation and nurses CAN play a part in the solution.  Your industry needs to change and you may want to think about ways to help do this.  There are several petitions on Change.org and other groups you can make your voices heard in.  Especially now that things are in crisis- this is the exactly right time to start asking for what you want to be a successful nurse-not just financially or benefits but also in your day to day duties and environments.  Healthcare is business- I am not saying I agree with that-but that's what it is.  In business, when you want something- you negotiate for it.  To quote a popular saying "closed mouths don't get fed."   I am NOT an entitled person- I am a person in a first world country asking for tools I need to succeed.  I need a chair and a table or desk to complete the 1 hour assignment on my computer that is required of me during that clinical session.    That is a the tool I need-so I asked for it.  Believe me, the executives at the top are asking for plenty- and they are not taking the left-over money and putting it back into the pockets of the poor.  They are having the company lease them another top of the line Mercedes and pay for their premium gym membership and first class airline tickets.  I've been doing the expense reports for years-believe me.  I am not asking for champagne and roses- I get to ask for a chair and water in our country-it is not me being weak or "entitled."

In business,  lot of times, they can write things off as business expenses-there's tons of ways to get things done- it's all in how how you ask for them and who you partner with in management. But you have to have the desire to do them-I realize this is not what most nurses want to do, but if you want to improve your situation, you have to open your mouth and ask for it. Negotiating for most people is often worse than going in for a root canal, but it is necessary. Not like a Karen ?, but like a person who is asking for the tools they need to be successful and to continue working in their company.  You don't have any people to partner with in management? Well, that's part of the problem.  You have to develop those relationships-they are your colleagues-not your masters.  Business is give and take- let them know what you need and let them know what is working-everyone benefits.

And guess what? In the case of our clinical site, I asked in a nice way and the teacher asked in a nice way and the clinical director asked in a nice way and like magic, we had an unused room at the facility with chairs for everyone. Ask and ye shall receive:) Is this going to happen every time? No, of course not,  But it will NEVER happen if we don't ask.  In fact, the one site was so problematic, the clinical director put us for one day a week at another spot-which is LOVELY. The one site wasn't working so she changed it for the better. The new site actually want us there and in turn we work hard for them and are now passing meds and doing patient care and helping out in every way we can.  The last hour of clinical we go to the room and we do our paperwork on the computer.  So 11 fellow students have benefited from me saying " Gosh, can we do better here?"  You may say that is only one instance but it isn't actually. 

By starting a dialogue with school administrators, I got the situation for myself and 30 fellow student nurses improved. I have had the copy machines and printers upgraded to newer models-they were on a service contract so only had to ask for better machines-no one had asked in years so they had just kept the same.

 I got the water dispensers all serviced and working- BTW clean water is a HUMAN RIGHT.  "The human right to water and sanitation is a principle that acknowledges that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to every person's life. It was recognized as a human right by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 July 2010"  If you do not have access to clean and abundant drinking water while on the job-you may want to think about asking.

I got the teachers and course directors to look at our student workloads across classes and make a few adjustments so that big projects and midterms etc. did not land back to back in one week-these are all things they should be doing but had not because COVID messed everything up. 

Now fellow students ask me to send and email about this or that-and I do it.  We don't get everything we want but at least we try and everyone is feeling better-not abused and overwhelmed.

Nursing doesn't have to be a miserable drudge- it's only if you put up with sub-par behavior and standards- and fellow nurses- when we are not putting the gas mask on ourselves before helping others- we aren't doing it right.  We don't have to be so tough and put up with crappy situations- if your current job is pushing back on you and your team when asking for basics- keep your resume tuned up, look on Glassdoor and read the reviews for a better place and move on up!   Honestly, not all places are the same.  We need to fill up our own gas tanks- then we can go.  Just like a car- we need to be maintained.  I am stunned by some of the fellow nurses and former nurses self-care.  I'm not talking about going to the spa, just basic stuff.  We don't have to be hard as nails with ourselves- the job is tough but we don't have to be not even willing to put a bandaid on ourselves if we need it.

I know you will say "it's not like that in the real world" or "this girl is in for a BIG surprise" or whatever.  You may be right- But I survived in the tech industry and believe me, it is just as tough and more of a wild west atmosphere- look at some of the headlines about how they treat people in tech. 

Will you get everything you want? Of course not

 

And this is where it begins...I am friendly with politicians at every level in my state, have regular conversations with members of my state BON about hot topic items, and know quite a few administrators and board members at facilities in my area (which is multistate). For you assume that many of us who have been doing this for many years don't have a clue how to negotiate how we've wanted our career path in nursing to progress, you are naive, and in for a rude awakening when you complete your courses and begin practice, and insulting to those from which you have asked this question. 

Once in practice, you will learn that you will be asked for ideas of how to improve practice/morale. You will be told your ideas sound great, and never hear anymore about it. If it doesn't create cost/staff reduction, TPTB don't want to hear it. They only care about the bottom line: $$$. Nursing is not a billable service, it is part of the total hospital fee, like housekeeping/dietary. That won't stop, as too many are making a huge profit off of healthcare, and they aren't going to allow it to stop. Even not for profit institutions look to maximize reinvestment profits, and adding costs/staff isn't what they're wanting to hear. 

Bottom line, it's all about money, and as long as there's profit to be made, things won't change. As it is now, many areas are looking to cap rates and numbers on travelers, as it's cutting into profits.

I don't know what they're teaching/not teaching nowadays, but communication basics were learned from early up when I was young, education wasn't taught to testing metrics. It sounds like the younger generation is really losing out.

I wish you luck and success, just know that the nurses before you haven't sat idly by letting this happen. Unfortunately, it's how our healthcare economic system works. And as bad as it is, nurses from other countries will do almost anything to practice in our system. Have a great day

1 Votes

OK- understood and thank you for your time.  This may be my narrow experience- all I know is that it seems like there are some improvements that can be made- and working together is a good start.  I just want it to be clear- we get to ask for chairs and water and not be labeled as "entitled."  

0 Votes

Also, we have to keep at this.  Women's Right to Vote, for example was won over DECADES and there were several times it was almost derailed because people could not agree on the best way in how to get it done.  I am not assuming that nurses ahead of me are not active- but we need to remain that way.  We have to keep advocating and we will be ignored more than listened to.  And thank you for all you have tried to do:)

0 Votes
Specializes in oncology.
1 hour ago, Horsegirl said:

I got the teachers and course directors to look at our student workloads across classes and make a few adjustments so that big projects and midterms etc. did not land back to back in one week-these are all things they should be doing but had not because COVID messed everything up. 

Course schedules are not made up semesters or years in advance. And yes, before you, faculty looked at these. 

I guess I am going to say what I believe from your post "You are not a genuine student". You have great ideas but not all can be realized by a first semester LPN student. For example... How can 11 students use one computer for a homework assignment?

1 Votes

We all have our own computers.  That's not what I said. If you read some of the comments in the thread- it seems like people are saying we need to put up with things like not having a chair or water where we work at a clinical site.   Also, 11 students DO use the same computer on the drug cart. 

 

0 Votes
Specializes in oncology.
3 hours ago, londonflo said:

How can 11 students use one computer for a homework assignment?

 

2 hours ago, Horsegirl said:

We all have our own computers. 

In this setting there are 11 computers available at the same time for a homework assignment?

5 hours ago, Horsegirl said:

  I need a chair and a table or desk to complete the 1 hour assignment on my computer that is required of me during that clinical session. 

When you get to a hospital setting, you will not always have a chair to chart. In fact, you may be charting on your feet in an individual patient's room. Or you may be in a nursing station where there are limited chairs in front of limited computers. Please do not be a student who sits  in one of the few available chairs writing out your homework while those who genuinely need the chair/computer access go without.

By the way,,,,, why aren't you in your patient's/patients room instead of looking for a chair?

 

0 Votes
Specializes in oncology.
9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

I have asked both the State and the school to look into adding a basic  communication class to the curriculum- in the first semester of school so we can benefit from it.  As nurses we communicate with everyone from Doctors to Families to CNA's to Janitors-and yet they don't teach ANY of the major communication schools of thought like Non-Violent Communication for example.  Knowledge is power.  

Are you asking if the communication course is in the first semester of an ADN or BSN program? Yes it is. How you were able to get to your first clinical course without completing a communication course baffles me. Once again, I will say..based on your comments you are not a nursing student. What is your game?

 

Just saw that your name changed to someone who is NOT an active member.  I still wonder what your motivation was to boast on here what your accomplished as an LPN student......

0 Votes
Specializes in oncology.

 

9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

And guess what? In the case of our clinical site, I asked in a nice way and the teacher asked in a nice way and the clinical director asked in a nice way and like magic, we had an unused room at the facility with chairs for everyone. 

 

9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

 I have had the copy machines and printers upgraded to newer models-they were on a service contract so only had to ask for better machines-no one had asked in years so they had just kept the same.

 

9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

I got the water dispensers all serviced and working- BTW clean water is a HUMAN RIGHT.  "The human right to water and sanitation is a principle that acknowledges that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to every person's life.

 

9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

I got the teachers and course directors to look at our student workloads across classes and make a few adjustments so that big projects and midterms etc. did not land back to back in one week-

 

9 hours ago, Guest1188630 said:

I have asked both the State and the school to look into adding a basic  communication class to the curriculum- in the first semester of school so we can benefit from it. 

Gotta wonder when she had time to study or actually see her patient (s)? After the miracles she performed she is gone.........

1 Votes
On 2/22/2022 at 12:09 AM, gemswanson90 said:

Your job is to beg borrow and hope for meaningful clinical experiences.  You are not owed a chair in report, respect from the CNA or LPN on shift,  or me.  Earn it.  Or lose it.  

I don't think students have to beg for respect. I wouldn't subscribe to any of this. And if I get anything less, you'd better believe someone is going to hear about it. A higher up one way or another. 

1 Votes
Specializes in Dialysis.
9 hours ago, faithjohn said:

I don't think students have to beg for respect. I wouldn't subscribe to any of this. And if I get anything less, you'd better believe someone is going to hear about it. A higher up one way or another. 

You're given respect when you earn it. You're not going to get it walking in the door. Running to "tattle" on the mean nurse who wouldn't bow to the students sure isn't going to win you respect either. Try actively engaging with the nurses and you will win respect, and come out ahead from a networking standpoint

0 Votes
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