*VENT* - Do you blame me?

[anndoodle]

i am so furious. been a while since i've been here, so here's some catch up. had a job in geri psych, they closed the unit so i took a job in a doc's office. i'm an lpn since 1990, have experience in doc's office, ltc, and geri psych. after 6 months in the new docs office, they "closed" my job position since the doc wasn't doing much business and they stated they couldn't pay both a nurse and a receptionist. i either could quit or take a leave of absence/summer leave...that's what i did, in the hopes that at the end of my leave business would have picked up and i could go back to the doc's office. had to use all my vacation time, too. when it was time to come back, he still wasn't busy, but the hospital said that they would find a place for me. i had never worked med/surg, so i took a part time job in post partum in ob. i really liked it, too. but now, the ob census is low and med surg is high and they've been pulling me to work on the floor as an aid. here's the clincher: i'm one of two lpn's that works ob, all the rest are rn's. they (the rn's) don't have "floor experience", either, and when it's their "turn" they have the option to take call or stay home/off work, and don't have to work on the floor. the other lpn is older and they only make her work on the floor as an aid. they never give me an option....they just tell me i "need to come in". then when i come in and go to ob, they tell me "you've been pulled to the floor". several times they've made me pass meds, but a few times i've been able to work with the aids. i had a long talk with our don about this over a month ago, and told her i'm not comfortable, either, and that i wanted some orientation. (never worked the floor, remember....) she said that i would have at least 2 weeks of orientation and that they would start putting me with another nurse. after 4 weeks now, i've had one night of actual orientation. they have made me work by myself with at least 9-10 patients to do meds on by myself. the rn's do the assessments and the lpns do everything else. i have asked repeatedly for orientation to no avail. funny tho, i'm supposed to be orienting in the nursery for ob, but they would rather make me work the floor. why not let me have a night of orientation in the nursery???

this is why i'm furious now. this last wednesday, i was off work. i called our nursing secretary to offer to work that night to help out, as i knew the census was up. told her i would still like to get some orientation, go with another nurse, etc. she said the hospital was so full they were admitting pts to our outpatient area, and that she would put me there with an rn and 4 patients for the night - said it would be ok. i got to work, went to that area, and was told by house charge that i was moved to work out on the floor. they had me with twelve patients all by myself, plus an admit!!! i was in tears 4 times that night. and i swore i'd never be put in that position again. we recently had a meeting with the don and allthe nurses, and the don said she could't pressure the ob nurses to work the floor if they felt "uncomfortable". then why the hell are they making me do it??? i have been physically sick with uri's for the last 3 weeks from working on the floor and being exposed, had a 102 temp all day, sore throat, n/v so i called in sick for tonight. my nurse mrg called asking if i was really, really sick...or did i just not want to work the floor. ???? i told her i was actually sick, and filled her in on exactly what happened the other night, and told her specifically:

"due to the position i was put in on wed. night, after volunteering to come in on my night off to get some orientation, i discovered just how uncomfortable i am working on the floor. if the other nurses don't have to work out there, then neither should i. i am scheduled to work tomorrow night in ob, but if they don't need me then you need to put me on call....since we're supposed to be taking turns taking "call"...i haven't been on call since our last schedule. i can either be on call for ob or i will stay home. i am no longer available to work on the floor."

am i wrong for feeling this way, or should i just let them continue to use and abuse me? i don't see how they can make you work like that without having orientation, iv therapy classes, etc. i mean, last week i just learned that you're supposed to use an option 21 to hang a piggy back on an ivac!:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

[webbiedebbie]

Okay...no flames...are LPN/LVN's allowed to push IV meds?

[EmmaG, RN]

Okay...no flames...are LPN/LVN's allowed to push IV meds?

Depends. Where I worked, they could.

[Ms Kylee]

In my state, they can't. Can't push IV meds, can't hang blood or blood products, can't titrate, and can't hang chemo. The Gov. is trying to get the law changed that we'll be able to hang blood/products and push IV's by this summer.

[withasmilelpn]

. "i don't see how they can make you work like that without having orientation, iv therapy classes, etc. i mean, last week i just learned that you're supposed to use an option 21 to hang a piggy back on an ivac!:angryfire:angryfire:angryfire

this is what to me sounded like the op was indeed hanging ivs possibly without iv training. frankly it sounds very unsafe as she stated she has very little orientation to the unit she was hired for and none where they keep pulling her to. plus no previous hospital experience. it is also very weird to me that the other lpn that has been there longer is pulled as an aide only. i think they are using her as there designated warm body, too new to know any better. not only do i think this whole siuation sounds unfair, but i worry that she will put her license in jeapordy by remaining an employee there.

[bethin]

Kudos to you for standing up for yourself. They treated you like crap. But now you can say you have OB experience. I hope you find a better job that treats you with respect. Good luck!

[anndoodle]

Thank you. In Arkansas, LPN's can push IV meds, hang IV meds. I have been a nurse for 17 years, so I'm not new to nursing - just new to how they actually run things on a med/surg floor. The other lpn I was talking about that works as an aide is much older than I am and is due to retire this fall; I believe that's why she works as an aid. I have had very good orientation on the unit I was hired to (ob) actually had over a month of day shift orientation. I feel very comfortable working there. I have had one night of actually going with another nurse on the night shift for the full 12 hours, then one night up until midnight when I was pulled to ob. In my honest opinion, it's a very mixed up situation. Nursing secretary and DON had stated to give me orientation but when I show up for work, invariably someone has called in or they're short handed and they (house charge) use me to fill in for whoever didn't show. Hence, the lack of orientation. I spoke with the nursing secretary today and set up a meeting with my dept. manager and the DON. My manager apparently was unaware that they have been doing me this way. THe other nurses in ob instead of calling me and putting me on call, like everyone else, have just been telling me to come on in to work and would not tell me where I was going to work nor did they give me the option to be on call. From now on, if I'm not needed in ob I will work on the floor as an aid, not as a med nurse per my request. That or I will stay home and not work. Period.