Working outside the nursing field?

[Maremma]

Has anyone gone out of the nursing field for work while looking for another LPN job? I am wondering if that hurts your chances of getting a new LPN position as they come open?

I am now even more desperate to get out of were I am and preserve my license. Last night was the last straw. Friday I was told I would be working as an aid on Saturday. Okay. The reason though was not because we did not have enough aids and so I was filling in a spot to help out like I usually do.

One of the "rehab" nurse's has come back from maternity leave. The second nurse was so relieved because there are suppose to be TWO nurse's on the 30 bed unit for half the shift at least. She had been forced to work 12 hour shifts alone for weeks on end over there. the "excuse" being we just didn't have enough nurse's to be ABLE to put a second nurse in that open spot.

So the second nurse tells me later in the shift that she still has to do the 12 hour shifts alone on the bigger rehab unit and they are putting the returning nurse over on my hall. I am being bumped to aid status because they CALLED OFF two of the aids that were previously scheduled! On top of that they were sending two more home early.

They say this is necessary because census is down. Umm not on any of the LTC halls. They are all full up! The rehab unit is the one down 7 beds.

We had a meeting this week where we told how terrible we are and that we needs to stop sending people to the hospital, (umm the Dr we call for the change in status gives those orders, the Dr at the ER decided who is being admitted and who can come back after being stabilized)The hospitals are complaining about us because they aren't getting paid for the readmissions of the people they send to us that we have to send back with the same condition.They do not want to send us patients anymore because we keep sending them back due to their admitting diagnoses escalating or them being unstable as soon as they roll in the door. Then they have to treat them for "free".

In the same meeting we are being ripped into for a man that developed diarrhea, the Dr did not order any IV fluids be started even though we kept calling him about this man. He was sent out to the hospital to late. He passed away from kidney failure while at the hospital. We are of course still liable.

There are to many complaints about "unfriendly staff". call bells not being answered fast enough. Etc. (So we send even more aids home, call off a few more and wonder why they don't have any time to be "friendly"?)

On and on they went crushing any moral left whatsoever in any of us.

Back out on the floor I over hear an aid saying that her partner that slipped and fell in urine that was leaking from a cath bag was told by HR that "work comp won't be paying for that because she is only part time" !!!??? Really? They are going to try to pull that illegal crap to boot?

Then I have anther aid come and tell me that she just over heard the RN super at the nurse's desk telling the nurse's that anyone that cannot complete their work within half an hour of their clock out time is to go clock out and then return to finish their work!

Umm NO. What so I can be the next guy to slip in urine and be told work comp ain't paying cause I wasn't clocked in? I work as a nurse today and I dread even going in.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I would attempt to hold onto this job until you find another nursing position. What you describe is bad, but working for minimum wage would be worse. Sorry, but my bills cannot be paid with an $8-per-hour job at a coffee house.

[Maremma]

Indeed no but I am more worried about the long term. I am afraid of losing my license and NEVER being able to get a nursing job anywhere every again. There are many many problems at this facility that scare the crap out of me. Every time they do illegal crap or try to make us do illegal things get even more sick with worry.

[RondaW]

What state are you in ?? Yea the nursing field is always terrible patient/nurse ratio..I went into the Home Health field & love it !! home visits, flexible..your able to spend time with your patients and complete your assessments and nursing care, wound care, IV, ..ect...without having to deal with 7-10 other patients and no help.....Good Luck !

[Maremma]

I am in PA.

I have also wanted to be able to do home health care at some point. I used to do that as an aid. I have not seriously thought about that yet because I had to get my magic "one year experience" that is required by all of them around here.

I still doubt I can go that route even though I would love to be able to do one on one nursing. So far everyone I have talked to that already does this tells me it is unstable work. Health insurance is a big road block to doing that too, I must be able to carry health insurance. Of course No insurance AND no job at all is much worse.

[Stockholmstacks]

If a staff member asks or tells you to do something that is out of your scope of practice or you feel is unethical and you could lose your job over it, I would kindly ask them to put their request in writing so you have some kind of leverage on them (im not saying to do the task) but if they fire you for being 'incompetent', youll have some proof that your hands are clean. Dont know if theyd actually do it, but at least it will show them that you mean business.

New member, first post! Passed NCLEX first try last thursday male nurses rule yeeaa!!

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

New member, first post! Passed NCLEX first try last thursday male nurses rule yeeaa!!

Welcome to these forums, and congratulations on passing NCLEX!