Twenty Somethings

Save me from the youth of today.

The brand spanking new grad LPN my admin hired, and who committed to working 4 days week, gave her 2 week notice today.

But she'd love to work every other weekend when she's not working for her multi gazillion health care conglomerate in an office job.

Fact:  I have worked every weekend for the past month.

Question:  After working a 40 hour week somewhere else, why would I trust her to show up 2 weekends a month?

Fact:  She has a 4 year old daughter.

Fact:  She has left every day she's working in the past 2 weeks at 1730 and today she did not make sure all the diabetics had their insulin.

Fact:  Admin. thinks she's doing very well.

Fact:  She is 23 and attractive.

Question:  If she were 45 and ugly would he feel the same?

Fact:  I have to work Memorial Day while she's off to Arizona to vacay with her parents.

Fact:  I am salary now and get paid for Memorial Day if I work or not.  No extra overtime for working the holiday.  Not happy about this.

Fact:  McArmy will be home at the end of June-beginning of July for 2 weeks, one week his girlfriend and her son will be here.

Question:  Will I have any time to spend with them?

Fact:  This could very well be the last time I see McArmy before he deploys in December.  It is the last time he'll b home before then.

Thought:  A job in a clinic looks very attractive right now and if they're hiring new grads wouldn't they be interested in me???

Death by Paper

How much paperwork can one woman do before she keels over?

I think I must be close.

Every day adds more paper.

Expanded incident reports.

Expanded fall report faxes to MDs.

Fall risk assessments for any fall in the past 90 days.

New medication log to track missing and refused medications.

I could go on but you get the drift.

We are also trying to break up a few mean golden girl cabelas.

Our dining room feels like a seventh grade lunchroom.

The meanness and picking on the weaker ones will be ending even if we have to discharge half of them.

Awesome RN consultant working with us to fix problems.

I really like her.

I plan on using her as one of my best resources.

Now off to attempt five hours of sleep...if only my brain would shut off!

There Goes My Overtime

Officially starting tomorrow I am no longer an hourly employee, I'll be salary.

Moving up means slightly less money for the first 90 days as I've been raking in the overtime for the past two months.

My health insurance is now 100% covered by the corp.

And

 OH*MY*GOODNESS*

They have ordered me business cards!  YEEPS!

For someone who basically went from high school to university to marriage to stay at home mommyhood, business cards are MAJOR!

My next several months will be an orgy of learning.

This is where the critical thinking gets more complex.

I plan on asking the regional director(also a nurse) a zillion questions and plan to have her on speed dial.

We have a nurse consultant working with us to increase our reporting and investigation skills.

To be honest the previous admin/DNS left us with a pile of useless crap.  That will be remedied.

The consultant will help put plans of action into place, actual delivery systems like they taught us in nursing school.

I did not quite grasp the concept in school but I see how helpful these will be not to mention making our facility safer, compliant with all state laws, and a place I'd feel comfortable sending one of my relative to live.

Is my idealism showing?

Starting Thursday the game is on like donkey kong!!

You Can Call Me DNS

I may be crazy, but I said I would try the DNS position.

Two years ago I could not even get hired as a new grad and now management.

I freely admit I have tons to learn but regional nursing director told me to call with any questions. I made sure I had an experienced nursing resource.

If, for some reason it is not the job for me, at least I will have the experience of having tried.

Let's see if I make my facility a better place to be or end up in a rubber room.

Either way~the game is on!