The nursing station is behind Plexiglas-glass windows, but it is not sound proof. Constantly there is someone at the window asking for something or repeating themselves as it is part of their behaviour. This is why before I said working in mental health can be draining! Lol.

It is like being home with my 5 year old who is always asking “Why?”. I know this is their behaviour and it is not their fault. There is also nothing I can do about it. You learn to tune things out and get your work done with someone always peering at you through that window.

To many clients smoking is important. They count down the the minute when they can have their next cigarette. Then right at that time, there they are, at the window

Violence can happen in this field as well. A lot of the residents take medications to help control this, but there is still the occasional outburst. You learn to watch for trigger points for each person, so you can help them avoid getting to the point of acting out.

Most of the time it was the residents who would fight with each other. I guess living together, they are family, and we all know family fight. Certain ones you would know to keep away from the others. Personality clashes!

This field to me was very interesting. Most of the patients had been sick most of their lives, always living in a facility. I was told to read all their charts and histories, so I would better understand them. I felt sorry for a lot, as many had no family involved.

So if you can handle being followed, talked to constantly, answering the same questions over and over, then maybe this is for you. The physical work is MUCH easier I enjoyed my time at this place. It was a valuable learning experience, but I found out I am not as assertive as I would like to be, and being in this type of facility made me nervous at times. And, I want to be a confident of a nurse as I can when I work for my safety and the patient’s

Most of us who are LPN’s tend to work in hospitals on units such as medical or surgical. It is less often where a job can be found in mental health. Usually, the jobs are for RPN’s.

When I found a posting for a job in a mental health facility, I thought I would jump at the chance. I was all about working in as many areas as I could. I had only graduated a few months before too! So, I went for my interview. Not only was I hired, they offered me a part-time line! Being a mom of two at the time, I did not want the commitment of a line, for daycare purposes. I wanted to stay casual so I could work when my husband was able to babysit.

So, when I started at this facility, I started on nights. I was a nice, easy way to get used to things. This facility was home to 25 residents. All suffered from various mental health issues such as schizophrenia. They ranged in ages from 30s to 80s. I was excited to see the other side of nursing that did not involve so  much personal care. At this facility, I held the keys and did meds while care aides assisted the residents with personal care.

I have to say, once I had worked there a few times, I could really see the difference. I was not coming home physically exhausted from my job, but mentally. These residents had behaviour issues that really tested ones patience!

I will try and think of some stories from my times there, and will share with you next week. It will be good to share some insight from personal experience in case you are thinking mental health may be the area you one day would like to work at. Or, if you are considering taking your RPN.

…you desire to do, can be found working on a Surgical unit. I have to say of all the places I have worked, this has to be my favourite. The best part of nursing in my eyes, is all the hands on skills.

In Surgery, you see many types of incisions afterwards. It is a great place to practice all the dressing changes you learned. You get to use your critical thinking when it comes to post-op complications and learn the things to watch out for. What’s the number one thing?! Infection!!

Almost every shift you can learn something new. Whether it be a new surgery or specific care for a type of recovery. I never felt like I was done learning. It is nice to work in a place where you can continue to expand your knowledge and become a more experienced nurse.

On a unit like this, it is important to remember that things can change in a instant. A person who has just had surgery is at risk for many complications. You need to be on the ball, watching vital signs to make sure the person remains stable.

Yes, this unit may not be for those who are faint of heart. You will see a lot and need to be able to hold it together Remember what wound Evisceration is? Yes, it really does happen!!

Some of the surgeries are sad. People who are palliative. I found myself many times becoming emotional. You can’t get away from it no matter what unit you work on. Surgery to me is an amazing thing, it saves many lives and it makes life easier for many. Most of the time on this unit the end result is SO positive. 

So, if you want staple or suture removal, catheter insertion, and dressing changes, surgery may be for you. Don’t be afraid to jump in there and get your hands dirty so to speak

I am sure everyone knows the story about BCNU wanting the LPN’s to join their union, and that it did not work out. Then our contract with HEU was up, so negotiations happened, an agreement was met, and some things changed.  Good and not so good.

Of course, we are all happy that there is now pay scales and we get more money long term. But, the one thing I was not too happy about was the fact that I can no longer work in more then one place. I am currently employed at 2 hospitals, so when I return from maternity leave I will need to choose one. I love being able to work in different areas. This allowed me to see what type of nursing I wanted to do.

In my 2 years, I was able to work in Surgery, Orthopedics, Acute Medicine and Mental Health. I have great experience in all these areas, and feel it helped me become a more confident nurse. I know there are many LPN’s looking for work. Like I had said before it is REALLY important that while on your preceptorship you try and talk to the manager. Even getting hired as a casual is great. This will get your foot in the door!

Try not to be discouraged if it takes some time. You are not the only one going through this, and it will get better! So, I have 8 months to decide which area/hospital I want to go back to. I need to think about where it is I feel most valuable as I nurse. Where is it I enjoy going and feel I make a difference….

I can’t believe that I’m almost finished practicum. The time has simply flown by but here I am with just four more shifts to go and I’ll be done. Every single day I learn something new and more and more I’m working on my own. Even though I don’t have a set unit, I think I’ve been fortunate in that working the float position; you get to see and do things that are so different that working in one unit you might not usually get to see or do. I’m also spending a lot more time searching for a job now – it’s become my obsession (and necessity) and the closer I get to completion of practicum, the more stress I’m feeling about not having anything yet (especially as some people have already been hired from our class). I have to trust myself more and trust in my instincts (which are usually correct). I was really proud of myself last night – I caught that a doctor had ordered a medication to which a patient was allergic, and got a big ‘well done’ from my preceptor – that made me feel good.

So my focus is on being the best student I can be and the best person I can be, putting my resume out there and creating contacts, trusting to the universe that things will work out in the end (and it doesn’t hurt to have my fingers crossed at all times). Not to make light of the stress side of it – I cannot deny this is causing me some lack of sleep at the realization the end of the course in near and now the hard bit of getting my foot in the door is one final hurdle that must be overcome.

Seeing Stenberg post a note on their facebook page about an upcoming career fair with Fraser Health reminded me of when I was first on the job search. The excitement of graduation was short lived as then I realized I needed to find work in order to start paying back that student loan I accumulated. Oh, not to mention in a couple months I would be writing my licensing exam! Oh, no stress at all…..

If you are on your preceptorship or are going to be starting it, the most important thing you can do is make contacts! Find out who the manager of the unit is, and get to know them. They will be the one making the decision to hire you or not. It is important to make a great impression while working there. Of course, you need to work hard and have the staff on your side as well.

There is a backlog when it comes to hiring, as it takes a long time for them to go through ALL the resumes they receive. It is a major competition, so any advantage you can get, please do!

I was very lucky to have a job right after school. I was working as soon as I had my interim license. I took the time to establish a good working relationship with my co-workers and proved I was good at my job. By the end of my preceptorship the manager came to me to ask me to come work there!

I work for Fraser Health, at 2 hospitals. Go check out the career fair, they are great to work for!

I attended Stenberg in 2007/08 taking the Licensed Practical Nursing program. I have to say even 2 years later, I still miss it! I have many great memories from my time there I have remained friends with fellow classmates since graduation and even work with one! You develop a bond like no other. Heck, I don’t know many friends who would willingly let me inject them with a needle!

The one thing I want to pass on to the current students now, is you will have great success after. Stenberg had a great reputation when I was out on clinicals, and I am sure it has only gotten better in the last 2 years! We were always complimented on our knowledge and work ethic. I guess we have the wonderful teachers to thank for that. Well, No, I want to take some credit for that too. They gave us the tools and guidance we needed to become successful, but it was our hard work and determination that made it happen.

Not being a current student, in my blogs I want to share with you past experiences from my time at Stenberg and also what I have experienced since. I have been fortunate enough to have worked in many areas as an Practical Nurse over the last 2 years. At Stenberg, I was honored with being Valedictorian at graduation and also won Student of the Year! That was such a blessing. What other school do you know of that awards one person annually their full tuition back!! No matter what field you are in, you will be well prepared for your careers ahead. There is definitely success after Stenberg!

My job is missing. I must find it! Is it in Langley or in Surrey? Where oh where is that job?

This is the last week of my Resident Care Attendant program. The focus now is on conducting an extensive job search. To me, this is the hardest part of the course. Yes, anatomy was challenging, but I did find out that I have a tricuspid valve and that my liver performs over 200 different functions. And yes, it took practice before I was able to perfect finding my resting heart rate, but eventually I was able to find it and count it and I’m happy to note that I am alive (according to my heart beat).

Today we had a guest speaker who taught us how to apply for jobs online. We were also taught how to give a proper handshake. Not as easy as it sounds, actually. There are many kinds of handshakes: the wimpy wet fish handshake, the tentative “I don’t really want you to touch me” handshake, and the aggressive break the fingers handshake. We were taught how to give the friendly, “nice to meet you” handshake without bone breakage or slippery fish feel.

Tomorrow I have to bring to class answers to the questions of why the interviewer should hire me. Easy: because I’m cute. The next question is why do I want to work here? Easy: because I need a job. What are my weaknesses? Easy: Chocolate and caramel lattes. I guess looking for work won’t be as hard as I’d imagined (just kidding!).

Good luck to everyone in the process of finding work. You’ve worked hard already, now go and get ‘em!