Q:What's a typical workday like for you?
I receive a report on the status of the 22 residents in my care and communicate that information to my staff , one trained medication aide and three nursing assistants. I carry out orders and treatments, talk with doctors and families, attend care conferences, cook and serve meals. I make sure information on residents' status is conveyed to the evening and night shifts, create in-service education sessions for the unit and mentor nursing students doing clinical internships.
Q:How does your role fit into the bigger healthcare picture?
The LPN in long term care is a liaison between family, the patient, the doctor and the community. In resident-centered long term care, we try to encompass every aspect of someone's life, including their spiritual needs and needs to be attached to family and community.
Q:Who do you interact with during the course of the day?
I interact with residents, families, my immediate nursing staff, doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacy, dietary, social services, beauty shop, chaplaincy, volunteer services, therapeutic recreation, administration, maintenance, hospital staff and suppliers.
Q:Why did you become a licensed practical nurse?
I secretly wanted to be a nurse, but it wasn't common for a man in the late 1980s. After I met someone whose son was a nurse, I decided to go ahead. I believe that taking care of the elderly and people who are ill is very much like answering a religious vocation.
