Lauralee Hayes, LPN, a Licensed Practical Nurse with Norwichtown Rehabilitation and Care Center
Get to know Licensed Practical Nurse, Lauralee Hayes, who serves patients in Norwich, Connecticut.
Lauralee is a licensed practical nurse with a focus on mental health, juvenile health care, corrections, occupational therapy, and geriatrics. In practice for over 12 years, she works at Norwichtown Rehabilitation and Care Center in Norwich, Connecticut.
Norwichtown Rehabilitation and Care Center is a 120-bed skilled nursing community, offering 44 private and 38 semi-private rooms to accommodate medical needs and personal preference. It offers both short-term medically complex and rehabilitation stays and traditional long-term care services designed to maintain the health and well-being of residents. The goal of the Center is to promote maximum independence for each resident in a homelike environment.
Working both long-term care and rehabilitation, Lauralee takes care of patients of different age groups. Her responsibilities include: verifying orders on the computer that her supervisor has already received from the doctor or APRN; notifying the family and the resident of the new orders; updating the Shift Report throughout her shift with all new orders and any changes that need to be passed on; giving the residents their medication and monitoring them for any changes or adverse reactions; performing the treatments and wound care as ordered by the doctor; using the KCI Wound Vac when ordered; hanging the IVs as needed and monitoring the IV, PICC, Midline, Port sites as well as Peripheral sites; hanging the G-tube feedings and doing the bolus feeding or continuous feedings for G-tubes; taking the vital signs and keeping track of the intake and output of the residents being monitored; taking care of dialysis patients, hospice patients, and their families; and caring for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and their families.
From the time that she was a child, Lauralee wanted to work in nursing. She had a brother with special needs, taking care of him and helping her mother raise him. When she was a teenager in high school, she took a class in 11th and 12th grade to get her CNA certificate and in the 12th grade, she worked at The Angelus Inc. in St. Petersburg, Florida. There, she worked with children that were mostly disabled physically and some of them mentally as well. It was then that she knew she wanted to become a nurse and work with children, mostly those with special needs.
“I went to school when I was 18 to get my LPN license and I missed it by one point. I was so let down and sure I was not meant to be a nurse because I had never failed in anything in my life other than my driver’s test. But this was so important and I was too afraid to retake the test. I went on to do many things in my life, always working in the medical field. Finally, one day I decided to finish what I started with 4 kids and at 30 years old” expressed Lauralee.
She left the prison where she was working as a correctional officer, did a two-week refresher course, got her CNA certificate back, and went to work at Village Place Rehabilitation Center as a CNA. She worked there for 6 months while she worked on getting into school. Then, once accepted at Charlotte Technical College, she continued to work at Village Place Rehabilitation Center Friday through Sunday (for a total of 32 hours) and was off Monday through Thursday for school. “I had so many mentors there, especially Cindy RN. When I got my LPN, I stayed there and my DON let me work in many different areas, giving me a chance to learn a lot. I worked with the wound care nurse and doctor for a long time, working on the floor, behind the desk running the floor, taking orders, helping the doctors, and working with the charge RN. I worked rehabilitation and long-term, I worked both the 7-3 shift and 3-11 shift, and I ran teaching classes for other nurses. Before I left Florida, I was a very well rounded nurse” noted Lauralee.
She attributes her success to never giving up, stating “I may have stepped back, but I never gave up.”
A licensed practical nurse (LPN) provides routine care for the sick or injured. They work under the supervision of doctors and registered nurses, performing duties such as taking vital signs, collecting samples, administering medication, ensuring patient comfort, and reporting the status of their patients to the nurses.
LPNs are generally hired in smaller settings such as nursing homes, home health environments, and rehabilitation centers. They must be skilled in balancing care for patients and completing practical daily administrative tasks.
On a more personal note, Lauralee is married.
Learn More about Lauralee Hayes:
Through her online profile, https://todaysnurse.org/network/index.php?do=/4146713/info/
