Inform me...

Thujone · Aug 10, 2011

LTC = long term care, this means residents will live there for more than 6 months.

Hospice = less than six months to live, and clients are primarily given palliative care.

Hospitals = well I assume you know what go on in a hospital, but it is called a acute care facility.

Out of the three, typically speaking, hospitals pay the best, and a lot of people say they enjoy the constant change in patients that hospitals provide, however, others like getting to know their residents better and LTC is the place for that.

walkingonthestars · Aug 10, 2011

LTC = long term care, this means residents will live there for more than 6 months.
Hospice = less than six months to live, and clients are primarily given palliative care.
Hospitals = well I assume you know what go on in a hospital, but it is called a acute care facility.
Out of the three, typically speaking, hospitals pay the best, and a lot of people say they enjoy the constant change in patients that hospitals provide, however, others like getting to know their residents better and LTC is the place for that.

Hi Brian! Thank you for your response

I have some time before classes start and I want to get a feel of what I'm going to be doing. From what I've read on here, many people feel unappreciated and overworked. Is this the way it is with everyone?

Would you mind sharing what setting you've worked in and what you've experienced?

Reese2012 · Aug 10, 2011

I worked in a hospital on the oncology floor.

Daisy routine (12hr shifts)

7am, get report from night shift and nurse on day shift. Then grab the vitals machine and begin taking vitals on every patient (I usually had 6-12pts of my own).

7:30 begin passing food trays, assist patients to the bathroom, chair, or side of bed. Feed patients that could not do it themselves. Also during this time, change all of the linens on the bed (this had to be done every day)

8:00 chart vitals

8:15 begin helping patients with baths and to the bathroom

10am pick up food trays and chart how much the patient ate

11am do accu checks (glucose) and chart those

12pm pass out lunch trays

1pm lunch break for 30mins

1:30 assist patients to the bathroom, chair, or bed

2pm pick up lunch trays for the people that ate at 12

3pm check vitals again and chart

4-5pm pass food trays, and do another set of accu checks

6pm being emptying foleys, chart I & O's and assisting patients to the bed

7pm finish up charting

7:15pm give report

7:30 go home

* now this is not all I had to do. Sometimes patients would come back from testing or surgery and it was my job to take vitals Q15mins, Q30mins, Q1hr. Also we would have to rule out certain diseases, so it would be my job to send tests down to the lab. Answer call lights all day long, when someone goes on lunch break, it is up to you to take care of their patients. Assisting the nurse with dressing changes. Discharging patients, and admitting patients all day long

Trust me its overwhelming and sometimes you want to cry, but its all worth it. I can tell you the pay does suck, but you do get more in a hospital v. a ltc setting.

Reese2012 · Aug 10, 2011

I have also floated to ICU, MICU/ SICU, pysc, med/surg, Peds, NICU, rehab, ER

walkingonthestars · Aug 11, 2011

:eek:

WOW! When was it time for you to breathe?! lol

I've been admitted to hospitals before, but I don't think I ever quite appreciated the nurses/aides/respiratory therapists as much as now that I know what they go through. (I mean I was never rude to anyone who attended me, and I would always say thank you, but this opens my eyes!)

Thank you so much for sharing! I know that there's a long road ahead of me, but I've got to keep going!

Are you also a LVN or RN?

I worked in a hospital on the oncology floor.
Daisy routine (12hr shifts)
7am, get report from night shift and nurse on day shift. Then grab the vitals machine and begin taking vitals on every patient (I usually had 6-12pts of my own).
7:30 begin passing food trays, assist patients to the bathroom, chair, or side of bed. Feed patients that could not do it themselves. Also during this time, change all of the linens on the bed (this had to be done every day)
8:00 chart vitals
8:15 begin helping patients with baths and to the bathroom
10am pick up food trays and chart how much the patient ate
11am do accu checks (glucose) and chart those
12pm pass out lunch trays
1pm lunch break for 30mins
1:30 assist patients to the bathroom, chair, or bed
2pm pick up lunch trays for the people that ate at 12
3pm check vitals again and chart
4-5pm pass food trays, and do another set of accu checks
6pm being emptying foleys, chart I & O's and assisting patients to the bed
7pm finish up charting
7:15pm give report
7:30 go home
* now this is not all I had to do. Sometimes patients would come back from testing or surgery and it was my job to take vitals Q15mins, Q30mins, Q1hr. Also we would have to rule out certain diseases, so it would be my job to send tests down to the lab. Answer call lights all day long, when someone goes on lunch break, it is up to you to take care of their patients. Assisting the nurse with dressing changes. Discharging patients, and admitting patients all day long
Trust me its overwhelming and sometimes you want to cry, but its all worth it. I can tell you the pay does suck, but you do get more in a hospital v. a ltc setting.

Reese2012 · Aug 11, 2011

Neither, after taking a break from school abecause of working full time at a law office. I am going back to school to become an RN

walkingonthestars · Aug 11, 2011

Yay for future nurses! :nurse:

Good luck, I wish you the best!

Neither, after taking a break from school abecause of working full time at a law office. I am going back to school to become an RN