question about once nursing school is over....

allnurses Guide · May 12, 2012

Unfortunately most hospitals do not consider nursing home experience to be "acute care" experience. But who knows...the economy may start loosening up by the time you are done. Any job is going to reflect better than NO job.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · May 12, 2012

It will count as experience, but whether it will help you land a hospital job is still questionable. Most hospitals want "acute care experience" like from another inpatient unit. However, with LTC experience you will carry more weight than just a new graduate, so that will give you an advantage over a lot of applicants.

dcw132003 · May 12, 2012

Even if I work as a RN there???

**CalicoKitty, BSN, MSN, RN** · May 12, 2012

There were some new-grads in my group, I think, that had some LTC experience. Experience is better than no experience.

dcw132003 · May 12, 2012

your group?

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 13, 2012

i plan on getting my bsn through an adn bridge program but i have a question about once i have my license. from researching through this site as well as others. i see that finding a job as a new grad will be very difficult without connections. so my question, if i work in a nursing home for six months to a year will that count as experience? or am i looking at a hopeless situation. i want to work in icu and later go for my crna...

long term care is hard work, and it is nursing experience. it's not going to help you get into anesthesia school, but it may give you an edge in landing an acute care position.

dcw132003 · May 13, 2012

thanks. i just need to get some icu experience and needed to know if working ltc would help me get there...?

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · May 14, 2012

I would advise you to check out the LTACs. This is a hybrid setting that provides a lot of the same type of patient care experience as hospitals do. In fact, I know of several people who have successfully transitioned from an LTAC ventilator unit directly into ICU without any problems.

dcw132003 · May 14, 2012

thank you

sbostonRN · May 14, 2012

If you can, try to work on a subacute unit in a nursing home, which should not be too hard if you have an RN. You will get more clinical experience working there than on a traditional LTC unit, and as long as you play that up, you shouldn't have trouble getting an interview at a hospital. I started my career that way and as I'm approaching the 1 year mark, I'm getting interviews at rehab hospitals (nothing yet from the acute care hospitals).