[RealNurseWitch]

One of my agencies offered me a shift at a nursing home today. I have never worked at a nursing home. I am trying to pick up as many extra shifts as I can. This is actually only the second assignment that this particular agency has offered me. Anyway, should I accept this? I've only worked hospital, though I've taken care of many nursing home-type patients. I am an RN, if that helps.

[teeituptom]

For myself I would go hungry before I ever work in a nursing home

[JRapha'sRN]

And subject your license to caring for 10-40 patients you don't know... giving numerous meds to each... without time to look up interactions... no time to really assess all the residents in your care for the shift...

Some nurses do it (and I am glad, the residents need care) but I would never do it. If I considered it at all it would have to be for a long term contract, not a shift. It takes too long to get to know each resident and their needs and cares. I would recommend against it.

[Nurse-Tee]

I have done agency work in ltc and it is tough...You can have over 30+ pts.You have to rely on the cnas to id the pts, most do not have id bracelets on and can not tell you there name at all.Then you are subject to getting admissions, ivs,4+ pts on g-tubes, trying to find the pts to take finger sticks
It can be very scary and also it is usually one nurse and but so many cnas to give this care..This type of agency work is very common in my area and pays well but i do not think it is worth my license. I have also seen many errors from other agency nurses so just be careful....

[LPN1974]

I have done it in the past, but I won't anymore.
The one I worked in, we were short of staff everynight.
They would staff us at the minimum requirement, then if anyone called in sick, we were short. Then the nurses were expected to take the time to get on the phone and call someone to come in. And no one would come in. You either couldn't get ahold of anyone, or they would flatout refuse.
Then you've got the CNAs that ARE there threatening to leave if they have to work short.
Then the nurse has all the work she normally has to do, pass meds, flushing G-tubes, treatments, fingersticks, insulins, trying to make sure the CNAs pass out the snacks, turn people, and people are clean and dry, and put to bed in the proper kind of clothing and not in their street clothes they've had on all day, trying to keep the CNAs from hiding out in rooms, behind curtains, with the light out and door shut.....SLEEPING. And all the other countless duties to be done, and all that put on hold while you're wasting time....{and I call it wasting because no one was going to come in anyway....} trying to get someone to come in to replace the call ins.

Then you have residents who get up without help and fall....there goes your night right there, because you've got an incident to take care of. Lacerations, possible fractures, skin tears, etc.

Sometimes I would have about 35-40 patients to give meds to. It was hard.
I won't ever go back into a nursing home to work and I hope I never have to live in one either.

No, I don't ever want to go back into a nursing home as an LPN. And probably wouldn't if I were and RN....but what they expect out of LPNs, to be responsible for med passes and everything else to these elderly people, is just too much, especially on the night shift where coverage is minimal and usually no RN in the house to help, only one on call and what can they do just being on call. You need hands.

[nightingale]

Originally Posted by RealNurseWitch

One of my agencies offered me a shift at a nursing home today.

I have never worked at a nursing home.

I am trying to pick up as many extra shifts as I can. This is actually only the second assignment that this particular agency has offered me. Anyway, should I accept this? I've only worked hospital, though I've taken care of many nursing home-type patients. I am an RN, if that helps.

Second sentence has really caught my eye... YOU would need a LOT of orientation; none of which you could easily gain as an Agency Nurse.

I do not know your specialty but jumping from one type of Nursing to another (without training and a reasonable orientation) is like trying to Lead a Cardiac Code without ACLS certification.

Yes, LTC can be difficult and challenging, just like many Nursing Specialties, but with the proper backround it can be rewarding and appropriate Standard of Care.

Try working first PRN, at a good facility with a good reputation, and see how YOU like it. Beleive me, there is a lot to learn in this specialty.