I don't want to work in a nursing home... - Page 3

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  1. Aug 16, '12 by
    Quote from NurseDirtyBird
    When I was a CNA and just starting out in nursing school, I too thought "I will never work in a nursing home." I saw the nurses at the med cart constantly and wondered why anyone would want to just pass meds all day and never do anything exciting. I also figured the nurses in nursing homes must just be awful and can't find a job anywhere else.
    ...then stuff got real...
    In my med/surg clinical rotations, I learned I had no desire to work in a hospital. It was one of those things you had to experience in order to learn. I've never wanted to work L&D, the OR bored the crap out of me. CCU/ICU/ED all seemed like super exciting places where I would get to be a hero all the time and everybody would always respect and admire me for working there. Then I had a family member who ended up in CCU and learned what life was really like for nurses in those units. I greatly admire and respect nurses in all of these fields. You've heard the saying "It takes a special kind of person to do this job?" I think that about all hospital nurses. It is SO not for me, and I'm happy there are so many who enjoy it so I don't have to do it.
    So I went and got a job in a nursing home. It was a struggle at first, it's hard work. There's no such thing as being bored in a nursing home. Emergencies happen all the time. People die, people go home better, people suffering from delerium take swings at everybody. Never a dull moment. Always on my feet, running around putting out fires. And I love (almost) every minute of it. It took me a while to find a good place to work, there are plenty of nursing homes everywhere that treat their staff like garbage, especially in this economy, because they can. I'm now at a place I'd recommend to anybody getting out of the hospital but still needing more care.
    To make a long story short, if I would have gone with my original assumptions about LTC/SAC nursing, I would be very unhappy in a job that wasn't for me. This is something you just don't know until you get some experience with it. Don't jump to any conclusions before you really see what it's like. LTC may not be for you. It certainly isn't for everyone. But it's taken me the last 7 years of nursing to realize where I want to be in the next 10. Just see what happens...
    Sorry I'm such a wind-bag, I have a day off!
    Your post says LTC/SAC nursing, where do u work?
  2. Aug 17, '12 by
    I do WAY more ADLs in the hospital then in ltc
    ashleyisawesome likes this.
  3. Aug 17, '12 by
    Although I'm not a nurse yet, I work in a nursing home, so I get to see first hand the life of a LTC nurse everyday and they are definitely not just doing ADLs. I think thats a huge misconception by a lot of people. Obviously they arent doing what a hospital nurse would do but they certainly have their hands full. To stay entirely open minded, I would suggest going through clinical rotations first and see what you like the best because then you have more of an understanding of each area in Nursing and can figure out the best fit for you. Of course, LTC is not for some people and thats ok because there are plenty other areas in the healthcare field.

    Your views/mindset has the capability of changing when you go through certain experiences. For example, I always thought about the idea of being a nurse when I was a teen but then thought that I probably could not do it and wasnt cut out for it and was originally majored in Elementary Education. Then I got a job in LTC and knew I wanted/had to be a nurse. Even after my initial speculation and doubt, I was exposed to a different view of the world of nursing and now I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Like I said earlier, I'm not a nurse yet so I can't speak for how a nurse perceives the LTC setting but this is just my opinion as general healthcare worker in LTC. And years ago, I would tell people the same thing-that I wouldn't be able to handle working in a nursing home. And now I love working in LTC. Things can certainly change =)
  4. Aug 17, '12 by
    I was an RN in LTC and I did lots of "clinical" work. I hated it for other reasons though, the understaffing, the lack of supplies, the lack of respect, violent patients, rude managers, working holidays, etc.
  5. Aug 17, '12 by
    I kind of have the same feeling you do, but I think my dislike for it comes from a job I tried out when I was a younger.

    I was offered an overnight shift working in a home for dementia patients and this was the FIRST job I have ever had that was not retail, so you understand what a new experience it was. When I met with the owner of the home and the day staff everyone was so nice and loving. They spoke to the residents with such respect it was amazing.

    I was so excited to start... but when I came in for my overnight shift it was a totally different story. I met some mean and nasty women who wanted to gossip and take their time doing everything. The were SO MEAN to the residents, just the way they spoke to them, yelling at them for messing themselves. They were rough picking them up and rough putting them into a tub. They made shortcuts cleaning dishes, clothes, and rooms.

    I was utterly disgusted. I was so afraid of the staff and I was so young that I didn't want to speak up. So after my shift- I never showed up again. I didn't even go back to pick up my check for the 12 hours I did work.

    There were times that I have told my experience and have heard some nurses, and others say, "Oh that is the way it is everywhere. People with dementia are like little babies and you have to treat them like babies. They are difficult..." I'm sorry- but I would NEVER speak to any baby the way these women did.

    I also found it very depressing that the residents were so lonely. The nurses that night told me about each and every patient we assisted and most of them were just "dumped" there and forgotten. I could not imagine doing that to my grandparents or parents. So I can see how it is depressing...

    Because of this experience, I would like to work with in geriatrics. I have realized many older people are lonely and love having company! I would like to provide them with a friendship while helping them, even if they don't understand because of dementia or something similar.
    Daisy_08 and ElSea like this.
  6. Aug 17, '12 by
    I am a newly licensed LPN in a LTC unit, not the acute side and I need my RN for everything I am not allowed to do. RNs are treasured in my LTC unit
  7. Aug 17, '12 by
    I'm with ya, OP.

    If given my pick of jobs, I wouldn't choose a nursing home. Frankly, I just don't relate well to elderly people.

    That being said, I wouldn't turn down an opportunity for experience. I'm open enough to understand that my views and opinions may change. I mean, just because I have my eyes set on being a CRNA doesn't mean that I won't get in there and change my mind. I'm open to new experiences and settings. I may consider doing a short rotation in LTC just to see what it's like. But I'm not chomping at the bit.

    Don't let people feel bad for knowing what you want. For example, I don't particularly like kids. I don't want to have kids, and I would hate L&D/NICU! [When people ask me "When are you and your husband gonna start having kids?" and I reply with "Oh good lord, never!" ... well, that tends to get me some pretty weird looks lol]

    Know yourself. Know your strengths and weaknesses. But still be open to the opportunity to change your mind.
    ProudStudent, ♑ Capricorn ♑, and TurtleCat like this.
  8. Asst. Admin
    Aug 17, '12 by
    Quote from Proud Student
    Woah!!! Ok, I appreciate the responses from everyone but need to make myself VERY clear. I did say "In order to stay open minded, I'm curious to find out why others may desire to work in LTC environments." I never meant to discredit anyone who works in the field, nor did I have intentions of having judged harshly and prematurely and I don't see how what I said was any different than someone saying "I don't want to work in Oncology" or "I don't see myself working in Pediatrics"; etc.
    My message was, not to be harsh, but to take a moment and listen to what you are saying. I think you judged LTC to harshly. I hope that you are aware that more and more grads, even with a BSN, are not finding work in the acute care arena. Your choices in the current job market are limited.

    I think you would get the same response if you said oncology nursing was
    I find it depressing, monotonous and I cannot see myself spending my career doing ADLs and nothing really "clinical".
    Patients in acute care are not the only patients that require acute care. More and more patients are being discharged early and cannot go home. The acuity in LTC/LTAC is more than residential these days. Many facilities are accepting vents, meds, IV's and long term antibiotics...so the face of "nursing homes" is changing.....and so must their staff.

    You need to keep your mind and options open. I wish you the best.
  9. Aug 17, '12 by
    I have to say that at the beginning of nursing school I felt the same way. I would see my older patients in the hospital and mentally withdraw from them...until that ONE elderly patient. He was a DOLL! Now, I know they aren't all that way, but this one patient was rather old and close to death and that's when I realized, I didn't have a problem with the elderly because it was "boring" and lacked skills to use...far from it! I didn't want to work with them because they forced my own mortality in my face. They forced me to see that I was going to be old one day too, I too was going to die, and all I could do was hope that I had a nurse that was compassionate and would LEARN from me! From that point on I made it a point to talk to my elderly patients, hear what they had to say, listen to their stories...they are an AMAZING group of human beings who more often than not are way better than the 40 somethings that had over stressed over worked lives chasing the almighty dollar. These patients had INSIGHT and man, they wanted SOMEONE to listen to them! I love my older patients now! They remember life when it was a slower pace, when you cared about your neighbor and really, everyone pitched in and worked together, whether it was at work or at home in the neighborhood. I am SEARCHING for an LTAC facility to hire me once I graduate (and yes, there are several other floors that I also consider "dream" jobs)...but I know that I DO want to work with the elderly. Whether I get that elusive full time job there or am lucky enough to grab a per diem spot, that generation is a wealth of wisdom, and they just want someone to listen and care about them. I hope that, if you never want to work with them, at least you learn what JEWELS of human beings they are and what your care can really mean to them.
    TurtleCat and ltcnurs5 like this.
  10. Aug 17, '12 by
    I did TONS of ADLs as an RN in acute care. It's simpiy not reasonable to expect the CNAs to do every ADL for every patient. It's a team effort, and the RNs, in my experience, tend to not only do assessments, treatments, medications, and interdisciplinary coordination of care, but lots of ADLs as well. Even in the ED, you can't just have a tech go change a patient's bedding or assist someone to the bathroom. The tech will most likely be busy taking a possible TIA to CT, transporting an admit to the floor, starting a line and drawing labs on a person with chest pain, and have a long list of things to do when they're done with that. In many ICUs, they don't even have CNAs. The RNs do total care on their own patients.

    So, if it's ADLs you don't like, acute care will most definitely not absolve you of them. In fact, I think that in LTC, there is a more distinct division of labor, where you might need to jump in and help the CNAs at times, and of course they will *love* a nurse who will do that (I did when I was a CNA in LTC) but for the most part, ADLs are assigned to CNAs. As an RN, you will be too busy passing meds, doing treatments, making phone calls, charting, etc.

    I get where you are coming from about ADLs. I don't particularly like them, and nursing that is heavy on the ADLs is not the kind of nursing that I want to do. However, I started out doing ADLs as a CNA and learned so much about how to talk to people, how to connect with people, what is most important to people. Helping people with ADLs gave me the foundation to be able to do what I do now, which is heavy on patient teaching. You can't teach a patient a thing until you know how to connect with them, and that is a skill I learned through ADLs.

    Edited to add: ANY job will be monotonous at times. It's unavoidable.
    Last edit by ~*Stargazer*~ on Aug 17, '12
    ltcnurs5 likes this.