Anybody a SDC or aka jack/jill of all trades?

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I have no clue where to post this!

I interviewed today and it really looks like an offer is imminent at a SNF. It is for a nursing educator aka staff development. They made it clear it's a manager position but it is also very hands on. I would be implementing and teaching the facilities policies. Doing in-services etc...

I have no qualms about the hands on. It has more LPN's than RN's so that's where the "hands on" comes in. I met with the DON and ADON who were nothing short of wonderful. They explain they both pitch in where needed including passing meds etc...They explained you need to "dive in" when necessary

I guess what concerns me is that it's a salary position. Pretty decent for this area and more than what I'm currently making. But I'm reading horror stories that a salaried position in LTC is something to RUN from! There's never any good, you have no life etc etc...

I emphasized on the interview as much as I give 100 pct when there and have no problem with any task, I want a life work balance. They said for an in service that you may have that runs until 7pm. Then you can leave the next day at 2p. Does anyone have any encouragement that they do have a decent life while working salary at LTC.

Right now I'm miserable. I am a review nurses but I work with people that in all my experience in the working world, I never encountered such playground mentalities. Plus the focus is oncology so it's depressing.

I do not want to go from the frying pan to fire, but I think this is an awesome opportunity as it's a management position but yet still with the hands on that I do miss. I don't want to be taken advantage of. On first impression, I really like these two people. That alone should be worth it right?! Thanks for any insight and please let me know if there's a better forum to address this!

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I was an SDC in a few buildings. I loved it. I could flex my time when I had to be there for inservices for all shifts. I could be as creative as I wanted with the inservices I gave. Some days I wished I stayed doing that instead of moving up to be the DNS.

You can have a life and work salary in LTC.

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I was an SDC in a few buildings. I loved it. I could flex my time when I had to be there for inservices for all shifts. I could be as creative as I wanted with the inservices I gave. Some days I wished I stayed doing that instead of moving up to be the DNS.

You can have a life and work salary in LTC.

Thank you! Did you also need to pass meds at times and jump in where needed? It was clear that both the DON and ADON do this, however they have not had a SDC person they've just sort of been splitting that work. So I'm concerned I will be the go to person if someone calls off or if there is an emergency, although the ADON lives the closest and I would imagine much does fall to her. I don't mind helping out and working the floor, as long as that's not the majority of what I'm doing. I can't see how they would title a position educator and then have the person mostly be a floor nurse but I've seen stranger things and know they can promise wild things on an interview!

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

I'm an SDC for a 180 bed facility. I frequently do admissions assessments. I also help with assessments/ care of residents with a change in condition. I've worked as a floor nurse and a CNA when needed. Actually this help me identify topics for inservices (both the presentation type and written educations/ reminders), and figure out what resources the nurses need to take the best care of their residents.

I would be leery though of a salaried position. If you are a "jump in there" person like me, sometimes days are long. I try to adjust my schedule to minimize any overtime, but just yesterday instead of leaving as planned at 4pm - I finally escaped at 10p. Being the last day of my work week, there was no way to compensate for those hours.

[Kitty Hawk, ADN, RN]

I'm an SDC for a 180 bed facility. I frequently do admissions assessments. I also help with assessments/ care of residents with a change in condition. I've worked as a floor nurse and a CNA when needed. Actually this help me identify topics for inservices (both the presentation type and written educations/ reminders), and figure out what resources the nurses need to take the best care of their residents.

I would be leery though of a salaried position. If you are a "jump in there" person like me, sometimes days are long. I try to adjust my schedule to minimize any overtime, but just yesterday instead of leaving as planned at 4pm - I finally escaped at 10p. Being the last day of my work week, there was no way to compensate for those hours.

Thank you. Can you estimate how often the days are long? This is 97 beds. When you have to jump in to fill in for someone, is it typically the entire shift or just a few hours or does it vary? Right now the DON and ADON rotate the need for fill ins, they did say they would continue to do that, but I'm cautious and want to know what's realistic. If it can work, it really sounds like a great opportunity cause I do miss hands on patient care, but I don't want that to be my sole thing. I think when I would first start, it would make sense to spend a good bit of time back on the floor while I refresh my skills. They told me I would get 3 mos of training so that seems doable.

Thanks for the insight. I guess I don't understand why if on salary you can't comp the time the following week, I understand that it doesn't fall with the same pay period, but it seems it would come out in the wash anyway.

[vampiregirl, BSN, RN]

It really does vary in regards to how often my days are long - depends on resident acuity, admission, staffing, staff illness/ exhaustion, inservices, orientation, etc. I also am in the rotation for meal manager and on-call nurse (weekends). When I work the floor typically it is part of a shift, but occasionally I have worked an entire shift. More often I provide support to the existing staff so I just work the floor to help things get caught up (change of condition, multiple acutely ill residents/ neb treatments etc).

When I do inservices that nurses attend I schedule times convenient for all shifts. I had been doing 7am, 1pm, and 3pm to hit all the shifts, but have been trialling 1pm, 3pm and 9pm with success. New staff orientation days can also be long because in additional to conducting orientation I also have other things that I need to get accomplished. I also conduct CNA courses as needed so this typically is long days all week when they are in session.

I am lucky though - I was working PRN at this facility the the SDC became available. I had the skills set/ certifications they needed so they sweetened the deal for me to take the job by agreeing to more flexible hours so I can work EMS shifts at my part time employer occasionally.

SDC is really a neat job, I am always learning something new and I still get to interact with the residents.