ER nurse new to LTC!!!

Rizpah · May 31, 2007

Ask lots of questions and take lots of notes during your orientation. Find out right from the get-go where the policy and procedure book is kept and what's in it. From one Long termer to another - Good Luck and God Bless!

Jo Dirt · May 31, 2007

I've become so disgusted and disillusioned with what I've seen in LTC I won't go back, but from the years I worked there I know that you just have to figure out your own personalized routine. It will be hard to prioritize and get things going at first but you will get the hang of it.

DaretoDreamRN · May 31, 2007

So is it feasible with 5 days orientation?

nightmare, RN · May 31, 2007

I only had two half days orientation before I was chucked in at the deep end!Basically you rely very heavily on your good carers for a few shifts until you grasp your own routine.Take plenty of notes and try and have a good look round when you've time,hunt in cupboards,check out rooms etc until you feel familiar with the place,gradually all the rest will fall into place.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2007

So is it feasible with 5 days orientation?

The average LTC orientation lasts between 2 and 3 days. You should feel extremely fortunate to receive a generously whopping 5 day orientation.

Unfortunately, I received only 8 hours of orientation, and this was my very first nursing-related job upon completing school.

DaretoDreamRN · Jun 1, 2007

Wow! 8 hours of orientation..thats crazy!!!!

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2007

Just remember...LTC is a world of differences.

BigB · Jun 2, 2007

So is it feasible with 5 days orientation?

Don't take less than 2 weeks, especially being new to LTC. Also, watch the patient to nurse ratios in LTC. They don't abide by the 5:1 ratio. You could end up like me with 48 pateints. I wish you luck, but the current state of LTC is not good (at least in this area).

BigB · Jun 2, 2007

I've become so disgusted and disillusioned with what I've seen in LTC I won't go back, but from the years I worked there I know that you just have to figure out your own personalized routine. It will be hard to prioritize and get things going at first but you will get the hang of it.

Same here. I left in disgust after only 3 months , never to return to LTC.

classicmusic09 · Jun 2, 2007

i have been a rn for almost a year. er nursing is all i've ever known or done. no routine meds or calling a doctor on the phone for a panic result or any other issue..the doctors are usually a few feet away from me. more autonomy in my ability to initiate orders. i have no idea about scheduled meds but i know a whole lot about medications in general due to practice.
i just got this prn job at a ltc facility. they called the unit a transitional care unit. my orientation is for 5 days, then i am put to work.
i dont think im worried about the skilled part. more about the paperwork and the routine. i dont know if the orientation is sufficient or i am just not believing in myself enough... i dont know!

dear lizzie, you are a brave soul! i worked ltc, most of my nursing career, in a wide range of facilities, from fancy to very low income. they all seemed to have heavy med passes, low staff to patient ratios, and low patient and employee morale. it can be very stressful, but follow the advice, of the very wise nurses, in this thread, and remember, you do have other options, private duty, for example. you may have some home care cases presented to you. i wish you the best!

softstorms · Jun 8, 2007

LTC facilities have changed over the past few years. Now I see more discharges from hospitals that say :D/C to acute care unit at "so and so " facility. Our Medicare Unit has mostly short term pts. Anything from drug rehab to a hip Fx. We have TPN and short term IV meds. We also get a lot of chemo pts. who can not be at home for one reason or another. But the facility is still listed as a "nursing home". So the state does not cut us any slack in staff. If long term care does not need more than X amount of staff to take care of X amount of pts. Then that is what we get. We need to change the mind of the state to see the needs of the pts we take care of.