Its really NOT a fate worse then death

Specialties Geriatric

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I now work in LTC, 7 years, after a 10 year stint in acute care.

My question/comment is, WHY do some people act as if working in LTC is a fate worse then death? I'm sure there are plenty of sub-standard, poorly run facilities around the country, but they aren't all bad and working in LTC can actually be a lot better then acute care.

Is there anyone else who feels as I do about working LTC?

I totally agree that nursing schools play a large part in this negative perception of LTC. The emphasis is skewed so heavily toward hospitals it isn't funny. Nursing students are hit over the head with the notion that "real" nurses work in the hospital. They need more clinicals in skilled nursing facilities and sub acute care. Espeically since all indicators point toward these areas, not the hospital, will be were the major growth is.

I enjoy my LTC job. And if I ever transfer to acute care, any smart manager would realize my LTC background is a plus, not a liability. LTC teaches you to be fast, efficient and resourceful. Being able to spot and treat a brewing case of pneumonia or CHF exacerbation during a 40-resident med pass is no small feat. It's something only a "real" nurse could do.

Specializes in LTC.

I have worked in LTC for 6 years and as someone else said it is you and a handful of CNA's after all the admin staff leave at 4....It takes some good nurses to work in LTC to know when someone is in crisis or is something to wait on. At our facilityon 3-11pm, I am the only RN for 45-50 residents, 2 med techs to pass meds and 6 CNA's. 8 hours go by in a flash!

When I went through nursing school, you had to survive 7 weeks in LTC before you got to acute care. It weeded out a lot of people from the programme. It still does.

I worked LTC for roughly the first 4 years of my nurse life. There weren't a lot of acute care jobs around and the student loan had to be repaid.

I learnt time management, med passes, efficient wound care and charting. I worked like a dog. Tube feeds, baths, incontinence and guilt ridden families.

I moved to Acute Care and thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I knew I was a surgical nurse. The Manager who hired me basically said that she found nurses who came from LTC weren't afraid of work and could manage their time..

I respect those nurses who make a career in LTC but it's not me.

I now work in LTC, 7 years, after a 10 year stint in acute care.

My question/comment is, WHY do some people act as if working in LTC is a fate worse then death? I'm sure there are plenty of sub-standard, poorly run facilities around the country, but they aren't all bad and working in LTC can actually be a lot better then acute care.

Is there anyone else who feels as I do about working LTC?

I have worked as an RN in LTC for 20 years. Never in the hospital. I hate the bad rap that we get. I receive patients frequently from the hospital who have not been bathed,shaved and have hospital acquired pressure wounds. Things that we are accused of all the time. The fact is we are more regulated than hospitals and suffer grave consequences for poor care. In enjoy LTC not always who I work with or for but I love my residents.

Specializes in kids.

Because some people are snobs-plain and simple.

Yay! I love LTC!

When I first took a CNA class, I told myself (and all who were unfortunate enough to have to listen) that I would never EVER work in a nursing home. About halfway through the class the instructor enlightened everyone. She said, "I keep hearing all this "I never want to work in a nursing home" BS. Let me set you straight: every single one of you will at least start in a nursing home. No hospital is going to hire a completely inexperienced aide unless you know somebody. And you probably don't. Suck it up!" So I did.

Then I got to nursing school, and guess what...I said it again. Again, had a more enlightened instructor who said essentially the same thing. She was aware of the changing job market for nurses, and I'm glad she told me.

It wasn't until clinical that I realized I was not an acute-care nurse (I did ok, just didn't like it), and it was a couple years into working that I figured out that it's OK to not want to be an acute care nurse. I found that my most rewarding and my most challenging nursing experiences have been caring for people at the end of their lives. I love LTC, and as soon as my son is old enough for me to work a little more than PRN, I'm going to try hospice. I'll probably keep my PRN spot in LTC though.

We may not be running codes and "saving lives" all the time, but there is definitely never a dull moment, and I have to think on my feet all day long. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Except maybe hospice, but who knows? I might hate it and go right back!

So glad to hear love for the LTC population! I haven't worked in that setting as a nurse yet but I can't wait

Thank you for this post. As a LTC nurse,I really needed to hear this tonight.

Also, two of my grandparents were kind of in and out of the same nursing home and rehab. My mom and I were floored with the reception and treatment we/they'd get every time. I mean, it felt genuinely warm and welcoming. It brings tears to my eyes remembering how they always made my family feel like their family. I'm still puzzled over the deal because neither of my grandparents were especially "cute" patients (medically or personality) to have had such a fuss made over them yet we felt as though the attention given to us was SPECIAL. Whether staff was going out of their way for us or they just made it seem that way, either way it was incredible.

Initially I was against working in LTC, but my tune quickly changed when I realized that without experience my options were limited. Here are a few thing's that I've discovered in my first year.

1. LTC is very rewarding.

2. My skills are far more advanced than most of my old classmates who haven't been in LTC.

3. I have a new finely tuned set of time management skills.

Specializes in geriatrics.

We all have our preferences. I would not work with kids or babies for any amount of money in the world....so I have the utmost respect for those who do.

I work LTC and I really enjoy it. I've also worked acute care, and the only difference is that I have 30 patients versus 5.

Reading this makes me want to go back to LTC. I miss the relationships I built with residents and family members. Eight hours really does go by fast. And I'll get paid more.

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