LTC job and schoolwork

[cazach0122]

I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I currently work 3rd shift full time as a private duty RN. I was just offered a job at a nursing home on what they equate to a med-surg floor. I'm a relatively new RN (been working for 6 months) so at first I was excited about the opportunity to increase my nursing skills... but now I'm concerned about how much (if any) time I'll have to do homework/study. As you can imagine I have plenty of free time working overnight in my current position and have more than enough time to get work done. I always hear LTC is extremely busy and hectic, even during 3rd shift. I know the nurse to patient ratio at this facility is 1:25 (give or take)... which is horrifying to me... but again, I realize that is the norm.

Is it ridiculous to think I'll get any study time at this new job? I'm going to school full time to get my BSN and I should be done in December.

Also... my ultimate goal is to land a job in the ICU, so any advice regarding the pros/cons of working in LTC vs. private duty would be great as well.

Thanks for your help!

[Momtomykiddos]

I think there is a common myth that nights on LTC are quiet. All the residents are asleep, right? At least, that's what the people who do the scheduling seem to think, hence the insane ratios at night.

But you have people sundowning. You have insomnia, from people napping during the day. You have pain issues. You have people self-transferring because there are fewer aides, decreased lighting, and residents who don't have their hearing aids or glasses, and all of that and more leads to more falls at night.

Then there are the tasks that get relegated to night shift. So when you have down time from patient care, you have glucometers to QC, and fridge temps to check. Our night shift nurse also switches out the papers in the MARs and the TARs at the beginning of the month. They're also responsible for switching out the nebulizer tubing that is in a lot of the rooms. Then there's the charting--higher ratios means more people to chart on--even if you don't have to chart on everyone, you still have notes to write on more people.

Short answer: no, there isn't more down time in an LTC.

[cazach0122]

These replies have been really helpful. Thanks for the insight!