Nursing Home v. Hospital?

Working at an LTC is more career-wise than not working at all as an RN. At least you'll be getting some kind of experience, and making some money. If the hospitals are not hiring, what are you going to do? You have to take what you can get in this economy. Later, maybe you can get what you want. Who knows? You could end up in love with LTC.

I took a position at LTC after I couldn't find a job in hospital setting as a new grad and I am loving it.

I got my first nursing job in LTC and I have to agree that it is better than sitting at home unemployed. It is strenous and you will learn a lot and it really will prepare you to work in a hospital, especially if you work in the subacute wing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It will only hinder you from getting a hospital job later on if you let an interviewer bamboozle you. I saw more than one nurse go from the LTC facility to a hospital job. Take the LTC position over the ALF position for better work experience. And from experience, you will fall in love with your residents and you won't want to leave them.

any experience you can get is a plus to your nursing career. You will learn alot in nursing homes because you will be taking care of lots of patients like 10:1. Good luck!

There are a couple of differences between nursing homes and assisted living. The main difference is that a nursing home must follow state and federal guidelines because they are considered a medical facility. Assisted living is not. Most residents in assisted living are for the most part independent and need minimal assistance with ADL's. In nursing homes, this is not the case. You may have persons that need total care to persons that need minimal care. Nursing homes provide more medical care, while in assisted living they will go out for medical care unless there is some type of clinic associated with the assisted living facility or if the assisted living facility is associated with a nursing home. This is just what I remember from my geriatric unit from school. I too have passed my boards (in March, graduated December 2008 w/BSN) and will be starting in a LTC facility on a sub-acute unit. I hope this helps with your decision and wish you well as you start your new position.

I started out in LTC and have no regrets. In fact I chose it over a hospital position when first out of school. I loved my time spent in LTC. I now work in med/surg tele. I do not feel that I was lacking in skills when I left LTC. I spent 8 years there. You will learn great assessment skills, as you will see end stage disease at its finest. You will learn to do ten things at the same time. For me going to med/surg was a break of sorts, now I have 5-7 patients with very similar needs. You will see wound vacs, IV's, central lines, peg tubes, ng tubes, caths both suprapubic and foley, trachs, and the list goes on and of course the nurse in LTC draws there own labs even if you happen to have 12 of your 30 patients due for labs that morning. As you can see a nurse in a skilled nursing LTC stays plenty busy. I might even add that for some new graduates it is way to overwelming. So please don't for a minute think it is less of an experience. If you can keep up, it will be very rewarding and time well spent.

ALFs are not exempt from following state and federal guidelines...