What lies were you told when you were first hired in LTC?

[Blackcat99]

I was told that I was hired to work on one specific unit only. I then discovered one day that I was actually the "float nurse." No one bothered to tell me that I was now the "float nurse." I was told that I was going to make a certain amount of money per hour. When I got my paycheck it was $2 an hour less then what I was told. I had to "fight" to finally get the wages I was promised. So what about you? What kind of lies were you told?

[sonjawin66]

I have worked in long term care for 40 years and would not do anything else.It is rewarding.You must accept floating as a challenge,you may be the one to find an error in a med dose as I have ,or see that a treatment that has been in progress is not working.You are the new set of eyes and I guarantee management will see how good you are and ifna nurse leaves you should get a permanent unit

[AngelRN27]

I'm with CapeCodMermaid on this one; I can't think of any lies that I was told by my facility during the hiring process, or otherwise. Quite honestly, the threads I've read here make me feel luckier and luckier each day that the facility that hired me is nothing like the horror stories that it seems tons of LTC nurses have to live through!

[CloudySue]

"Everyone answers call bells, even office people and adminstration."

[merrywhiterose]

We were NOT told that we would also be required to work tables in the dining room!

[Kittypower123, BSN, RN]

Not lies, but I do have an alternative perspective from your situation. I work as a float at an LTC. Recently, we got approval to increase staffing (I know, amazing). I asked at that time about moving from float to having a hall permantenly and was told that the increase in staffing was not permanent until the next budget came out so they didn't want to make that change yet.

Well, come to find out last week, that they hired a new nurse to stay on a hall and left me floating. When I talked to them about it they said I should have said something before they hired the new girl. It wouldn't be fair to her to make her float now. My response? "I did say something, you didn't want to make that change yet. Besides, YOU should have said something to me." I mean really, how am I supposed to know when moving from float to a permanent hall has become an option. I'm not psychic. They admitted they were wrong but said all they could do now is ask her if she'd mind floating. Seriously? Like she's going to say yes? So basically, it's okay to be unfair to me as long as their not unfair to her. Thanks, makes me feel great!

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

"Everyone answers call bells, even office people and adminstration."

I guess you didn't hear them say in a voice below a whisper "ONLY when the State is in the building" hahaha.

I can honestly say I was not lied to. Everything they said was fact. However, I guess leaving things out could be looked at as a lie. I was not told that the other floor would be the one everyone worried about, that that floor would always have the 'extra hands' when things got crazy, that the residents on that floor would be catered to and swooned over leaving MY floors residents out like the red-headed step-child. That the other floor would always be first to have the newest latest greatest equipment, gagets etc. I could go on and on. In a nut shell, the other floor is the 'favorite' child of the powers that be (administrator, DON and ADON, social services etc).

[merrywhiterose]

That would NEVER, EVER happen in our facility!

[Morainey, BSN, RN]

Ditto on "NO ONE HERE walks by a call bell."

[CloudySue]

I guess you didn't hear them say in a voice below a whisper "ONLY when the State is in the building" hahaha.

I can honestly say I was not lied to. Everything they said was fact. However, I guess leaving things out could be looked at as a lie. I was not told that the other floor would be the one everyone worried about, that that floor would always have the 'extra hands' when things got crazy, that the residents on that floor would be catered to and swooned over leaving MY floors residents out like the red-headed step-child. That the other floor would always be first to have the newest latest greatest equipment, gagets etc. I could go on and on. In a nut shell, the other floor is the 'favorite' child of the powers that be (administrator, DON and ADON, social services etc).

Was this a rehab/subacute floor? The first floor in our facility was a rehab unit for people who were kicked out of the hospital but not quite ready to go home, and needed PT/OT services, and had discharge plans. The second two floors were all long term skilled nursing, people who were not going anywhere. I don't know much about insurance, but I think the first floor was paid differently/better.

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Was this a rehab/subacute floor? The first floor in our facility was a rehab unit for people who were kicked out of the hospital but not quite ready to go home, and needed PT/OT services, and had discharge plans. The second two floors were all long term skilled nursing, people who were not going anywhere. I don't know much about insurance, but I think the first floor was paid differently/better.

Both floors have a mix of short term/rehab and LTC, while the 'favorite' floor had 8 dedicated beds strictly to rehab/short term and the other floor didn't. The favoritism wasn't really a matter of which beds paid the most (because my floor has more private rooms/private pay than the other floor had rehab beds and the $ they get for the private rooms is more than what insurance pays for the rehab. (I have a medical insurance background).

[LTCangel, ADN, BSN, LPN]

In my facility all staff do answer call lights but that is the extent of it. For instance, if the secretary walks in and answers a call light, she simply comes out and tells the nearest Nurse or CNA what the resident needs/wants. This can happen over and over. One of the reasons I prefer nightshifts, lol!

[LTCangel, ADN, BSN, LPN]

In my facility all staff do answer call lights but that is the extent of it. For instance, if the secretary walks in and answers a call light, she simply comes out and tells the nearest Nurse or CNA what the resident needs/wants. This can happen over and over. One of the reasons I prefer nightshifts,lol!