One week orientation at nursing home w/25 pt's?

Nurses LPN/LVN

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I'm interested a position at a nursing home with great hours, no weekends, and flexibility but their orientation is only one week!!! I'm very apprehensive. I will be responsible around 25 patient's to pass meds, do assessments, skin care etc. What is the amount of orientation at nursing homes some of you have worked at? I am a new nurse and I don't know how long orientations in nursing homes normally are, but this sounds extremely short compared to the hospital !! Please tell me what you think.

Specializes in LTC/SNF.

Guess I was lucky as I received 4 weeks of orientation as a new grad at my LTC facility. I average about 22 residents which I feel is plenty considering the level of care many of them require. Have had 30+ to care for at times and don't feel safe sometimes. Can't even imagine 80 residents! Wouldn't do it for any amount of compensation. I value my hard earned license as well as my sanity too much!

Specializes in Geriatrics, Hospice, Disease Management.

I had 3 days of orientation in an LTC nursing home and I have patients that can go from 25-40 by myself with 2 or 3 aides depending on the facility because I work night shift plus I work for an agency I want to work on an OB unit soooooooooooooooooo bad!!:uhoh21:

Specializes in Knuckle Dragging Nurse aka MTA.

ONLY 25 patients..I would die to have that many. I had 47 as lvn in LTC. One week is too short.

Specializes in Knuckle Dragging Nurse aka MTA.
I don't start for a couple weeks, but I will let you know how it goes.

I tried to steer clear of LTC care too, unfortunately I did'nt have many other options. I love the elderly population, but I have heard a lot of negative opinions from people who work in this field, and also because I'm taking RN classes. I wish I could have found a job that wasn't going to be so stressful. I'll try to make the best of it and hope it turns into a positive experience.

Thanks again for you support!!

LTC is the future for LVN's..there just isn't much options beside it. I lasted all of 3 months or so in LTC (nursing home) and it was an absolute disaster and the most stressful job I have ever had. The stress comes from many places. Patients families blaming YOU for their parents condition. The nursing director blaming YOU for patient skin breakdown, falls, etc. Your CNA's blaming you for making them work and answer call lights and not take 2 hour breaks. The doctors blaming YOU for patients getting UTI's and other infections. The LVN is the ultimate scapegoat in LTC. The job is not very rewarding or worth the money in my opinion. I had 47 patients that I was in sole responsiblity for all of them on the 2 -10:30pm shift. There was no RN I could go to for help. I had to do 3 hour med passes (two of them mind you) and deal with up to 8 diabetics or so. Needless to say, I am very biased against LTC.

I hope it works out for you, but realize LTC has a gigantic turnover rate. You are just a body to them, they know they will have another LVN applying shortly to take your spot if you leave. Perhaps this is why we don't get a proper oreintation.

Specializes in LTC, Psych, Hospice.

Like most everyone else, my orientation as a new grad in LTC was SUPPOSED to be one week but ended up being 2 days because the nurse I was replacing decided not to finish out her notice. 25 patients is a great number....many LTC's have you taking care of 30 to 40 pts.

If you need more time, ask for it. Also, get to know your CNA's....they can make or break a nurse. Your CNA can point out your pt's in the dining room or common area. Your CNA can help you find your pt's when they aren't in there rooms (ie: salon, dining room, smoking).

Good luck!

:monkeydance:

Specializes in ED, Rehab, LTC.

I realize that 25 patients is ideal these days but do those of you who are responsible for more have unit clerks, supervisors, enough cna's or maybe even another nurse to ask questions if you need to? I posted my first day in LTC forum. They left me with my patients and another 25 on my first day. There was one CNA, no unit clerk, no supervisor anywhere to be found and I ended up making an error. I don't know how you other nurses do it. I was so overwhelmed I could barely see strait. How could you possibly learn everything there is to know to safely take care of these patients in one week?? And not to mention all the legal obligations that new nurses like myself are clueless about. This was a really sad experience for me and I am thoroughly discouraged. I quit. I think if I would have continued I would have put my license at risk. There was absolutely no organization. I never got a specific job description or a handbook regarding the policies.

Maybe I'm just begining to see what its all about.

Specializes in Mother-Baby, Rehab, Hospice, Memory Care.

crazystudent: not ALL LTC facilities are like that. It's scary to hear that a place would do that do you. You are right to protect yourself and your license in that situation. I would leave there and never go back. Don't give up though, nobody expects you to be able to handle that as a brand new nurse. That place was totally wrong for doing that to you. Even an experienced nurse needs a full orientation at a new facility before working on her/his own. I'm so sorry that happened to you, but I promise that there is hope!

Specializes in ED, Rehab, LTC.

KAT7AP

Thankyou, I hope so..

Specializes in Knuckle Dragging Nurse aka MTA.
I realize that 25 patients is ideal these days but do those of you who are responsible for more have unit clerks, supervisors, enough cna's or maybe even another nurse to ask questions if you need to? I posted my first day in LTC forum. They left me with my patients and another 25 on my first day. There was one CNA, no unit clerk, no supervisor anywhere to be found and I ended up making an error. I don't know how you other nurses do it. I was so overwhelmed I could barely see strait. How could you possibly learn everything there is to know to safely take care of these patients in one week?? And not to mention all the legal obligations that new nurses like myself are clueless about. This was a really sad experience for me and I am thoroughly discouraged. I quit. I think if I would have continued I would have put my license at risk. There was absolutely no organization. I never got a specific job description or a handbook regarding the policies.

Maybe I'm just begining to see what its all about.

LOL..I had no unit manager (who was actually on the unit to help), never enough CNA's and the other nurses were swarmed themself or too selfish to help out "the new guy." On a good night I had 4 CNA's for all 47 patients.

LTC = no thanks. The LTC forum is full of posts similar to yours and mine and the current state of LTC is very bad.

Specializes in Knuckle Dragging Nurse aka MTA.
I realize that 25 patients is ideal these days but do those of you who are responsible for more have unit clerks, supervisors, enough cna's or maybe even another nurse to ask questions if you need to? I posted my first day in LTC forum. They left me with my patients and another 25 on my first day. There was one CNA, no unit clerk, no supervisor anywhere to be found and I ended up making an error. I don't know how you other nurses do it. I was so overwhelmed I could barely see strait. How could you possibly learn everything there is to know to safely take care of these patients in one week?? And not to mention all the legal obligations that new nurses like myself are clueless about. This was a really sad experience for me and I am thoroughly discouraged. I quit. I think if I would have continued I would have put my license at risk. There was absolutely no organization. I never got a specific job description or a handbook regarding the policies.

Maybe I'm just begining to see what its all about.

THis is simialr to what happened to me...they just dump on you with no supervision and expect you to know what to do. Quiting is the right thing to do..its not worth losing your license over.

Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

are you kidding me?? one week thats great!!! most of the time your own your own as soon as you hand in the application.....

i'm interested a position at a nursing home with great hours, no weekends, and flexibility but their orientation is only one week!!! i'm very apprehensive. i will be responsible around 25 patient's to pass meds, do assessments, skin care etc. what is the amount of orientation at nursing homes some of you have worked at? i am a new nurse and i don't know how long orientations in nursing homes normally are, but this sounds extremely short compared to the hospital !! please tell me what you think.

To me 25 pts sounds about right. But where I worked as an aide you had 6 weeks of orientation as a new LPN or RN hired there. 3 does not seem nearly enough especially as a new nurse. I agree with KAT7AP. How supportive are the other nurses and the DON also. Don't let yourself be put in a position were you might be cited for neglect. This is your career and future and you have to stand up for yourself and for the pts you are in charge of. Check out your states nursing staff to pt ratio quotas. Are they in-line with what you are experiencing? Your patients are entittle to recieve they care they are paying for and you are their advocate it is your responsibility to see that they have the appropriate care. If this facility is not providing it then you may want to report this to your state board. You might want to find yourself a new job first. Watch out for yourself. If this is only a one time occurance then it might actually turn out to be a good place to work. Good luck and keep your chin up.

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