New grad in LTC as first job .. Good idea?

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I graduated in may 2012 and I still have yet to find a job. I am from Harrisburg pa. I was wondering if I should start applying to nursing homes. Is this good experience?Any other may graduates with no job?

Oh really? Wow that is not good! Has anyone else heard that about LTC experience not counting as experience for hospitals ?

Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.
Oh really? Wow that is not good! Has anyone else heard that about LTC experience not counting as experience for hospitals ?
In my area, many job postings specify that "acute care experience is required". That being said, a job is still a job, acute or subacute.
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

What is this magic "one year" I keep reading about? One year for what? Nursing is one field in which it is necessary to continually learn and grow. It shouldn't stop after one year.To the OP, skilled facilities with sub-acute or rehab units are a great place to be a new grad. We do IVs,traches,wound vacs......we sent a frw nurses to school to learn how to insert PICC lines. You won't learn that in the hospital since most hospitals have IV teams.As far as experience, a flu clinic will only get you experience giving injections and I'm guessing you already learned that in school.

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I work at a LTC/Rehab facility on the rehab side. I am hoping that will help me get into a hosp on an ortho floor. I have been looking at some of the jobs around here and some of them are saying 6mos to 1 year exp. I have been where I am at 3 months and am going to start applying elsewhere. I love my job, but the pt ratio sucks (I avg 15 pts), I work 5-eights (3-11) and the worst part is the 1 hour each way drive. The organization is fine, I just want 3 12s and be closer to home. I will stay as long as need to to have a job, I love getting a paycheck!!! I feel that I getting burned out already.

Good Luck!!!!

Yes I am willing to drive one hour each way! I could move 2 hours away and get a job at a hospital but I am willing to stay around and get what I can before I do that! And yeah I heard LTC experience is really good experience for a new grad! I am still applying to hospitals . I thought the new grad population would of slowed up by now but people are still applying all over

Specializes in geriatrics.

Recently, I've had to deal with a stroke patient, an acute MI patient, as well as someone receiving palliative care. The same protocols apply for these residents in LTC as if they were in acute care in hospital. Your experience in LTC is valuable. Throw in all the behaviours, and you have psych experience too. I wouldn't automatically disregard LTC.

are you an RN in a LTC unit?

I just graduated this May and have yet to find a job. I started out like most wanting a hospital job, but I quickly learned that I would not get there without some kind of experience under my belt. I started applying to nursing homes and started getting hits. I've got my second interview at one next week. I think the experience I'm going to get will be more valuable than some people may think. Sometimes its hard because people brush it off as "baby sitting" but I think there is alot more to be said for that. And as other people have said a job is a job regardless of where it is. Good luck!

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

IMO any nursing experience is better than no experience...and in LTC you WILL get a lot of that. And while it may not be necessarily be acute care experience, it will be valuable experience. On that note, why not also consider LTAC (long-term acute care)?

Also, no one says you still can't keep looking/applying to hospital jobs while working in LTC.

Keep in mind that the choosier you are about where you work, the greater the risk of not getting hired and becoming an "old new grad," which is far worse: you will have no experience, but since you've been out of school for more than a year, you will no longer qualify for most new grad positions.

Thank you do much ! And no I just graduated may 2012 !! I will look into LOng term acute care!

Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
are you an RN in a LTC unit?

I am. They are trying to get RNs in the rehab and eventually become more of a true sub-acute care. I already have pts with PICC lines, IV antibiotics, wound vacs, CPM machines, nebs, along with dementia/Alzheimer's pt who have had falls. Lots of UTIs. Post CVA, post cardiac sx. You name it, we get it. And I have been there not quite 3 months. Oh and all the rehab is medicare and has to be documented (we do hand charting, not computer) every shift. Again, I average 15 pts/shift. I don't do admits, but do discharges.

Oh wow that sounds like great experience!! are you a new grad also?

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