Advice for a new grad

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Hi nurse family,

I'm a recent RN grad (nursing is a second career for me) and I've been offered a position in a LTC facility part-time while I complete my online master's. 76 beds and three nurses at a time (with 7 CNAs). I'm afraid to take my first nursing job and was wondering if anyone could offer words of wisdom/guidance for a new nurse in LTC.

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Working in a LTC as a new grad is better than not working. It will help you with basic skills, learning meds and time management. But it can be a little brutal and alot different than what you experienced in school if you had all your clinicals at hospitals, like I did. You probably won't get much of an orientation and feel incredibly overworked/stressed for the first 3-6 months, maybe even longer until you get a hang of it. What do you eventually want to do with your degree? Have you looked into acute care positions?

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Where did you get your ONLINE masters from?

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Specializes in Short Term/Skilled.

Reserve judgement until you've been there a few months. Don't do anything you're not comfortable with, LTC nurses can have bad habits. Hopefully they won't demonstrate them to you right away, but Its been known to happen. Get to know your CNAs and help them out whenever you can. Don't delegate out of convenience - there is no such thing as CNA work. It's all nursing work, they just help you with the aspects that don't require a nursing licence. That doesn't mean you will always have time to help them - because you won't. Just remember a lot more goes on after they go in the room and get the patient ready etc. We just see the end result, we don't go through the process with them and it's a tough job.

Have vitals, date of birth, allergies handy (at minimum) when calling the doctor or any other provider to order something. (Labs, xrays, meds etc.)

Remember these patients are stable and the level of care they get isn't the same as in a hospital. There will be patients you only see one time, briefly. Thats ok and normal as long as they continue at baseline.

Give it a good couple of months before you decide one way or another. At first you'll probably feel like you know absolutely nothing but thats OK and very normal.

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Specializes in Progressive Care, Sub-Acute, Hospice, Geriatrics.

I would take it if I were you. It is better not working at all. I would choose the rehab portion as that is the closest you will get for a med-surg in this type of setting

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