An overview of the role and responsibilities of an aged care nurse?

Hi Tricia,

No I'm in Australia, . I don't have much information except that it's a 90 bed Christian focused facillity. I don't know anything about the residents.

I've been on their website and there's not a whole lot on there really.

I'm In NZ and have worked in aged care most of my working career. Likely to be some commonalities

Some of the things you will be expected to do, include medication administration, probably lots of wound care such as skin tears, pressure injuries, cuts, haemotomas etc; palliative and end of life care we would often get people coming in who may or may not be elderly but who had a terminal illness and were needing more care than could be provided in the community; lots and lots and lots of contact with families; lots and lots and lots of paper work;

A few things you should ask when you have the opportunity

What is the nurse to patient ratio? I've had clinical responsbility for 40 residents on an afternoon shift, which sort of finished me in aged care for the moment when i had 2 active end of life patients who needed alot of input at the same time.

What is the caregiver to patient ratio?

Thanks so much for your reply,

I was thinking there's probably going to be wound care and defintley med administration. It didn't occur to me that there would be palliative care because I always thought palliative patients went to a general or a palliative hospital.

That's a good question to ask, at this point in time I'm willing to take anything just to get my foot in the door. But 40 residents on an afternoon shift and 2 palliative, I don't think I could handle that.

Moved to the Nursing in Australia forum

I would be looking at the organisation response to the Royal Commission, do they have aging in place plans? Do they have respite or TCP beds as well as residential care beds? What do you know about the Aged Care Funding Instrument?