Anyone else dislike the nursing home?

nurseshawna · May 1, 2004

no, i don't think it makes you a bad nurse. i hated it too. even my instructors have said something like...it take a certain type of person to work in them...not sure what their exact wordings were, but ya get the point.

EMTtoRN · May 1, 2004

I am not yet in nursing school but I did 2 rotations in high schol in a very well known nursing home and hated it too!!!! I think that the clients just made me very depressed with their stories etc. I dont think it makes you a bad nurse, just allows you to realize that nursing home is not something you want to go into!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · May 1, 2004

It's not that i've really dislike it, it's just that i've worked in them since i was 16, and the problems are still the same. Too few people for too much care, and too much for any one person to be in charge of.

You KNOW staffing is a problem when the NH employees throw the students a THANK YOU PARTY out of their own pockets for the help they've received!

studentnurse74, LPN, LVN · May 2, 2004

I'm not in clinicals yet, but I know what you're going through. I remember doing 40 hours in a nursing home years ago in my cna training. The place smelled like urine, there were combative people, one lady cried all day every day and couldn't talk, all the residents seemed depressed. I would kill my back lifting, see people smearing feces on walls, I got thrown up on my hair. And the sad part is, my instructor said this was one of the few nursing homes that passed the state inspection as a teaching facility. The places wouldn't be so bad if they had some help, but they don't keep help b/c of the conditions. It's a cycle never ending. Just keep in mind that this is not your career or even your job, and try to learn from it. You are not a bad nurse b/c you don't want to make that your line of work! Hang in there.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · May 2, 2004

i won't be doing clinicals in a nursing home, (don't know if it's because i'm in a bsn program or not - haven't gotten enough answers on my ltc facility question i posted yesterday). i know i'll be caring for some elderly in my med/surg clinicals. i am very happy that i won't be doing clinicals in a nursing home however. my grandmother was in a nursing home all last year and it is just a horrible experience in my opinion. the place reeked of urine and feces, elderly sitting out in the hallway in their wheelchairs. miserable patients! there has got to be a better solution for these elderly patients! i feel so bad for them, but have really no desire to work at a ltc facility. sorry if this makes me sound like a horrible person, but this is just not something i desire to do with my life - watch people die. maybe i could help make their last days more desirable, but i guess i just have other aspirations.

coolatta19 · May 2, 2004

I have been on my 1st rotation to a nursing home for a week or so and I HATE it. I leave everyday wanting to cry. I hate the conditions of the place, the staff, EVERYTHING about the nursing home. Does this make me a bad nurse? Anyone else in the same boat?

In no way does it make you a bad nurse. It makes you a person with compassion and a heart. I so desperately want to get into the Nursing field and specialize in caring for the elderly. My neighbor's on each side are both old, retired, sickly and guess what else??? NURSES!! They inspire me so much. I feel because it's heartbreaking and emotional draining not alot of people want to continue with this part of the field. I plan on sticking it out and advocating for better treatment and healthcare for the elderly. One day we will all be in their shoes..

I hope things get better for you. Keep us updated. Take care!

alk3rainbow · May 2, 2004

I remember coming home from my first day of cna clinicals and calling my parents and telling them that if I could help it I would never ever ever put them in a nursing home. The smell alone is enough to knock you out when you walk in, and its just so depressing...everyone is so unhappy. The residents get cranky and hit you, the CNAs are rushed to get everything done so quickly they neglect the simple things like drying a residents hair so she doesn't get cold...its just sad. I mean most of the people have pressure sores oozing everywhere, barely any of them can walk..I mean for being these peoples 'homes' they are just very depressing places. I'm not sure if I could ever work in a nursing home.

moonbunnie · May 2, 2004

I did my CNA clinicals in a nice, private, expensive nursing home which was nicely decorated and the residents seemed fairly happy there. Then i got my first CNA job, where I work still, in a huge county nursing home. It was SO different. We have no carpet, hardly and decorations, way too many residents, and not enough staff. And the scary part is, I am totally used to it by now, after less than a year of working there. I never even thought i would work in LTC, but they would hire before taking the state test while hospitals wouldnt, so i started working there. But i agree with you guys, i definitely dont want to work in LTC after finishing nursing school.

Carolanne · May 2, 2004

Nursing homes definitely aren't for everyone, just like the ER may not be, or peds or trauma. But they definitely are needed and it takes a certain type of person to work there. Some people actually get a lot of gratifaction from it, perhaps the elderly remind them of a dear grandparent or family friend, and it's a way of giving back to them in their older years. On our nursing home rotation, I saw the difference between staff just going through the motions with the patients - passing meds, wiping and diaping, and then the staff who made a genuine effort to connect with the patients and make a difference in their quality of life. To sum it up, I think the atmosphere of the facility reflects the care that is given to the patients, and they reflect it.

LindseyLou2222, RN · May 3, 2004

Thanks for the insight, I really appreciate it.

Lindsey

mitchsmom · May 3, 2004

I'm sure it is depressing to be in LTC for the patients... I think most of us would feel that way if we had to leave home for our last years and live that way. My grandma was a nursing home nurse and as a child I used to go to her work often in the evenings when she passed meds. She was one of those nurses that just had a special touch for that kind of work. The patients loved her and she still periodically talks about some of them (and a couple of them are still there!! This was late 70's!). They weren't all combative or rubbing poop on the walls (I'm sure they were there but I don't remember any, and anyway there are some of those in hospital work as well)- I remember the lady that played the piano beautifully, "Daisy" who always had a smile (one of the ones still there!), and the 60-something lady with a head injury who perpetually thought she was 19 years old. I think my grandma added a little light and caring to their lives and truly made a difference to many of those people. Hopefully, even if we hate it, we can make the best of it too when we do our rotations there, whether we are planning on ever working that kind of job or not. Sort of a chance to pay it forward.