Benefits: Hospitals vs LTC

[Gizmo44]

I am curious more than anything but want to be informed & to know what to expect. What is the general cut off needed to be elegible for benefits in LTC facilities? I know it may be different from place to place, & location & size. In my city, hospitals require 20hrs/wk min. & no PRN to qualify for health insurance. I can't seem to find the same information for LTC facilities so I thought I would pose the question here.

I am a recent grad/licensed LPN & was looking for hospital jobs but over the weekend decided to broaden my search to LTC since that is where the opportunities seem to be. I originally wanted to be part-time, 20-30 hrs/wk in the evening due to school (pre-reqs for RN) & taking care of my mom (diagnosed w/ colon CA, started chemo in April-lots of complications). I am concerned saying I want 20-30 hrs when you need 32 hrs for health insurance. How do you approach the subject? COBRA is expensive & I wont dare go without insurance.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Every single nursing home where I've ever been employed requires 90 days of full-time employment before the employee becomes eligible for benefits. I even worked at a nursing home where absolutely no health insurance was offered to the employees.

I currently work 24 hours per week by working two 12 hour shifts every Saturday and Sunday, but receive full benefits and pay for 32 hours under the Baylor Plan. If there are any nursing homes in your area that offer the Baylor Plan, a Two-Day Plan, or weekend double shifts, I would look into those.

[Gizmo44]

Thank you for posting. I pretty much expected to have to work 60-90 days for any benefits to kick in. I think that is pretty standard & probably lines up with the probationary period.

Thats good suggestions to work on weekends. I scares me to work every one but I basically do it now. I do private home healthcare Fri/Sun - 12 hr nights (actually work 14 hrs) & Mon. 8 hr nts (actually work 10 hrs) but I rotate nights with another person so its not that bad. I have to admit though, its been nice having my weekdays free all summer & will come in handy if I start the RN program next year. I figure I could always get PRN at a hospital to get my foot in the door & make contacts & get experience. Its not that I don't want to work the hours its just I have a goal to continue school to get my RN and my Mom needs some assistance.

Main thing is I have to get off COBRA. I pay nearly $300 month for what I used to pay $80. Our house needs so much work it isn't funny. That $300 would buy a pretty decent dishwasher - ours starting leaking a month ago so we're hand washing now - hahaha - ugh!

I need to remember to keep a note pad near me at all times so I can write down questions to ask in an interview or research - lol.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I pay nearly $300 month for what I used to pay $80.

If COBRA would have cost me $300, I probably would have taken it. However, the estimated cost would have been $500 per month, and I'm a single person with no spouse or children.

At my previous job, the health insurance was costing me $240 per month for a single subscriber with no spouse or kids. Some nursing homes do not have it in their budgets to offer affordable health insurance, so what they offer tends to be pricey. I am now fortunate to be working at a place where the insurance is costing less than $90 per month.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I do not pay into health insurance at my job in the hospital. We have a union, and this is a city hospital, where the pay is less for all levels of nursing, but we have better health insurance, which is what keeps me there. I am noticing, however, that the job is decreasing certain benenies, such as dental and eyeglass, which keeps me on my toes with preventive dental care.