Can I be a DON with no nursing home experience?

Guest27531 · Nov 23, 2016

It sounds like a very difficult transition!

Here are my thoughts (for what they are worth):

1. How much does the nursing home need you? Are you located in an area where they are having problems finding people to even apply for the job?

2. How big (or small) is the nursing home?

3. If you have no budgeting experience is the nursing home able to wait until you learn how to make budgeting decisions?

4. Will you be able to do the resource calculations to decide whether to accept a new resident?

5. Are you prepared to live a professional life where you must be more concerned about regulations (state and federal) than most nurses need to be?

6. Are you prepared to have a 24/7 job responsibility?

I wish you the best of luck and hope you get replys from current or former nursing home DONs to give you some advice based on actual experience with that function!

elkpark · Nov 23, 2016

I'm sure there are LTCs that would hire an RN with no LTC experience or management experience to be DON, but they sure wouldn't be doing those nurses any favors.

femaleRN · Nov 23, 2016

Thanks for replying! Sounds like I would be very clueless even with the month training they're offering. Sounds like I would need some sort of classes before applying for a position like this. I have no experience in business budgeting or medicare medicaid regulations.

Guest27531 · Nov 23, 2016

You may be "clueless" now but if they really need you and you want to go the "administration" route this may be a doorway. Medicaid/Medicare regulations are learnable and so is budgeting. If you are not in a big city and it is a small nursing home it may work for you.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Nov 25, 2016

You indeed would be way over your head. It's an extremely difficult, stressful job even if you have experience. Without it...you're in the weeds.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Dec 2, 2016

Could you or should you? You can do anything you put your heart into, but should you....probably not.

femaleRN · Dec 2, 2016

....lol

Peepershops · Dec 28, 2016

WAY over your head! Long term care is a specialty, just like psychiatry. DON is not a job to "learn as you go." You need to have a good working knowledge of long term care nursing and regulatory compliance before even thinking about accepting that position. Start off working as a per diem nurse in a nursing home first to see if it's something you'd like and to get the basics down. I'd be surprised if you were hired as the DON with no long term care experience. But I've worked for big companies and stranger things have happened!

amoLucia · Jan 1, 2017

I'm always curious why the last DON left. If there was a 'bad survey', you'd be walking into a holy he!!.

Of course, there are places that only need a temporary warm body to become the sacrificial lamb later on.

caliotter3 · Jan 1, 2017

I'm always curious why the last DON left. If there was a 'bad survey', you'd be walking into a holy he!!.
Of course, there are places that only need a temporary warm body to become the sacrificial lamb later on.

I've seen seasoned LTC DON's go through the revolving doors. It happens in conjunction with the surveys. Experienced or not, prepare yourself for the sacrificial lamb role.

amoLucia · Jan 1, 2017

Another thing to consider is how stable the other dept head staff is. I've found that when a facility needs a Soc Worker, Dietary Manager, Housekeeping/Laundry Mgr, Maint, etc that's usually an indicator that the last survey was mucho problematic. And looking for an MDS/RNAC could be a big flag for prospective DONs.

I also would like to know are you talking 'corporate' chain or an independent facility.

Bed size?

To go into NH admin today WITHOUT previous strong LTC experience is NOT something I'd want to even think about for myself!