Clinic to SNF?

I have worked in 3 SNFs and have not had good experiences with any of them. Always understaffed, leaving you on your own most of the time. No appreciation from anyone. 5 CNAs...that's unheard of where I'm from. Day nurses were lucky to get 3. You would most likely be doing a lot of patient care, not that that's a bad thing, but with all the other "nurse" tasks like charting, IVs, falls, and passing meds, it takes a lot of valuable time from you. In my opinion yes you will still feel like a glorified medical assistant.

My LTC experience has been positive. Yes, we are currently understaffed. Do I do some patient care? Yes, I do. There are a lot of meds to pass and charting. These things are all part of nursing. Do I sometimes stay late to finish my charting? Yes. Why? I feel that the patient's needs come first. I make lots of notes and then when I pass the floor to the night shift, I am able to finish my charting in an uninterrupted way. I ended up working as a CNA last evening and when I do that, it reminds me why I became a nurse. I get to use my nursing judgement, call Doctors along with many other things. I remind myself that I am there for the residents.

If you feel pulled to work in a LTC, go for it. It takes a special kind of person to work there and the only way to know if you are one, is to do it.

Depends on the SNF. Is there any rehab/post acute patients? As an LVN I'm finding I get a great range of experiences and skills with which to build upon. We get lots of IV ABT, IV hydration, catheters, injections, assessment skills stay sharp r/t needing to monitor post acute patients who are taking a turn for the worse and need to transfer back.

Also since I work PM on a rehab floor, I've gotten a ton of experience doing admissions! I feel that's helpful experience for any nurse.