Differences-LTC vs acute

[got4babygirls]

hey! I am thinking about making a job change and i would like some input. I am currently in acute care (tele) and I am not sure I like it. I also am doing 12 hr nights which I do not like at all. There are no day positions available in my facility at this time. I enjoyed my LTC rotation in school but I am not sure how that relates in "real life'. Are there any LTC workers out there? I enjoy spending time with patients not just medicating, admitting and discharging patients with no time to even really talk to them. While I understand I can be the only one to make the final decision, I am having a hard time with this. Also, does anyone have information on salary differences from LTC to acute??

Thanks for your help!

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

Pay will depend on what part of the state you live.

Spending time with pts/ residents.....some days it might just be "here is your meds" but for the most part, you do get to know your residents and families over the days, weeks and even years you might work at the same facility.

Depending on if you are an supervisor or staff nurse, you will be passing alot of pills and doing alot of treatments and paperwork.

There are plenty of good and bad facilities in the state. If you have a few in your area, you can start off by looking on the medicare website and look at a few surveys to give you an idea of what it is like.

If you post about a certain area, you might get some responses.

[aegirl]

I'm a new RN with 2 years exp. as an LPN. I went to the hospital when I graduated and became an RN...but have just taken a job in LTC, haven't started yet. I'm on the southeastern side of the state and will be making $2 more an hour than what I was making as a base rate at the hospital. However, it's a charge nurse position and i'm on call. I will be doing admissions, discharges, and a lot of other things. The LPN does the med passes. Job responsibilities really depend on the facility. Somedays will be slower than others where you may have some down time to spend with residents. I worked in LTC when I was an LPN for about a year and enjoyed it...but left due to management, etc. It's nice because you get to know your residents and they know you....some of the residents you may get close to which can be hard when they pass away. LTC can be a good place to get supervisory experience and move up into management, etc, which I think is the route I want to go. Good luck in what you decide! You can always PM me if you want.