Does anyone like LTC?

nrse4evr · Feb 28, 2007

Of course it doesn't sound silly. I thank God that there are people like you who feel a calling to LTC. Iwork OB and my Mom was a LTC RN before her retirement. We represented a sort of 'womb to tomb' continum. I always respected her for choosing to work ing LTC. She could have done anything but she loved old people. It would scare me to death. I think there is a special place for those of you who think that end of life and dignity of life and quality of life are more important than length of life and work hard every day to make that happen.

You have my thanks and graditude

banditrn · Feb 28, 2007

It's not the residents that I dislike about LTC - it's everything that keeps me from being with them!

I've always enjoyed people and finding out little ways that I can make their lives better, but I find that in LTC the biggest amount of my time is stuck behind the desk doing repetitive paperwork that just about bores my head off.

kmwlpn · Feb 28, 2007

i have worked ltc for about 11 years and really could not see myself doing anything else....just keep in mind that you are only one person and you can not save the world or do for all residents all the time....and you will be fine. as far as the call bells and the cna's standing around, just nudge them a little...their get the hint. ltc is very hard and stessful, easy to get burnt out so be careful, keep in mind that work stays at work.....trust me,,,i know....from my own experience.

curiousauntie · Feb 28, 2007

It's not the residents that I dislike about LTC - it's everything that keeps me from being with them!
I've always enjoyed people and finding out little ways that I can make their lives better, but I find that in LTC the biggest amount of my time is stuck behind the desk doing repetitive paperwork that just about bores my head off.

And that is the reason the I left LTC and now work Hospice. I LOVED my residents. But as a unit manager, all of my time was doind MDSs, care plans and reports that Corp. wanted done, following up of resident problems with the docs, writing orders, dealing with other departments...Anyway, it is no longer like it was when I got in it 22 years ago, just out of school. I worked 3-11, had 8 or 9 aides for 60 residents and so many alert and oriented residents that we had standing dates for "Golden Girls Night" every Saturday at 9. The staff brought in food, snacks, drinks and all of the staff and about 10 or so residents would crowd into the TV lounge to watch Golden Girls and eat! Now a days, not only could you not find 10 alert and oriented residents that could follow the show, you do not have the time, with a 3 hour HS med pass and reams of paperwork and not enough aides. I long for the old days.

RNHawaii34 · Feb 28, 2007

I just made 3 months working in LTC yesterday. Honestly, I kinda like it. I like the residents. I look forward to come to work with them everyday. However, I dislike my co workers who, always pick on me, on little things, and they are very rude...as if they know everything!! I don't like the paperworks I have to deal with after a longggg med pass....anyways, for now I like it, as long as I exclude the rude co workers. I am planning to go back to a hospital job maybe later. Oh, I have great CNAs, it's just the rude, bossy LPNs I dislike . No offense to anyone.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2007

I love LTC. However, my first job was full of furtive, don't-get-caught-by-the-state folks, and this one is do-it-right-and-don't-worry about-the-state.

I love my old ones, and now, even my charge nurses and the DON.

There are good facilities out there.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2007

I have been working in LTC for about a year and love it. I like LTC, but dislike the nurse managers, abusive family members, and the politics that interfere with my job.

cathy54 · Mar 1, 2007

Thank-you Commuter. I would also like to add the facility social worker to the list of agrivations. Never comes out of his office. Makes decisions, not based on residents needs(that have been charted on continuously), but on money.

I also love the residents and those I worked with. It is the management, who stay in their offices and never make actual contact with the residents. Then when you bring a problem to them, they deny that it happened.

You will notice that the word "worked" is in bold. That is because I finally figured out that I was not making a difference. I am going to Home Health. I will miss LTC, I just cannot fight management/social worker anymore. It breaks my heart to see nothing changing for my residents.

fultzymom · Mar 1, 2007

I have worked in LTC for 4 1/2 years et I love working at my job. I started as a STNA while I was in nursing school, worked as a LPN after I graduated et went back et got my RN while working weekends here. Then I worked on the skilled unit for about 3 years et now I am doing MDS nursing. I love it et do not see changing jobs any time soon. If I got tired of doing MDS, I would probably ask to go back to the floor not quit working here.

Leslie

P.S.

In nursing school, I swore I would not end up in geriatrics! I hated it!:nuke:

cschuess · Mar 2, 2007

i have worked in ltc for over 14 years and i love it (most days...but it's the job that gets to me not the ltc atmosphere). i started as an aide, became a lpn and then rn. once i got my rn i had a moment when i felt that i should go to a hospital, be a "real nurse" and deal with critical patients and iv's etc...most know how people respond when you say you work in a nursing home..."oh, that's nice" as if you aren't really even a nurse. but it's important to re-evaluate how important ltc nursing is. speak to some hospital nurses and find out what they do when a problem arises. they readily have departments available to turn to whether it be respiratory therapists for someone in respiratory distress or wocn when a pressure ulcer is found or a problem occurs with an ostomy. doctors in house to turn to when something goes wrong. but what do you have in a nursing home? yourself, other nurses and a supervisor and cna's. i am, by no means, knocking hospital nurses-they're wonderful! however, ltc nurses need to have more respect from everyone in the medical community for the job that they do!

you have to be able to think critically when an emergency arises. you have to keep your assessment skills up to date and sharp. you definitely have to be able to multi-task. ltc is not just being a med nurse even if you feel that way sometimes. anyone can tell you that the residents that come to nursing homes today are much sicker and more critical than they have ever been in the past. the entire population in ltc has changed over the years. the advantage that ltc nurses have is that they are able to know their residents more than hospital nurses can due to the short stays in the hospital. this allows the ltc nurse to notice subtle changes in a person that might otherwise go unnoticed i.e. uti's, pneumonia, chf, etc...

i could go on all day about how special nurses are in any job atmosphere but i really feel that ltc nurses need more credit for what they do. so when someone asks where you work you should answer them proudly because what you do is so very important in so many aspects! it really takes a special person to do what you do!

BigB · Mar 3, 2007

I am in my second month (new graduate) of working LTC. I have been going through the posts here, and frankly, I'm scared. I love the residents. All they want is someone to listen to them, even if it's 2 minutes. I work with some nurses that are real b's, and I find it appauling. They scream at residents, and claim it's b/c their hearing aids aren't in. The CNA's don't answer call bells in a timely manner (I KNOW they are busy too), but they are standing around talking when this is going on. I am trying to master my med passes safely, but am constantly worried that I'm putting my "license" at risk. I haven't even touched learning all the paperwork, but I figure it will come. Or at worst the Unit clerk that catches a mistake will let me know. PLEASE isn't there anyone out there that likes LTC? It is what I wanted from the beginning of nursing school. Sounds silly I guess.

I had a very, very bad experience as a new graduate LVN in a nursing home. I had 47 - 48 residence to care for and it was mission impossible to say the least. Needless to say, my opinion of nursing homes is not good. I was a CNA for 4 years and never realized how difficult it was to work as an LVN unitl I became one myself. I would run, not walk away from nursing homes that have terrible staffing ratios...you worked hard for your license and I dont want to see any new LVN loose it.