Does working at SNF/LTC count as fabled "One year or more of Acute Care Experience"

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As we all know from thousands of threads, new grads can't find jobs. What confuses me are the suggestions to find work in SNF and LTC, are these positions considered acute care experience to hospitals? If not then are we effectively suggesting taking a job that will classify you no longer as a "new grad," and will still prevent you from even applying to hospital jobs, trapping you in the realm of SNFs forever?

Also for those who, like me, have the thought in their head "well if worst comes to worst, i can always be a nurse in the military." Well....I just spoke to a nurse recruiter for the Air Force who said that not only is she only accepting new grad applicants with > 3.8gpa, or..of course...>6months of acute care experience lol. To make matters worse, the people applying right now, are applying for a job that won't allow them to SHIP OUT UNTIL 2012!!

The military was my plan D...what do you do when your best laid plans hit the rail? I am officially out of ideas.

Signed by,

Sad faced RN, BSN, ACLS, minor in cellular and molecular biology unemployable provider

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

LTC & SNF are not considered acute care - when those patients need acute care, they are transferred to a hospital. However, LTACs (long term acute care) facilities DO count as acute care experience.. they provide the same types of nursing experiences as you would get in a hospital.

Is relocation an option for you? This economy just sucks sideways, doesn't it?

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Hah, yeah, relocation is absolutely an option for me, i'd take an acute care nursing job in antarctica if they were hiring new grads.

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No. For acute care experience, you have to work in acute care.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

LTCs or SNFs are not acute care. However, some hospitals don't outright discount your experience: it may not be acute care experience but it is considered nursing experience. Before you bet the bank on that, hospital attitudes do vary, so check with the hospitals you're interested in to see how they feel about LTC/SNF experience.

Nor is starting in a LTC/SNF necesarily a dead-end, as several posters here can attest to.

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