Assisted living

[Vtachy1]

I didn't see a specialty category for assisted living nurses. Anyone work in one of these? How do you like it? Would it be something you recommend? We have these facilities popping up like crazy in my town. I talked to the manager of one of them, and she said I should put in my application.

Tell me the good bad and ugly about it.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

allnurses: A Nursing Community for Nurses - Search Forums

This is a "sticky" thread called "What's It All About, ALFie?" which is a support thread for assisted-living nurses that may be helpful to you. While it dates back to 2006, there are some pearls of wisdom from ALF nurses that are timeless.

The role of the ALF nurse varies from state to state; a lot depends on an individual state's rules and regs. Even so, ALF nursing as a specialty is still in its infancy, which makes it both a dynamic and exciting career choice for the nurse who wants something outside the traditionally structured nursing areas such as LTC and Med/Surg.

I will say that there doesn't seem to be much middle ground in ALF nursing---it can be great, or it can be a disaster. A lot depends on the corporate entity that owns a facility; some are all about the Benjamins and will chew employees up and spit them out, while others take pride in offering quality resident services and support their employees in achieving that goal. I've worked in several of the former; now I work in one of the latter, and I've never been happier in my life.

PM me if you'd like to know more....