Why dont we get respect as LTC nurses?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hi everyone,

I am hoping for some input to a questions that has been really burning my butt. I am a new nurse, and recently switched from med-surg at a local hospital (loved the job, hated the 12 hour shifts and the 45 minute commute), to a nursing home in my home town. I have spoken to numerous people about my new job, which I have, by the way, found to be very different but no less challenging than the work I was doing before. I am learning every day, and I truly do enjoy the job. I made the choice to change focus due to the fact that I have small children, 5 and 8, and the opportunity I had was a 7-3 shift, mon-thur. The money was less, but the savings in travel and not having to pay daycare made up for that.

Soooo, My big problem is, why is it that it truly seems that so very many nurses seem to look down their noses at long term care and geriatric nursing? I have even had one of my fellow graduates, (we both graduated May, passed the boards in June) actually say "I'm so sorry.":madface:

I couldnt believe my ears. And after I picked my jaw up off the floor, all the things I could/should have said came to me. Of course.

Has anyone else had this experience, or is it just me? And if you have, how do you deal with it? It is bad enough we undervalue and dont respect our elders, but now, I feel as if I have lost respect in the nursing community, (I am generalizing, I know, and I DO know that not every nurse feels this way, please dont feel that I think all nurses feel this way, cuz I do not).

I have been reading the nursing posts from so many of you on this specialty, and I can see that people who have worked in LTC understand. So sorry, I just needed to vent and get some understanding and hopefully advice from some of you more seasoned LTC geriatric nurses. During my med surg experience I felt more like a waitress than a nurse, it was kind of like 'turn em and burn em', without any time to connect with any patients, you were scrambling so hard just to meet their basic needs. I also realize that as a new nurse, I would have gotten better at the scrambling part, but still, after just two weeks at my new position, I already know almost all my 24 residents names, many of their likes and dislikes and have already been able to forge connections. So back to my question, how do you deal with it when you feel like other specialties look down on us?

I have also had ER nurses from the local hospital be VERY condesending to me when calling. Just twice, same nurse both times. And in case you are wondering, I am pretty thick skinned, I dont get my panties in a bunch over any little comment.

Any input would be sooo appreciated.

Thanks,

KristyBRNfortruenow

Interesting thread. I originally worked in a small nursing home in a small town. That was my first job. One thing I noticed was that the DNS was an alcoholic and always had coffee spilled on her lab coat. Also, because of a severe need of staff, they ended up with a few nurses who were unable to get a job anywhere else. One nurse was just making up blood sugar numbers, rather than taking them herself. One nurse was stealing morphine. Another replaced the SL morphines with nitros, and was stealing them for her own use. These were more the drifter types.

I have a nursing friend at the hospital where I work who also worked in another nursing home, and she said there where many incidences of nurses being caught stealing narcs. I think because these places are so desparate for staff, that they can end up with a disporportionate percentage of staff being lower caliber, with serious personal issues.

Probably, if the pay was better, it would be more attractive. So, more ambitious people end up going to the hospitals. There were some awesome nurses in the LTC where I worked, but I did noticed some very washed out, questionable people as well, more than I see in the hospital. That was my personal experience with it.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.

Hi All,

I have been an LPN in LTC for over 20 years and I have to say yes, when it comes to Administration, it is about the almighty dollar, however, I must say that IMO it takes a very special Nurse to be in LTC and I have worked with some of the finest!! But I will give you an example of how viscious the DON's can be.....My present DON has still not put out the Christmas Schedule....nobody in nursing in the facility knows if they are on or off for Christmas, which you could imagine the tension there..you could cut it with a knife...as of yesterday, about 10 have said if they are on, they are all calling out!!! It's just awful, and you can't even blame them because they all want to make plans for Christmas!! And as for Unions, forget it, we have one and they just say..oh just give her a little more time....Crazy!! Anyway, didn't mean to go on and on....but once I start thinking about it, I get so upset.....Anyway, I hope you all have your schedules!!!:nono:

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I am a DNS. MY Christmas schedule has been posted for weeks. The request for holidays was posted in September. So now I have a nurse who puts in a request for a week (read Christmas AND New Year's) off. She put in her request on 12/14!!! and is mad because it was denied....please stop blaming all the shortcomings of LTC on the DNS or the management....I say look in the mirror a time or two. I have a nurse who didn't know enough to take a diabetic's blood sugar when the patient c/o being dizzy and sweaty......

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Specializes in Long Term Care.
I am a DNS. MY Christmas schedule has been posted for weeks. The request for holidays was posted in September. So now I have a nurse who puts in a request for a week (read Christmas AND New Year's) off. She put in her request on 12/14!!! and is mad because it was denied....please stop blaming all the shortcomings of LTC on the DNS or the management....I say look in the mirror a time or two. I have a nurse who didn't know enough to take a diabetic's blood sugar when the patient c/o being dizzy and sweaty......

Exactly my point!!! Your schedule has been out for weeks...Hers is STILL NOT OUT!! What does that have to do with your nurse who diidn't know enough to take a blood sugar? I was not talking about requests to be off, I was talking about the inconsideration of a DON to not put out a Christmas schedule and causing chaos in the facility...you must have misunderstood me!!:nono:

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I am a DNS. MY Christmas schedule has been posted for weeks. The request for holidays was posted in September. So now I have a nurse who puts in a request for a week (read Christmas AND New Year's) off. She put in her request on 12/14!!! and is mad because it was denied....please stop blaming all the shortcomings of LTC on the DNS or the management....I say look in the mirror a time or two. I have a nurse who didn't know enough to take a diabetic's blood sugar when the patient c/o being dizzy and sweaty......
Cape Cod Mermaid, are these the "lazy, stupid, slackers" you were talking about in a previous post you wrote? Sheesh.:angryfire
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At the hospital where I work, requests for time off for march-may are due now. You can also make a request before the schedule is out, with no guaruntee of the request honored, but they will do their best. But any vacation time definately must be put in 3 months in advance.

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I believe LTC nurses don't get respect because the pay is usually less. The care is not acute. And the requirments for certification, etc less difficult to obtain than such as CCRN. Not that you don't work your tails off. You do, we all do. I have never worked LTC. Basically, because of the pay. And I don't think they would consider me LTC material. I have always been in an acute care setting. As an ICU/CCU RN. I don't think I would have the patience to work with healthy grumpy patients, personally on a daily basis.

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Specializes in Long Term Care.
I believe LTC nurses don't get respect because the pay is usually less. The care is not acute. And the requirments for certification, etc less difficult to obtain than such as CCRN. Not that you don't work your tails off. You do, we all do. I have never worked LTC. Basically, because of the pay. And I don't think they would consider me LTC material. I have always been in an acute care setting. As an ICU/CCU RN. I don't think I would have the patience to work with healthy grumpy patients, personally on a daily basis.

Hi NurseMMM,

Actually, in New Jersey LTC facilities pay Much Higher than Hospitals..just a bit of info;)

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There is a definate hierarchy of respect in nursing, and yes I think LTC is considered less hotshot. I noticed when I switched to CCU/ICU, that my status went up from what it was as a Med-Surg nurse, which was a higher status than when I was LTC. People consider it more technical, and it requires a higher level of education.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
Cape Cod Mermaid, are these the "lazy, stupid, slackers" you were talking about in a previous post you wrote? Sheesh.:angryfire

I certainly hope you are flaming the lazy slackers and not me! I had a boss once who told me I expected too much from people. I expect them to do the job they are paid to do, I expect them to do their best every day, I expect them to be polite to the patients and to each other....I don't expect anything from them I don't expect of myself.

I asked one of the nurse managers to complete a particular report and get it back to me. She handed it back, without looking at it, and said "I don't know how to do it." hmmmmm...I thought....don't know how to read English? Don't know how to count the number of residents on your unit with indwelling catheters? I'm all for showing people how to do things, but come on guys.....let's use a little common sense and TRY to do it before you cop out....I'm not talking patient care here....I wouldn't want anyone to try to do an IV without sufficient training, but don't refuse to do a report because you say you don't know how. Perhaps we don't get respect because we don't deserve it.

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There is a definate hierarchy of respect in nursing, and yes I think LTC is considered less hotshot. I noticed when I switched to CCU/ICU, that my status went up from what it was as a Med-Surg nurse, which was a higher status than when I was LTC. People consider it more technical, and it requires a higher level of education.

Doesn't an RN in LTC have the same education as an RN in med surg? I am a new nursing student, ADN, at the top of my class and yes an older student at that., I am hoping to work either in

geriatrics or hospice? Should I adjust my perspectives if I want respect as well? Just wondering, not trying to flame anyone?

Margaret

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I respect LTC nurses a lot! It's very challenging. You get enough problems from upper management and low staffing. I think a lot of people choose not to go into LTC nursing because of the high patient ratios and added responsibilities... Plus I've had fellow students who say they don't want to work with "old people" ! I am thinking WHAT! With demographics being the way they are, there's no way to avoid working with the older population. I did my clinical rotation in an LTC facility, I enjoyed most of the nurses there!

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