Hospital or LTC?

yousoldtheworld · Oct 31, 2008

I worked at a hospital up until about a month ago.

I worked on a unit called the Transitional Care Unit. It was mostly made up of older patients. It was a unit for people who needed a little longer before they went home, but were no longer in need of the services of one of the acute units. It was also a place that patients could go while their families arranged the LTC or hospice that they might require.

At the hospitals around here, CNAs work on very few units. The majority of units hire PCTs, and CNAs are required to take a PCT class through the hospital before being hired as one.

However, that is different everywhere, of course. I have found in general that it is harder to get hired at a hospital if you've no experience. I would encourage you to apply to and consider all jobs available to you, because even if you can't work exactly where you want to right away, the experience will only make you more hireable. :) I worked in LTC for a year before I was able to get on the hospital. I did enjoy working at the hospital more, but I am currently back in LTC (at a retirement community in the memory enhancement center) because I moved, and because it paid more.

Good luck if you do take the CNA classes!

SarahLovesNovember, BSN, RN · Oct 31, 2008

A hospital is the better choice for skills, money and all that jazz. Very hard to get a position in one if you don't have previous experience or know somebody there. LTC's are also great because you get to really connect with your patients and you don't have a new patient load almost everytime you start shift. The nice thing about LTC is you get to know their routines and it becomes second nature. In a hospital you always have to stay on your toes...not to say you don't in LTC. I like both but prefer the hospital setting.

rancelumsden · Oct 31, 2008

I worked in both hospital and LTC.

I was in med-surg/oncology unit. There is no generalization that I am aware of as far as staffing --- depends on how much need there is, if hospital trains, what kind of testing they do for candidates, etc.

At the hospital, our title was PCT --- Patient Care Tech. That was simply the title for a CNA for all units in the hospital. We had a pretty intense training program --- several weeks full time before going on the unit, and another month with a preceptor once you got on the floor. The hiring process was pretty rigorous too --- personality tests, reading/comprehension tests, multiple face-to-face interviews.

Depending on staffing, we were sent all over the hospital. I worked a lot in the cardiac area, and a fair amount in ortho, even a bit of post-op. That is, we covered other units who were short staffed as we would have extra staff from time to time. As a male, I was not allowed to work in neo-natal and no one worked in ER unless they had specific ER training. A PCT is a PCT in the hospitals around here --- that is, your basic CNA duties are the same. Of course, there are different considerations for different patients. For instance, ortho dealt with people who had various parts of their body that was not usable and worked with different devices. I was shown how to use a CPM machine and set up a trapeze, for instance. Otherwise, you still do beds, ambulate, feed, bathe, and whatever care is needed regardless of unit. We did not have specific training, in advance, for different units. As I said, once filling in on a unit, I would be shown how to work with whatever I needed on that floor.

Go ahead and apply --- never hurts to fill out and app and send a resume.

Satori77, ADN · Oct 31, 2008

Thanks...since my friend was hired right into a hospital (and loves it!), I know it is possible. Either way, the experience would be great.

MotoXCaliCNA · Nov 2, 2008

I work in a LTC full time and part-time doing home health aid work, but I took a class that was specific toward hospital setting CNA work. So I plan on working at LTC for a year then moving onto a hospital job while I go to school for my prereqs. At the hospitals around me here in Cali, they prefer you have 1 year experience as a CNA

Satori77, ADN · Nov 2, 2008

It does make sense to have experience before working at a hospital.

sonomala · Nov 2, 2008

One thing to consider that I never thought of before my class: if you live in an area with bad winters, whats their policy getting to work?

I've since learned ltcs (around here) don't give a rip, expect you to be exactly on time and no provisions for helping you get in, offering a place to sleep overnight ec.

Our local hospitals on the other hand are very accomodating, they provide transportation to work, offer a place to sleep ect and are very lenient.

I love my ltc patients I'm learning with (and the ltc is expressing an interest in hiring) but I don't know if I'll be able to make it work.

TiggerBelly · Nov 6, 2008

I started my healthcare career working in an Assisted Living Facility and spent about 6 months there. Then I was hired at a hospital and first started on the Medical Unit. The medical unit was not my cup of tea however I will say that it laid a wonderful background for everything I need to know now. On medical you have the opportunity to refine how you care for patients including the ones who thank you for everything you do, to the ones that make you feel like a slave. The nurses on the medical unit were extremely informative,if I ever had a question they would answer it and educate me as much as time allowed.

However I have found my love in the ER. I love the fast paced nature of it, the unpredicability, and I can also do more skills in the ER (such as drawing blood,doing EKGs, splints etc).

For me working on the most basic things and working my way up helped me greatly. But then again it is also how I learn the best. Good Luck in whatever you choose.

Oh and one thing about hospitals- If you don't like the floor you are on, there are many opportunities to transfer to other floors and specialities. This is also a great way to see what kind of field you may be interested in once you begin nursing