hospital vs home health vs LTC

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Experiences? Work schedule, payscale, pros and cons?

I love the hospital setting! I did my CNA training for 3 months in a LTC Alzheimer's specialty unit and it was HARD. A lot of the CNA's didn't care, most of the nurses I encountered were lazy and didn't want to help and the patients were left alone way too much. I realize that the CNA's were overworked and underpaid (generally $8-$10 per hour) and so I can't be too hard on them because what are you supposed to do when you don't have enough help? I have volunteered in home health and if you like the freedom of being accountable to yourself and to the patient, that might be the setting for you. If you aren't a nurse, home health doesn't pay that well. The hospital setting seems to be the best in pay. I was hired as an emergency nurse tech for $14 an hour with no experience and only my CNA license. I love it! I work in urgent care and am currently being trained in splinting and phlebotomy as well which are things you wouldn't learn as a tech in an LTC setting or home health setting. I agree with havehope, a hospital seems to be the best learning experience if you are wanting to eventually be an RN.

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I am working PRN so that way I can work when I need to. My hospital also works with their full time and part time employees when they know they are going to school. Most nursing students can only work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you decide to go work at a hospital and get an interview ask them will they be willing to work with your school schedule. 99.9% of the time they will say yes.

That sounds like it'd be good... if I can get in a hospital with no experience. I think it'd be best for learning. I'll definitely try.

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Specializes in home health, developmental disabilities.

I got my start in home health. It had its good and bad qualities. The schedule is flexible, pay is Average plus mileage And you get to take your time with your. Client. But sometimes you feel like glorified maid. Home making is usually included. Scrubbing toilet, washing days old dishes. This one lady had me clean her cat boxes.

LTC in comparison is a nightmare. Well at this facility anyway. Its an Alzheimer's home so there are lots of behaviors. Always short staffed and the cnas can be rude and backstabbing. I do enjoy some of the residents and will miss them when I quit. But that's about the only thing.

Group homes are good if they hire cnas you usually get a higher pay rate. I worked at one with diabetics and people with epilepsy who also had developmental disabilities. I loved it. There were 5 clients two cnas and one nurse on staff. Sometimes behaviors were bad but you had others to help. A lot of time you can sit down and relax with them.

I just got hired at an assisted living facility as a med passer so I'm excited for something new.. hoping its better than the Alzheimer's home I'm at now.

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

I've done them all and am thinking about going back to home health and staffing.

I've repeat everybody else in saying that nursing homes/LTC/rehabs are NIGHTMARES!!! I would rather do anything else in the world than that. It was terrible, I would go to work every single night with a panic attack. I was trained in a much nicer nursing home and I thought they were all so lovely. Boy was I wrong. I lasted for 3 months. That said, when I came out, I was a lean mean CNA machine! You will really hone your skills in a nursing home.

I recently stopped working a hospital job because of scheduling issues. I was really wonderful and I'm going to miss it. Yes, you are kept busy, but it's possible to get your work done and converse with your patients depending on the hospital (I've heard of some that are just as bad as nursing homes). They pay is usually the best in hospitals and they attempt to improve staffing. They have HCHAPS to answer to and I think it makes a huge difference.

I LOVE HOME HEALTH! I started there when I was 17. It was my first job, I feel I've made the most difference in home health and I plan on going back there. For the most part, agencies work around your schedule and I find it works out well for most students. The only real downside is that the pay is unreliable, so if you plan on having home health as your source of income, be sure to go with two agencies to keep that influx of work going.

God bless you in whatever you decide to do!

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Hospital aide I can't speak for. I'm thinking you have the big amount of people you have in a ltcf but I don't think you would be showering and changing pooy bottoms all day.

I beg to differ. I work in a small rural hospital and our numbers are actually quite lower than the nursing homes in our area but I give just as many showers and baths and change just as many BM-filled briefs (if not more) than I did in my nursing home job. There are days that my work load at the hospital is twice the work load I had in the nursing home.

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I work in a hospital. I'm part time, so I work 2 days per week for 12 hour shifts. I actually was able to get on the weekends only, so it's great for my school schedule. I make about $1-2 more than the LTCs around here. I think it's great experience because the nurses I work with let me watch them when we have some extra time. I work on a telemetry/progressive care unit, so I've learned tons of cardiac stuff just from being in this environment. I also pretty much have a guaranteed job when I graduate as long as I get my BSN and stay in good status, etc.

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Oh, and we change LOTS of diapers and do lots of baths here. We get lots of LTC patients, and also patients who are incontinent due to mental status changes, antibiotics, etc.

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