I really NEED to hear from nurses that like or love LTC.

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I completely understand that these boards are here as a safe places for nurses to vent and I completely support that. But I need to hear from nurses that have found there niche in LTC and have stayed there for any length of time. I need to hear from the nurses that enjoy it.

I am a 50 year old mother of 3 that is just starting a 2 year RN program next week. I have worked for years in nursing homes as an aide and I loved it. BUT.... every place I ever worked, worked us to death. I worked night shift , alone or with one other aide and one nurse. I worked short every weekend and ended up with 30 full load patients to care for on my own, three baths in the morning, 8 people to get up alone. It is not possible to give that many patients any type of quality care. I have worked in big and small facilities, profit and non-profit and they were all the same if you are an aide. Too many patients, low pay, no ability to make anything better. Heartbreaking and stressfull...

I have worked with some great nurses though!!!! They were so helpful to the aides and pitched right in. They always helped the aides if we were short and spent their free time with the residents.

Some were the opposite though.

I am still interested in LTC, but not as an aide any longer. I would like to hear from nurses that choose to stay in LTC. I know the patient ratio is way too high for nurses and administration listens way too little. I have seen all of that . But I am wondering, for those of you that feel called to work with the elderly in LTC, how do you cope? How do you stay? Knowing what you know...Seeing what you see? I know that they require nurses to overlook a lot, take a lot of shortcuts, etc.

I need to know your tips, hints. I see a lot of nurses that quit LTC in the frist few months because of the stress and the sadness and the shortcuts. So if you stay in LTC please let me know how. Thanks

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Specializes in LTC.

I dunno if I'm CHOOSING to stay..I'm kinda stuck in LTC being an LPN right now..but I DO like it...most days. Some days, like yesterday I want to pull my hair out. Yes you do work hard, and a lot of days you work short, but it's the residents that make it worth it. The smiles they give you when you care for them, the way they light up when you give them a hug...and when they say why thank you honey...that makes all the cruddy days nice.

When you're busy as all get out and slightly aggravated at being asked to do something...and then they say thank you with a grateful sigh, it melts away the aggravation.

WHen a family member says thank you for all you do for my mother....

It's worth it. so yeah I like it...and I guess on some level I do choose to stay.

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Specializes in OB, Peds, Med Surg and Geriatric Nsg.

I still have 1 month and 18 days to think about it. I'm an RN receiving LPN's pay and it gets tiring most of the times. My residents always make my day, the smiles, hugs, kisses and the comfort that I give to them is rewarding. The smile and the "thank you's" from the families to those who are under hospice, it's heartwarming and I believe thats the reason why there are a lot of people who stayed there despite the low pay and the feeling of being unappreciated by the management. They only see you as a number in the calculator. Making sure that there are enough staff and RN's to be in the building.

I can't say that I don't like LTC. I love my patients. As far as the work environment is concerned, I can't really say that I would stay. If you love working with the elderly, thats a good thing. But with the endless running around, charting, medpass, treatments, calling doctors, carrying out orders, updating care plans and a whole bunch of crap that management wants you to do, I hope you stick around for a long time.

Good Luck on your future endeavors! =D

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Specializes in MedSurge/Tele/Observation.

i'm sorry but what does LTC stand for?

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Specializes in LTC.
i'm sorry but what does LTC stand for?

Long Term Care facility.

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long term care

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LTC stands for Long Term Care

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Specializes in MedSurge/Tele/Observation.

like a nursing home? I'm sorry for my ignorance but I don't know much about other areas of nursing besides med-surg, labor and delivery, peds, the ususal hospital areas. Long Term Care must mean patients with conditions which they cannot be home by themselves and need nursing care, right?

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like a nursing home? I'm sorry for my ignorance but I don't know much about other areas of nursing besides med-surg, labor and delivery, peds, the ususal hospital areas. Long Term Care must mean patients with conditions which they cannot be home by themselves and need nursing care, right?

Sometimes. Sometimes it's the elderly who can't care for themselves - we had a mix at my facility - most were healthy, but just elderly and had no one to take care of them/feed them/change them/etc.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Dialysis.

To quote: "But I am wondering, for those of you that feel called to work with the elderly in LTC, how do you cope? How do you stay? Knowing what you know...Seeing what you see? I know that they require nurses to overlook a lot, take a lot of shortcuts, etc.

I need to know your tips, hints. I see a lot of nurses that quit LTC in the frist few months because of the stress and the sadness and the shortcuts. So if you stay in LTC please let me know how. Thanks "

I don't think that staffing issues are by any means unique to long term care, and as a proud nurse in long term care I certainly don't overlook a lot or take a lot of short cuts. I love long term care and am committed to making sure all my residents are cared for to the best of my ability, as do all my staff. I see a lot more joy than sadness where I work. I already addressed the short cut issue...there isn't an issue, every nurse I work with avoids them, and learning which short cuts you can and can't make only comes with long experience so my advice is don't take any at all! As for the stress.....if you can ever find a stress free, or even low stress nursing job please let me know because I'll be first in line to sign up!

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Specializes in Acute Care. ER. Aged Care/LTC. Psyche.

LTC nursing job is really not that bad, if you have enough help.

Long Term Care facilities are not just for the elderly, but they consist the vast majority of the residents. Others include those for rehabilitation like those who suffered from fractures, stroke, or anything that will impede their normal ADL functioning for just a longer period but not for a lifetime.

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I like the schedule of LTC, med pass routines, etc time goes very fast. Interacting with residents and getting to know them is great. Management is usually poor quality, staffing is always an issue, and YES you do have to overlook some things, and just do the best you can to provide care for those residents. Sometimes, that is easier said, than done.

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