I don't want to work in LTC... Will someone change my attitude?

[firefly101]

Hey everyone. I graduate this May with a BSN and expect that I will struggle to find a hospital job just like every other new grad out there. I'm in northern MN hoping to move to the metro twin cities area, but I am sure that it is just saturated with nurses. A few of my friends who graduated this winter refuse to apply to LTC facilities, but now are still without jobs and eventually it may be their only option, as well as mine. I hate the idea... Part of is the horror stories Ive been told with working at LTC, and part of it is family pressure. I also remember dreading clinical at the nursing home. The nurses always seemed to be falling behind, stressed, WAY undervalued/under-appreciated, and obviously disliked their jobs... But I may just have to suck it up for the first year or two until I gain enough experience to be considered for a hospital position. I realize that a lot of this is attitude. I'm just afraid of getting burnt out or risking my license. So I'm pretty much asking for someone to tell me some of the pros of working in LTC. What are some of your positive experiences? Do you have any advice for a new grad in LTC? Is LTC nursing really that bad? And if it really is terrible... how can I avoid burnout and make the most of the experience?

[nynursey_]

I s'pose I don't necessarily understand the term "long term care" as it relates to other locations. For my area, LTC would be a nursing home, or some other type of residential care involving the nursing staff. If anyone has wound vacs, vents, or chemo … they're in the acute care inpatient unit, or at a SNF.

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I s'pose I don't necessarily understand the term "long term care" as it relates to other locations. For my area, LTC would be a nursing home, or some other type of residential care involving the nursing staff. If anyone has wound vacs, vents, or chemo ... they're in the acute care inpatient unit, or at a SNF.

Most LTCs have opened their beds for skilled beds for the insurance money; you will be surprised that having pts recovering that ran out of days in the hospital end up in LTC-they have been doing this for YEARS. We take care of pre-OP and post OP/procedure; complicated wounds, Cardiac Rehab, spinal cord injury residents; you name it, it's appearing at a LTC near YOU, and has been for over 5 years now, especially now that they are less hospitals and more stringent CMS rules.

Do NOT underestimate LTC; it is certainly a hybrid specialty.

[tareija]

I haven't worked in LTC but I did my final practicum in school in LTC. The time management and assessment skills I learned have been useful. I also got a lot of experience working with geriatric dementia patients, which I think is transferable to basically any health care setting. I don't work in LTC now but I have been very grateful that I got experience with dementia patients. I learned a lot from my supervising nurse, and I also learned a lot from the care aides in terms of how to work well with this population.

[anonymurse]

Easy, Go to usajobs.gov and lay for a VA gig, heck, move if ya gotta, and if it turns out to be LTC, no worries--first, a RN with a BSN is a RN with a BSN so far as the VA is concerned, so you'll be paid the same as someone starting out in ICU, and second, the work load is gonna be reasonable, and it'll be the best-funded LTC you'll ever work in.

[Jmira.BSN.RN]

There's a couple of things that will change your attitude.... unemployment and un paid bills! I'm being completely honest.

Once you graduate and see what things are really like for new grads, you will start realizing that the opportunities that may be offered to you won't be like the fancy ones you did in clinicals.

I speak from experience and with empathy. I graduated in July and will be starting my first RN job in 13 days.. in acute psych. And you know what... I'm over the moon excited!! Any experience is good experience when you need it.

I wish you luck, it's really tough out there

[SE_BSN_RN, BSN]

I spent 6 years in LTC, my first job out of LPN school. IMHO, EVERY new grad should do at LEAST a year in LTC. I didn't have a vent patient until I went to HHC, but we did have IV therapy, trach's, gtubes, wound vacs, fresh post ops, psych patients, etc. etc.

I once had a resident cut off his gtube with a butter knife at the lunch table. The doc was kinda shocked when I called to tell him, LOL.

My classmates would laugh at the nurses in the hospital when they would complain about their heavy load of 6 patients. With 15-20 on the unit.....give me the 2 hour window, I'll have your meds passed with time to spare.

Most nurses in acute care couldn't survive the nursing home.

[SunshineDaisy, ASN, RN]

I, too, was scared of having to work LTC after hearing all the horror stories, but after a few months of no job prospects I applied...they still wanted experience here :/ I lucked out at the local hospital, but shoot, if one of the LTC or SNFs called and offered me a job I would have taken it!

[kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN]

Is it true that if you work in LTC as a new grad you can kiss working anywhere else goodbye?

Where do people get this stuff? It's actually the opposite. If you can work LTC, LTAC, Extended care of any sort...you get the assessment skills, IV skills, Foley skills, Vent skills, experience with codes, etc.

[kgh31386, BSN, MSN, RN]

I was a new grad who went into LTC...specifically an LTAC(long term acute care) facility within our main hospital downtown. Were there horror stories? Yes Did people frown and say that sucks when I told them where I worked? Hell yes. Did I make the best of that experience? Well lemme tell you, in 3 years...I can stick an 18 guage IV in a 90 pound 95 year old patient with rolling veins, Foleys are 2nd nature, codes, vents, wounds, assessments, time management, skills you don't even realize you have will shine. I'm not at the bedside anymore, but I'm now certified in Gerontology and I'm about to graduate with my MSN in May. I've developed a Geriatric course for my hospital since I work over in education/corporate. Nursing should be something you're proud of, wherever it is you do it. It's a profession.

My advice....STOP listening to the horror stories, and like someone else said...burnt out and you haven't even done it yet? I've only been a nurse 4 years now, but I've realized in dealing with many new grads in orientation, there's a sense of resentment against LTC, med/surg, and a few other areas. NURSING IS NURSING WHEREVER YOU GO. For all those who want to work ICU and refuse to look at med/surg, you do realize that many ICU units have no Nursing assistant? So you get to have your ICU patient, but you get to clean, bathe, and turn them...isn't that what people fear about med/surg and the "floor"??

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

I was a new grad who went into LTC...specifically an LTAC(long term acute care) facility within our main hospital downtown. Were there horror stories? Yes Did people frown and say that sucks when I told them where I worked? Hell yes. Did I make the best of that experience? Well lemme tell you, in 3 years...I can stick an 18 guage IV in a 90 pound 95 year old patient with rolling veins, Foleys are 2nd nature, codes, vents, wounds, assessments, time management, skills you don't even realize you have will shine. I'm not at the bedside anymore, but I'm now certified in Gerontology and I'm about to graduate with my MSN in May. I've developed a Geriatric course for my hospital since I work over in education/corporate. Nursing should be something you're proud of, wherever it is you do it. It's a profession.

My advice....STOP listening to the horror stories, and like someone else said...burnt out and you haven't even done it yet? I've only been a nurse 4 years now, but I've realized in dealing with many new grads in orientation, there's a sense of resentment against LTC, med/surg, and a few other areas. NURSING IS NURSING WHEREVER YOU GO. For all those who want to work ICU and refuse to look at med/surg, you do realize that many ICU units have no Nursing assistant? So you get to have your ICU patient, but you get to clean, bathe, and turn them...isn't that what people fear about med/surg and the "floor"??

YES!!!!!!

Well said TRUTH.

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

You can do it!

[HappyWife77, BSN, RN]

Best wishes! :-D....