Is working as LPN in Nursing home easy?

Specialties Geriatric

Updated:   Published

I have a friend who told me that she wants to go to school to work as LPN.I told her if she would be interested in becoming a CNA for little bit to see if Nursing would be a field she wants to pursue .She said NO,she doesn't want to do all the lifting and grunt work and that LPN's in Nursing home just pass medications in LTC.Well I haven't been an /nurse so I can tell first hand if its easy work.I just want to hear from LPN's who work in Nursing homes how the work is like.I've considered going for It as well

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Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

Easy work? I've never heard it described that way. What state? Her description does not seem accurate.

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Easy work? I've never heard it described that way. What state? Her description does not seem accurate.

We live in Canada

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Specializes in Cardiac (adult), CC, Peds, MH/Substance.

Ah. No clue. You may get more responses in the Canada forum.

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Are you flipping kidding me? Do you think "grunt" work is beneath you because you will be an LPN? Most nursing homes work short staffed. As such, you will be expected to pitch in. This includes lifting, changing, feeding, ambulating, assisting with bed baths, etc. NO nurse is above doing any of this work.

So no, nursing home work is not easy. It's challenging, physically and mentally hard, and way, way more than just passing meds.

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I worked as an LPN/LVN in the nursing home industry for approximately four years. The work can be physically, emotionally, and socially difficult at times.

Many of the nursing home residents will be dead-weight and require extensive assistance (read: physically difficult work).

Some nursing home residents are at the end of their lives. This affects some nurses (read: emotionally difficult work).

Some residents, doctors, coworkers, managers, and family members are difficult to deal with (read: socially difficult work).

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Specializes in kids.

Um...no...

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Working within long term care is definitely not an easy task. I do it every day. I would encourage your friend to shadow a LTC nurse on day shift. or any shift for that matter, and really see what we do. Putting out fires, while having an admission, completing a 20 patient med pass, talking to family/ MDs/whoever else needs you is just a little bit of what I do on a daily basis. She is in for a shock lol.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

My son is an LPN in a skilled nursing facility who works his hind end off. Not only are there meds to pass, there are OT and PT and family members and doctors to deal with, admissions in the middle of the patients' dinnertime, falls, wound care, IVs, incident reports to write, sending patients out to the hospital, and more. So no, it is definitely not easy work, and on top of it you MUST help with the physical side of nursing. It's not fair to your aides to make them do all the grunt work.

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The OP's question feels like a rhetorical question. I don't mean to sound dismissive, but the answer seems so obvious to me and probably most nurses who read the OP's post. The answer = NO. LTC/Nursing home work is NOT "easy" work and I personally wouldn't recommend it... especially to someone looking for an easy way to make a living. There are a lot of other things your friend can do to make money that won't have the exhaustive demands that nursing, let alone working in LTC/Nursing home settings, requires.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

Being an LVN in LTC was hands down the most difficult job I ever had. It's not just passing meds, although that can take up a lot of time. There are treatments to do, paper work, doctor's to call/round with, family members to talk to. Then you have admissions/discharges & any other emergency that pops up (resident falls or have to send them to the ER).

Not to mention nursing homes are notoriously short staffed so you will have to help out the CNAs. I was lucky if I ever got to sit down & eat during my "break".

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Specializes in LTC, Med-surg.

It is not easy at all! Not a licensed practical nurse but I work in long term care and do the same type of work. I think other posters said it already. It is exhausting to work in long term care.

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