It's not so bad!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hi everyone,

I'm a new grad LPN and I took a job at the nursing home where I did my leadership hours. This is a privately owned facility just north of Atlanta. Most of my classmates thought I was crazy to take the job. Who in their right mind would accept a job at a nursing home???? Well, I did!

This is a clean, well-run, and decent facility, with lots of wonderful, friendly staff. My preceptor is patient and nice, the administration is friendly and welcoming, the DON is great, and the other nurses are friendly as well.

Granted, it's HARD work, and my feet are aching as I write this! And some of the residents are a big pain in the you know what, but some are sweet as can be, and overall, it's really not so bad.

They are giving me 3 full weeks of orientation, throughout the month of December. I passed meds for the first time tonight ---- 30 residents ---- once at 4pm and again at 8pm. I managed to get it all done, but I was an hour late. No big deal, my preceptor said, not to worry, it was my first time and she has seen worse! Everybody got what they needed, and despite many interruptions for additional PRN's and other various requests, I managed to get it done. My preceptor was nice enough to do the other treatments, vital signs, and documentation that needed to be done so that I could focus solely on getting the med pass down.

It's very hectic, and seemingly impossible at some points throughout the shift. Sometimes I stop and think, "Oh My God, this is crazy! I can't do this!", but I keep plugging away and eventually, you see a light at the end of the tunnel, and before you know it, the night is over and it's like, "Oh My God! I made it! I did it! I survived!"

I have to say, there was one point in the night when the CNA's cleaned up a resident and the smell permeated the hallway ...... really, really unbearable smell. I decided the best way to deal with this was to breathe through my nose and hope that the smell dissipated soon. :uhoh21: But this kind of stuff is unavoidable. There are going to be smells. No way around it I guess.

What really keeps me going is thinking that "these people are depending on me, they need me to do a great job" and I treat them as I would treat any family member or friend.

Overall, I don't think LTC is a permanent career choice for me as I'm planning to continue on and get my RN, but I think it will be a nice transitional phase for me with lots of opportunities for learning. It will definitely prepare me for time management and dealing with the geriatric population, which comprises most of a Med/Surg. floor at a hospital anyway......

After reading all of the bad posts regarding LTC, I thought I'd throw a positive one in the bunch. There are a few good ones out there...... :) I'm working at one now!

Thanks. :)

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I work in a Nursing Home. One of the things I love is walking fast from one room to the next. Always love fast walking! I learn at least one new thing on each shift. There are many positive things to say about working there and also challenges. Thanks for the great read dmarie.

:Snowman1::Santa3:

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Specializes in LTC.

What a wonderful post!!

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

What a great attitude. I may move to Atlanta- I don't want to work with you but when the time comes I hope to have a nurse with your attitude caring for me. Hope it lasts!

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Well, I'm old enough and mature enough to realize that no job is perfect, nothing in life is perfect, and LTC "is what it is". It certainly helps to work at a facility that is clean, decent, and friendly. It is by no means a dream job. To say that it's hard work is an understatement. It involves SO MUCH ---- you have to be caring, kind, compassionate, but you ALSO have to be able to manage a gazillion things at once and keep it all properly documented. Nothing goes according to schedule ---- you have to be very flexible. So much paperwork, less time with the resident/patient. And the elderly don't always understand that. :) It seems they think they are the only ones you are caring for! It's like, "Hello! I have 29 other people to give meds to, I have been to your room 3 times now! I have to go!" ((sigh))

I help feed the late stage Alzheimer's patients during meal times also, because there must be a nurse in the dining room at all times, and there are moments when I manage to feed them and they respond, and they actually eat and swallow their food, and I clean them up and wheel them back to their rooms, and I have the feeling that I've done something really good. I'm caring for these people because they cannot do it themselves. It's important, and I've done something truly meaningful.

BUT, as frustrating as it CAN be, the one consistent feeling I have is when I drive home. I ALWAYS have a feeling of accomplishment, a feeling that I did something good. I know I went above and beyond, I did the absolute best job that I could, and I managed to hold it all together for another night.

In the short time I've been there, I've had many moments when I thought, "Oh My God, there is absolutely no way I can do this! Am I crazy???" But as I mentioned in my original post, if you keep plugging away, push through those crazy moments, keep moving forward, you EVENTUALLY see light at the end of the tunnel, and when it's time to finally go home, it's like, "Wow! I did it!"

A tough job, for sure. But it's not all bad.

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LTC can be very rewarding. You come to know your patients and love them like family (especially the ones without family or the family does not come in). Keep up the good attitude. I have worked LTC for five years. I went from CNA-LPN-RN supervisor and now I work in the MDS office. I love my job but when there are less than desirable nurses working the floor, I want to fire them and get back out there myself!!:lol2:It takes a while to get your routine down when you are passing meds, doing treatments, helping out with basic care when needed. Three weeks with a good preceptor will be pretty good for you. My first med pass in my facility took me so long I thought it would never end. But I had a patient preceptor who had worked LTC for about 15 years. She was great. The right preceptor makes all the difference. Good luck!

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Although for most of my career I was a hospital nurse I worked as a nursing assistant in a nursing home as a student and I started my RN career as a charge nurse in nursing homes and pretty much ended my working days working in nursing homes because the work was less physically demanding and that is what I needed. I loved nursing home work. It is different than hospital work and it has its stresses just like hospital nursing does. You learn to focus more on patient ADLs in nursing homes which is really what nursing is all about. I found that many hospital nurses just do not look at ADLs and address them the same way and with the same efficiency that nursing home nurses do. And I can say that because I've worked both venues. You will also learn to be very good at organizing your time in the nursing home as well as develop leadership skills, something as an LPN that you wouldn't get much of a chance to do working in a hospital. Do not be discouraged by people who trash nursing home nurses--most of them don't know what they are talking about and many mistake the excitement of carrying out doctors orders that are designed to treat and diagnose patient's medical conditions as real nursing and they are so-o-o-o wrong.

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Good for you, so glad you found a place you like on first try. I never minded working hard either. As long as the enviroment is overall supportive like at the place where you are I am fine with hard work.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

Tip of the day: breath through your mouth to take away the lingering hallway smells; also helps to use an isolation mask if the smell is unbearable!!!

I too am glad you found a supportive crew to get you through your shift!!!

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A breath of fresh air...We need more of that on here....Thanks for posting!

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

I love working traditional LTC. The patients are generally grateful that someone is taking the time out to care for them, and many of the regularly-visiting family members are simply happy to see the same face week after week (yes, families notice the employee turnover).

I now work nursing home rehab, and I dislike it due to too many high-acuity, needy, maladjusted patients who have just had surgical procedures. It is time for me to find another position in a traditional LTCF with no rehab whatsoever!

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

I'm so glad that they treat you well there!

I actually liked working in nursing homes, my issue was:

- I received one day orientation...then I was on my own

- I worked at least 4 12's a week. Which often turned into 14's because the other nurses came in late all the time! (And never got talked to about it)

- I had 38 patients on shift, and I was the only nurse (there was no RN or anything). If I had questions, I had to figure it out on my own.

I hope you have a great time working there and the rest of your career.

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