location, location

[LTCRN4LIFE]

will be wintering in Fl in 2007--2008. Planning now. Looking for LTC or Assisted Living Facility to work in. Currently I work in a very clean, well run facility in the North and the stories of the Southern LTC facilities scare me. I have thought about doing some med/surg here to gain experience to try working acute care...but frankly that is not where my heart really is. What area would be the best to look for rents in, as well as facilities to work at? What facilities are well known and outstanding in their customer service, patient care and retention of employees? That is where I want to work.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

The south doesn't have a market in dirty LTC's. Careful that you're not really listening to regional prejudice.

There's some clean, well-run facilities here in Pinellas County Florida. We have the 4th highest concentration of elderly in the country.

There's a saying down here: "we don't care how you did it up North". LOL That's because so many people who come down here are chronically disatisfied, and say "that's not the way we do it up north", especially if you work in an excellent facility up north.

Just picking on you a bit. I'm in a acute care and don't know a lot about LTC, except that there are a lot of them here.

Good luck!

[LTCRN4LIFE]

Thanks for your reply. Yes, lol...I do agree with the regional prejudice statement. However, I do a fair amount of reading too and facility survey results are posted for all to read. Problem with that is.....the states "make mountains out of molehills" so when you read some citations they appear alot worse than how it may really be.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

You're definately wise to proceed with caution. Florida has a huge aged population, and there are some shady places for sure, and probably more than the average state because there are so many LTCs. We received patients from a nursing home in such dreadful condition here it would make me cry. They eventually were closed down.

An LPN friend of mine in LTC says the best places are the one's that cater to the wealthy, if you can deal with their personalities, they usually are clean, have good staffing, etc. Again, I don't really know because I'm not in LTC.

I asked him, well what do you do when job hunting ask "what's the average income of your clientele?" LOL He moved since that conversation and we've lost touch, otherwise I'd ask him for you. :)

[PedsRN1991]

Where are you going to be going to in Florida?

Florida is a VERY large state and very diverse. Where you are planning on being, depends largely on what you will find.

BTW...here is SOUTH Florida. We aren't so bad way down here!

[LTCRN4LIFE]

I am trying to research and choose wisely. Thanks for picking up the interest. I plan on being there Jan, Feb and March so it would just be per diem temp work.