Long Term RN to Hospital RN

[stjohn]

Hi everyone!

I have been a long term RN for the past several years with no hospital experience. I just got hired at the local hospital and I am very excited. I am nearing 40yrs. old...will I be able to adjust? Learn what I need to learn???? Any thoughts from any nurses who have made this transition? Any and all input would be greatly appreciated! :)

[tokmom, BSN, RN]

I would do long term if I could have way less patients, hospital pay and a union.

[VANurse2010]

You may actually find it easier not having to deal with 5000 patients, hours long med pass, and constant interruptions over trivialities. There's crazy family in the hospital, but it's usually not quite the level of crazy that you see in LTC.

That said, obviously you have to actually do real assessments on every patient, every shift and actually deal with emergency changes in condition instead of "sending them out." The documentation is heavy, but generally speaking not as tedious, ridiculous, and pointless as it is in LTC. There will be no initialing a TAR that the bed has side rails, for example. I find acute care less of hassle, on the whole.

[MoopleRN]

I've recently gone from the hospital to LTAC and it's been a huge difference. Way less assessing and way more med pass... also way more time wasted answering my work cell phone (unit secretary, I MISS YOU!) OTOH, I also have a lot more CNAs who are excellent. In the hospital, I answered a lot of call lights, now I don't (and am not expected to). There will be a lot of skills for you to brush up on that you weren't doing in LTAC. It's a completely different setting in my experience. You don't mention what kind of unit you'll be working at the hospital... Just remember that you bring your own experience to your new setting and that's valuable. One of the beauties of nursing is that the field is huge and you never stop learning!

[proud nurse, BSN, RN]

I recently made the transition from LTC LPN to hospital RN. It has been very tough, particularly because I work at a children's hospital. Aside from the different scope of practice, I'm finding that none of my experience as an LPN of 11 years is of much use...except for maybe therapeutic communication, assessment skills, documentation and delegation. Apparently from the feedback I've received in my orientation is that I have to look at the big picture and not focus so much on the task. I know that I'm a task oriented person because this is what my nursing background has been. You have to be when you are a LTC nurse or else you'll never get out on time. I prefer the hospital, but in a strange way I miss LTC because you know what you're getting day after day. Things change so quickly in the hospital.

[shermrn]

Hi everyone!

I have been a long term RN for the past several years with no hospital experience. I just got hired at the local hospital and I am very excited. I am nearing 40yrs. old...will I be able to adjust? Learn what I need to learn???? Any thoughts from any nurses who have made this transition? Any and all input would be greatly appreciated! :)

About seven years ago I made the transition from long term care to hospital nursing, it was the best thing I ever did. At first I felt like a new grad, mainly because I had a desk job for my last two years in long term care. I remember the nurse orienting me getting freaked out because the shift was almost over and we had charting to do. I laughed because filling out a few flow sheets on the computer for 4 patients was nothing compared to the charting I was used to in the nursing home. Anyway seven years later I am 41, have worked ICU for five years and just started in NICU. Moving to the hospital really opens up your horizons and pays a lot better. Good luck, it's a smart move and don't worry about being able to adjust.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I've thought a little bit about going back to acute care after doing mostly LTC for the past

two years.... it's just that... physically ill people SCARE me to death. Plus I like knowing pretty

much what is in store when I walk into my LTC job.

Mentally ill people OTOH do not scare me quite as much, which is why I do still work

acute care psych PRN.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I'm a queen of routine, so I prefer LTC. People and things change too rapidly in the acute care hospital setting. I like knowing what I'll be walking into.

I can deal with relatively stable patient populations, but acutely ill people make me very anxious. I also dislike codes, rapid responses, and the constantly changing orders that characterize hospitals.