Love my old peeps.

[sistasoul]

Hi all. I graduated in 2008 with my ADN. Worked 5 months in LTC basically passing meds. I now work in a hospital on a neuro/ortho floor. I have been doing this for a almost a year now. I found out I really love my geriatric patients but don't know how much longer I can deal with the stress and chaos of the hospital. I have always had a soft spot for the elderly even before I became a nurse. I find this generation to be amazingly resilient and appreciative. I would love to work primarily with the elderly but do not want to go back to being a staff nurse at LTC because I found this mind numbing. I pretty much passed meds and that was about it.

Does anyone work primarily with the elderly but in a setting other than LTC?

[twentytenRN]

Well... due to their age and declining health... LTC is usually where the elderly patients are. Have you considered psych nursing? There are geriatric psych units that cater to this population. And Bless You, I'm glad there are people like you that enjoy working with this population because heaven knows, I don't! Don't get me wrong... I enjoy the sweet little grandmas and grandpas but not in nursing! :)

[berube]

have you considered home health, majority of our patients are elderly, and our goal is to keep them safe in their own homes with adequate knowledge of their disease processes.

[*LadyJane*]

I work in a doctor's office as a nurse for one doc. There are other providers (nurse practictioners, PAs), each one has their own MA or nurse. The clinic is an internal medicine specialty, and we see mostly older adults. I agree with you, I just love this population of people. Plus, we are in a small town in a rural area, so we see lots of farmers and cowboys. I cared for a bull rider today... lots of interesting people, some really complex patients, just to keep it stimulating. Why not try ambulatory care? It's nice hours, no weekends or evenings, plus at our office, we get one hour for lunch each day!