LTC as a new RN

[UmmIbrahim]

Hey All!

I finally graduated Nursing school and am set to take my NCLEX in about a month-I wanted to give myself a few weeks break before hitting the books hardcore plus my son and husband will be back to school and work fulltime which leaves me more free time-except for my 3 12hr shifts at week on the weekends...

anyway...I had a question! So...I want to know whether getting into LTC fresh out of nursing school would kill any chances I would have for moving back into a hospital environment and eventually getting to my goal of being a dialysis nurse.

Here is the lowdown...we moved over the summer and while I am applying to the 3 hospital systems within my area for anything and everthing, there is also a very nice LTC/senior living health system headquartered nearby and they have a small medical center nearby-its about a 10minute drive from my house. Its a lovely place and they are hiring 3 part-time RN's and they do hire fresh out of nursing school and its an evening position that I was looking into...and they said they would be interested in me.

BUT, what worries me is whether I could then move back into a hospital environment and onto what I ultimately want to get into.

The benefits and pay is good and it is part time so I could be around for my family...but I know some look down on LTC. It would be basic medical care that I would provide.

what do you all think...? yay or nay?

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

You'll get conflicting stories from people. I've been in LTC for about a year and a half- first job out of school. In the past couple weeks we've had one coworker transition to med-surg in a local hospital and one get a job in dialysis. I don't think it's a dead end, but there are people that will swear they never got hired in acute care because they started in LTC. There are different skills there, and you'll get time management and medications down cold, both good skill to have in any care environment. Good luck with all your future plans.