LTC nurses...

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I am in no way saying everyone; because I have worked with some great LTC nurses.

However having gone from LTC to a hospital, LTC nurses are the laziest I have ever seen. They would never make it in a hospital setting and actually have to do direct patient care. I am going was so done with seeing these people sitting at the nurses station and taking multiple smoke breaks.

Nurses in the hospital actually get up and will do anything you ask for help with, where as with them not so much.

Hats off to any CNAs is who stay at these places, but it is not worth it. Yes

I hadn't to hear about because I am just a CNA I have no idea what nurses do, I am obviously awful because i have the audacity to say anything critical, among other comments..so how is that polite?

It's difficult to decipher what you're trying to say here. Exactly what the previous poster said though; you posted your gripes on a LTC nursing forum. What were you really expecting? I do think you actually got what you were expecting and probably hoping for, pissing off some LTC nurses.

Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I hadn't to hear about because I am just a CNA I have no idea what nurses do, I am obviously awful because i have the audacity to say anything critical, among other comments..so how is that polite?

You made a comment that a LTC nurse wouldnt survive in an acute hospital setting

This LTC nurse works per diem in an acute hospital setting and survives so nicely that she keeps getting asked back repeatedly, to general surgical wards, plastic surgery, acute orthopedics

You have made sweeping generalisations about a group of nurses and when people have called you on it, rather than acknowledge that you may have possibly generalised about an entire group of nurses from your experience, you have done the equivalent of 'woe is me, I'm a victim these mean useless LTC nurses are picking on me"

Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
It's difficult to decipher what you're trying to say here. Exactly what the previous poster said though; you posted your gripes on a LTC nursing forum. What were you really expecting? I do think you actually got what you were expecting and probably hoping for, pissing off some LTC nurses.

I'm not pissed off. Its been an exceptionally busy week with acutely unwell residents and to be honest I dont have the energy to be 'pissed off" by someone who I suspect is trying to pick a fight than have an actual honest discussion

I'm not pissed off. Its been an exceptionally busy week with acutely unwell residents and to be honest I dont have the energy to be 'pissed off" by someone who I suspect is trying to pick a fight than have an actual honest discussion
I wasn't saying anyone in particular that commented was pissed off. There are more nurses here that just read the forums here than participate. You're right, she is trying to pick a fight. Hugs to you my fellow LTC nurse.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I hadn't to hear about because I am just a CNA I have no idea what nurses do, I am obviously awful because i have the audacity to say anything critical, among other comments..so how is that polite?

OK. You're determined to lock onto your interpretation and zero in on a few comments without responding to or acknowledging the people who were thoughtful and tried to understand your viewpoint despite the way you started this thread. No sense in continuing this discussion.

Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I wasn't saying anyone in particular that commented was pissed off. There are more nurses here that just read the forums here than participate. You're right, she is trying to pick a fight. Hugs to you my fellow LTC nurse.

And to you fellow LTC nurse.:happy:

I'm all for robust healthy discussion. I've observed that the OP has some here, laid down some fairly sweeping generalisations based on her experience and extrapolated that experience to encompass the entire group of nurses all over the world

And when people have politely pointed out that is not the case OP has pretty much done "poor me everyone is picking on me and that proves my point" routine.

Which actually doesnt prove a blasted thing

I disagree with you. I am a new nurse. I work 12 hour shifts. Sometimes 5 in a row. My feet ache, my back hurts, and by the end of most shifts - I am ready for my ten hours to myself where I am not anyones nurse. But when I go back I give them everything I have. Most nights I don't get a break. My last shift, I had 2 nurse aids call in at 3 am. We get 3 nurse aids total for day shift. And one is only there till 9am. So while I'm calling our five full time staff members, and our seven other casual CNAs, I hear two feeding tubes alarm. And policy is that you don't change the bag until it alarms to prevent waste. And then two motion sensors go off. And my dying patient needed their morphine. And their family members where there and wanted it on the hour (which is fine - they are entitled to it for goodness sakes!) And two other patients needed to use the restroom. And when my patients are using the bathroom I'm leaving texts and voicemails to our already burnt out staff who I'm begging to come to work so I am not working 16 to 18 hours like I've been mandated to do in the past. I don't know any skilled nursing facility that allows the luxury of being lazy. I don't appreciate it being assumed, when majority of the days I go and give my all. And I still feel defeated, because none of our elderly get the care they really deserve. They get 10 minute baths, chats on the way to meals, and during personal hygiene and dressing time. They get care ratios that are so impossible that it allows some patients less then 10 minutes to get ready for bed. And for some of my residents, the nurse aid interaction is the only interaction they get. Our elderly deserve more. I'm sorry you have had issues with other long term care nurses, and I know I see the words "Not all" but it still really unappreciated in general, because I think ALL nurses and CNAs work hard! We all care for the physical and emotional needs for people when are the most vulnerable versions of themselves, and that will always be a job in itself. But I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Future LPN student, here, and past CNA who has worked at a couple of different nursing homes.

I love ltc and that is what I'm going to do when I'm an LPN. That being said..ltc isn't for everyone. It sounds like it isn't for you...

My experience in nursing homes is - you have your nurses that depend on CNAs 100% and the ones who don't mind jumping in instead of fetching a CNA to do tasks they could easily do..Another words you have good nurses and bad ones. I don't think it's fair to lump them all together just because of your personal experiences and call them lazy. Will I help more in direct patient care, when I have the time, as a nurse? Yes, because I know how frustrating it can be when you are a CNA with a row of call lights going off and nurses telling you so and so needs something done.

I think it's also important to remember that nurses have their own duties to attend too, but if they have the time - sure they should be helping. It's a team effort right?

Everyone is entitled to have different experiences and opinions. This is mine. If you love working in LTC and you take care of everyone then great.

My expierence has not been that great so I got out of it and now this is the opinion I have formed from that experience. Same with of someone had a bad hospital experience or whatever it may be.

As I said I have worked with some great nurses. And I have watched them get burned out because no one appreciated their hard work and the patient ratios were so high.

Trust me if I found some great facility I would do it again. But don't judge me based on my experience or say this field isn't for me when you have no idea who I even am or how hard I work.

I am reading through this thread after I posted, and I did sound kind of judgey. How you worded your initial post was a little misleading imo. Protip if you ever decide to go back into ltc full time - make sure you know the CNA to resident ratio before starting at that job. Some facilities do have an okay ratio, you just got to find them. I did my clinicals at one, and it was amazing to be able to actually converse with residents, as well as properly take care of them.

A lot of people where I work (which btw I still do

LTC PRN) have complained about this same thing.

And yeah I have worked with crap CNAs which makes it hard. I also know the stereotypes of CNAs.

And the responses I have got to this post have pretty much just proven to me how LTC nurses really feel about CNAs.

Not having time to do a lot of direct care doesn't automatically make a LTC nurse "lazy". If I spend half my shift answering call lights and toileting people I won't get out until four hours after my shift was supposed to end.

There's a reason nursing home units are staffed with one nurse and four CNAs, whereas a hospital unit is staffed with four nurses and one CNA. See the difference?

It has been my experience that the staff members in nursing homes who work all shift without so much as a 15 min break is definetly *not* the CNAs. The ones working without breaks and staying over for hours tend to be the licensed nurses...... just sayin'......

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