need advice

[ludoo00]

Hi! I was offered a job in a LTC on a skilled unit. The RN is responsible for 13 patients there. They provide a 4 weeks orientation which does not seem to be geared for new grads specifically, although they know I am a new grad. Is this enough? Should I expect to be overwhelmed? The thing is that all the hospitals' residency programs are full so now, I am looking into LTC. Am I setting myself up for failure? I really do not know what to think about such a transition from student to being responsible for 13 patients. If anybody is or went through this experience, please, let me know. Thanks in advance!

[RainDreamer, BSN, RN]

I don't work in LTC, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be.

What exactly is your role in caring for those 13 patients? What kind of help will you have? LPNs? CNAs? 13 patients might not be too bad if you have other help. You definitely don't want 13 patients alone though, even if you just have 1 or 2 CNAs, you need at least an LPN or 2 I would think.

Will there be other RNs/supervisors there that you could go to for a resource? Being a new grad, you WILL have questions .... situations will arise in which you'll need advice as to what to do and how to handle things. So you want to make sure you have resources and other RNs to go to.

And yes, you will be overwhelmed .... but you'll be overwhelmed in ANY job as a new grad. As long as you have good co-workers and the support you need, you'll be fine.

[LoriAlabamaRN]

Four weeks seems to be an unusually generous amount of orientation! Our LTC facility has only a week and a half of orientation, and you have between 20-50 residents depending which shift you work.

I'd take the job.