New Grad RN's in nursing homes

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This seems to be a new trend since the hospitals are not hiring us! I was hired as a charge nurse.... what about you guys? Tell me your experiences as a new grad R.N. in a nursing home!:nurse:

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Specializes in Corrections, ED.

I am a new grad who acts as charge nurse in the prison setting.....its scary at first but you get the hang of it :)

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My friend was hired 3weeks ago at a nursing home and she is having a difficult time managing her time. Do any of you have some advise i can give her on a routine?

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This seems to be a new trend since the hospitals are not hiring us! I was hired as a charge nurse.... what about you guys? Tell me your experiences as a new grad R.N. in a nursing home!:nurse:

I think new grad RNs can do very well in a nursing home.

A few tips are: I know it's hard to be picky in this job market, but try to find a place that will offer you the best, longest and most supportive orientation. A good orientation is the single best thing to set a new grad up for success, I think.

Don't let them rope you into being a house supervisor right out of school. Make sure you give your assessment, documentation, time management and delegation skills time to develop and make sure you know the floor forwards and backwards before you even consider taking a supervisory position.

A lot of nursing home employ a lot of LPNs. Being able to work with them is going to be pretty important.

Treat the CNAs you work with well...they can make or break you.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Pulmonary, Cardiac.
I am a new grad who acts as charge nurse in the prison setting.....its scary at first but you get the hang of it :)

Hi what state are you in? My sister worked at our county detention center straight out of school, Ive thought about applying after I pass NCLEX ( I graduate next week)

I'm in Las Vegas.

Ellie

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I recently started a charge nurse postion at my third long term care center and it's going really well. The first two positions totally freaked me out (never getting a break, so much work to do, so many patients to take care of and on and on). My new place I believe I can handle and actually enjoy the job and the people. I will only be part time, but I love that part of the job as well. I hope my job lasts a long while.

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Specializes in Mental Health Nursing.

Can any of you guys tell me how you did it?? I've applied to various nursing homes because hospitals aren't hiring, but even the nursing homes are telling me I need 6 months to 1 year LTC experience. It seems I need experience to work anywhere but there has to be somewhere where I can start. What must I do?

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I am a new grad BSN RN and I was just hired as a charge nurse in a nursing home. This is my first job as an RN and i will be supervising 2 lpns and 6 cnas on a 60-bed unit. I took the job because it has taken me 3 months of searching to even get an interview and when they offered me the position how could i turn it down?! At first I was excited but now am scared. I believe I can do it but i'm most afraid about what emergencies I will run into most often and what skills i should brush up on, any ideas? Is it silly of me to think I will be able to sucessfully hold this position as a new graduate?

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Sounds just like the job I've been at for 3 months! Except I don't get 6 cna's I get 5! That extra person will be a life saver! You will learn that its a very demanding job. You probably won't be putting in iv's and not many foleys. You'll be dealing with G tubes and a lot of wounds. There are just too many patients and you probably won't get much of a break, nor will you get out on time. I get paid about 15 hours less than I actually work, along with an UNpaid break. Some nights I am going nuts trying to call DR's and get orders, pick up orders, set up G tubs, checking blood sugars, doing PT/INR checking, calling Dr's with abnormal labs ( you will learn even if the H&H is low you better check the last one because if its not significantly lower the Dr's don't want to hear about it.) Being a new grad with no prior med pass experience I have been thrown on the subacute unit with a 30 pt med pass and on my unit I've had to do the 60 pt med pass. Its not fun... Any of it. The one amazing thing is how much you will really love all the residents. They become people you want to protect! My facility has cut staff and I have to say it has made the 3-11 shift extremely stressful. Its not longer about residents in this economy. Its about DOCUMENTATION and getting reimbursed along with how much money the owners make to stay afloat. Its sickening especially when the residents start to mean so much to you. I hear the hospital is even worse but a 60 and 30 pt med pass on subacute was insane! You will learn a lot about the profession we've gotten into in the first 3 months. Some nights you will question why you've become a nurse (maybe). But when I have a resident who I can actually sit and talk to (when I have time which is rare) and find out about their history and the wars they've lived through, its amazing. Think about your self and your family when you're trying to do the best for the residents. Feel free to private message me. Btw what shift are you on? And what state?

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Btw I only get ONE LPN for the 60 pt med pass. Your situation sounds better than mine already! And the above poster is correct!! There is no way I would ever supervise my entire nursing home!! Possibly when I have 5-10 years of nursing under my belt! DO NOT LET them force you to ever supervise! Stand your ground! Remember we are newbies and we can only be responsible for so much! They will try to get as much as they can out of you because you have the RN next to your name and the LPNs can't sign certain assessment documents or start IVs! Its stupid in my opinion because all the LPNs at my job have been excellent teachers! I could not have made it 3 months without them!

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Thank you so much for the information! The job is located on Long Island in NY. I haven't had my first day yet (it's tomorrow) but I will let you know more about what the job actually entails. I know that I won't be doing the med pass regularly (only if someone calls in or if the staff needs help). From what I've learned about the position so far I will be responsible for admissions, discharges, wound care, PICC line care, IVs, weekly assessments, and a whole lot of paperwork. I'm sure they're are many more responsibilities and I will find that information out tomorrow.

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SunshineRN, I recieved your message but unfortunately I cannot message you back until I have made 15 posts! I'm new on allnurses.com and thats the rules. I'm going to work on making some more posts but if you'd like to message me your personal e-mail we can communicate that way.

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