New Grad RN's working in Nursing Homes. What's your experience?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

What is your role? What was your first day like? How many days of Training did you get? Did you use that training time to priotize and time mangae for when you will be on your own? What is your typical day like?

I'm interested in getting as much info as I can. I want to make sure this is something I really want to do. After I get over this cold, I plan on going from facility to facility in hopes of getting employed at a Nursing home. I only plan to stay there for 6months to a year max, just for the nursing experience on my resume. I can't find a job anywhere else, so far.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Adult Psych, Peds HH.

It's DEFINATELY a good experience, if nothing else. In a nursing home you will learn how to do quite a bit.....your telephone orders, your appointments, admissions, discharges, med pass, narc counts, patint and family teaching, become familiar with hospice/palliative care, IVs, trachs (if your facility has them), different sorts of gtubes and types of feeding (bolus, continuous, etc, wound care, neb treatments, the works. Plus you will learn how to supervise staff (CNAs), and how to deal with all sorts of different patients and family members. It will help you empathize and it will help you know when to draw the line. Long term care is not for everyone in the long term run (definately not for me!) but I do not regret my 1 year at the nursing home. It taught me a lot of valuable lessons and has helped me become more confident as a nurse. Plus, it gives you a good base to put on your resume when you later on try applying at hospitals and other places of the sort. Go for it! If you can, try and have them put you on either a sub-acute or a medicare floor...you'll see a LOT more there! Good luck!

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I am a new RN grad and I work in LTC. I never pictured myself working in a nursing home, but I love it and DO NOT plan on leaving. My facility is an exceptional facility, I got 11 days orientation (12 hour shifts) and could ask for more if I felt uncomfortable. I only have 12 residents in my hall (a medicare, skilled, hall). I have 1 trach, 2 feeding tubes, and a PICC line (she currently is getting antibiotics that I hang). I have learned SO much already! I don't want this to sound like I am attacking or anything, but I just have a few things that I think you need to consider. Please keep in mind that these residents will become attached to you. Think about having someone come into your home (that IS their home) and take care of you every day for a year and then leave. Some of these people only see their family once in a while and you are with them every day, you will become like their family. I'm not sure its fair to go in there with the expectation to leave when something "better" comes along. I'm not sure how LTC nursing got such a bad reputation, or why it is considered a "last resort" or just to gain experience and move on. I love my job and feel totally fulfilled at the end of the day. I go to work and make the last days, weeks, or years of these people's lives the best I possibly can and most of them appreciate everything I do. And of course there are the cases where the resident is a short term stay and you get to see them rehabilitated and move back home or to assisted living.

I realize that the job market is tough right now and you have to do what you have to do..... But nursing is about so much more than a paycheck.

I guess what I am trying to say is to keep an open mind, you might just end up loving LTC!

Good luck!

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12 residents in ltc?!? that's beautiful! what state are you in? In NY, NJ area it is more like 40

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

I would not hire you if you told me you only planned to work 6months to a year. You would not be worth the trouble of spending all that time teaching you what you need to know and then taking that knowledge out the door to work somewhere else.

You might want to keep that in mind if you get an interview with someone.

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I'm in Indiana and the facility in which I work is the exception...definitely not the norm. I feel so so lucky to have found this place! We had a deficiency free survey last year and I would absolutely trust any of the nurses or aides there with my family. We were just told that pharmacy is going to start packaging our meds in envelopes by resident and time of administration....so they are going to preset our meds for us (legal if they do it I guess). We will, of course, triple check during administration but how much easier is that going to make it for us?!? But it's not about how easy or difficult the job, it's about how much more time we have to make sure that our residents get the best care possible. I LOVE MY JOB! :redpinkhe

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You are right, jennblu. I might absolutely "just end up loving LTC". Although I don't plan on staying in a nursing facility, you just never know. I've worked with the elderly for many years and learned sooo much for them. I've grown fond of them, I really do appreciate them, Just as I do my granny. The replies are motivating. LTC gets such a bad rap, It's refreshing reading these great posts. From now on I will keep an open mind. MissSpectacular, your post really made me SEE of all the great skills I will pick up in LTC. I didn't see it that way before. My wish is to be placed in a subacute or medicare area. I want to learn as much as I can!! Thanks ladies!

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I would not hire you if you told me you only planned to work 6months to a year. You would not be worth the trouble of spending all that time teaching you what you need to know and then taking that knowledge out the door to work somewhere else.

You might want to keep that in mind if you get an interview with someone.

I would NEVER tell a prospective employer that. That would be a dumb move- dumb I am not!;)

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Absolutely great posts and so timely! I am going for interview for RN position in LTC facility tomorrow!! Any advice? I am a new RN and really want this job..I've been interviewed in psych but didn't feel i belonged there!

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I am a new RN grad and I work in LTC. I never pictured myself working in a nursing home, but I love it and DO NOT plan on leaving. My facility is an exceptional facility, I got 11 days orientation (12 hour shifts) and could ask for more if I felt uncomfortable. I only have 12 residents in my hall (a medicare, skilled, hall). I have 1 trach, 2 feeding tubes, and a PICC line (she currently is getting antibiotics that I hang). I have learned SO much already! I don't want this to sound like I am attacking or anything, but I just have a few things that I think you need to consider. Please keep in mind that these residents will become attached to you. Think about having someone come into your home (that IS their home) and take care of you every day for a year and then leave. Some of these people only see their family once in a while and you are with them every day, you will become like their family. I'm not sure its fair to go in there with the expectation to leave when something "better" comes along. I'm not sure how LTC nursing got such a bad reputation, or why it is considered a "last resort" or just to gain experience and move on. I love my job and feel totally fulfilled at the end of the day. I go to work and make the last days, weeks, or years of these people's lives the best I possibly can and most of them appreciate everything I do. And of course there are the cases where the resident is a short term stay and you get to see them rehabilitated and move back home or to assisted living.

I realize that the job market is tough right now and you have to do what you have to do..... But nursing is about so much more than a paycheck.

I guess what I am trying to say is to keep an open mind, you might just end up loving LTC!

Good luck!

Wow I wish I could I feel like this.

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Specializes in Mental Health Nursing.

I've been working for 1 month as a charge nurse and I float on all floors. LTC is challenging because you reeeeeally have to manage your time. I can't stress that enough. time management is extremely important because you WILL get interrupted by residents, supervisors, aides, pharmacy techs, and other crazy things that will just happen out of nowhere (especially while your passing meds). It's important to be able to bounce back on track or else your 8 hr shift will become a 12 hr shift.

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jk6805 said having 40 patients in the hall... is that like per nurse?? That's so unsafe! I feel like me with 26 patients is unsafe enough already, and that I can't give anybody enough time.

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