New RN, thinking of accepting LTC job

Specialties Geriatric

Published

Hi! I graduated with my ADN in June, and have been pounding the pavement looking for a job ever since. I finally have my first interview with a LTC center near my home. While I am excited, I worry that if I accept a job in a LTC and work there for a year, that I won't be able to get hired in a hospital.Ultimately, I want to work as an OB or Peds nurse. Does anyone have any experience in going from LTC to the hospital. Also, has anyone gotten a job in LTC, and liked a lot more than you expected? Thanks for your time.

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Right out of my ADN program I went back to my LTC facility and really enjoyed being an RN there. I was a CNA and LPN as well at this facility so that might make things a little different. I just got hired on a Med Surg floor and will be transitioning to OB as well. So don't believe all the hype about not being able to get a hospital job after working in LTC. In all honesty LTC isn't a cakewalk you really work for your money and there are long hours there as well. Good luck!

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Right out of my ADN program I went back to my LTC facility and really enjoyed being an RN there. I was a CNA and LPN as well at this facility so that might make things a little different. I just got hired on a Med Surg floor and will be transitioning to OB as well. So don't believe all the hype about not being able to get a hospital job after working in LTC. In all honesty LTC isn't a cakewalk you really work for your money and there are long hours there as well. Good luck!

Thank you do much for this! All you hear is LTC will be your only stop once you work there. It is so wonderful to know hospitals consider that good experience. Do you mind me asking where you are located?

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Michigan

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When I was in nursing school, I wasn't exactly sure what field I wanted to get into... I did say that I was sure I didn't want to work in a "nursing home" (though most are now called health centers or rehabs). Joke was on me. As it turned out, that's where my heart was... and is. I love that nursing offers all of us the chance to try different things and discover where are best fit is.

I'll be honest, it is a tough, demanding job. Sometimes your residents are confused and strike out. Sometimes family members are disappointed in some aspect of care and express it LOUDLY. Sometimes your CNAs grumble about other CNAs who they feel are getting away with murder.

Truth is: Sometimes your resident's confusion scares them... they know "something" isn't right and they just can't express it... they need hugs and a cup of coffee... and a tissue. Sometimes family members are complaining because they feel guilty about not being able to care for their own loved one and having to break the promise they made to their mother/father long ago by admitting them to a facility. Sometimes your CNA just needs to know that their own good work IS noticed and appreciated and that you are counting on them to help the weaker CNA by setting a good example and pitching in when needed.

... and that was all just in today's shift :0)

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in a LTC field, there is not just the chance to practice nursing, but also to share love and express compassion on a daily basis.

Congratulations on graduating and passing your boards and best of luck to you!

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Nurse wendy- what a wonderful way to look at ltc. I am going to try my best to keep a positive outlook like that. I just wanted to comment bc what you said is the truth. And in the middle of chaos, we sometimes forget to look at things that way. Thank you! ; )

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If you are unable to find any kind of acute care job, then LTC is definitely better than doing nothing at all. Your ability to transition to the hospital will depend on the hospital and their corporate culture. Some hospitals (probably the minority) *do* consider LTC experience to be valid RN experience - others do *not* want to hire nurses from LTC. It isn't as cut and dried as it's often portrayed on these boards. You'll have an easier time getting an acute care job if you're willing to work med-surg and have worked on a skilled unit rather than a strictly LTC unit in a nursing home. Skilled units are extremely difficult, though. If they're trying to give you much above 20 patients - run, run, run!

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Thanks for all the input! I have been,working in LTC for a little over a month now, and I love it. My residents are truly grateful(most of the time), and I am never bored! I am also learning so much more than I thought I would! At the moment, I am content with my job :)

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Specializes in Rehab ER post/op pediatrics.

The reputation of the LTC plays a role. Length if experience. Good reference from LTC. Persistence n diligence in following up on the job. If u want it bad enough you'll get it:)

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I have been a nurse for 34 years. I have worked acute and LTC. I prefer long term care as critical thinking has to be tops. In acute care u always have a doc somewhere. In LTC u dont. I have excellent nursing skills and do everything that acute care nurses do in our facility and most I have worked in. U get to think and not call the doc about common sense things. Things can get critical and u have to react quick and make decisions without the benefit of a doc just down the hall. I love LTC and 20 residents is a long boring day. I have 37 and it is safe and possible

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