Nursing Home vs. Hospital...

mgalloLPN · Jul 28, 2007

I am not sure what I would want to do. I think when I am finished, I am going to try for an OBGYN office. I love the entire pregnancy thing although I have never been pregnant. I am so curious about the entire 9 months and want to know as much as possible about it. I also want to go for my RN after I am finished with LPN and work in L&D or postpartum.

I also think a nursing home would be an option because my husband's grandmother was in one for 6 years before she died. It seems to me like a lot of the people that are in there were just sorta dumped there and have no one to come see them. I would want to do everything I could to make sure they feel like people still care about them. I wouldn't want them to be alone when they die if I can help it.

Fiona59 · Jul 28, 2007

Hospital.

Nursing homes suck the life and will out of you. Understaffed and overworked. I did it for three years after graduation and got to the point where I would cry in the parking lot before I went in. The smells, the pace, the families, the constant bell ringing.

I worked in one of the best in my town. I went in with the idea that I was going to help improve the quality of life of seniors who were frail. Well, the family always knows best, management knows best, the patient knows best. You always are at the bottom of the heap, even when you are in the right.

Active treatment. Patients come and go. You get a break from the neediest, they move on.

Your skills stay fresh.

Only you can make the choice and know what will make you content.

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jul 28, 2007

I would not work in a nursing home because of the nurse to patient ratios I have seen. They are usually 40 patients to one nurse. The mere thought of that makes me fearful and insane. I'd also feel guilty if I can't give the attention that a patient really needs. The nursing homes pay more, though, but that doesn't give me incentive to work there.

Hospitals may give more experience and as Fiona said, there is a higher turnover of patients, and the ones that get on your nerves leave as fast as the ones you like.

I am about to work per diem in med-surg at my hospital just to add that experience under my belt. The down side (at least for me) is that in hospitals, the orders change faster than I can breathe, so, I will be doing the per diem at night.

kat7ap · Jul 28, 2007

If you can afford to work for less in the hospital, I would do it. Depending on where you work, you will find better benefits, better ratios, and scheduled pay raises so within a few years you might be making what you would in the nursing home. Also many hospitals offer tuition reimbursement if you are interested in pursuing your RN in the future. God bless those nurses who have careers in nursing homes, I lasted my first year and I was out!

Fiona59 · Jul 29, 2007

Nursing homes in the States sound like hell holes.

Up here, the vast majority of nurses (RN and PN) are unionized and work in union workplaces (including private nursing homes), so we are paid the same irregardless of job site.

There some for profit nursing homes owned by corporations which pay a few dollars more to their staff, but have a high staff turnover due to the way staff are treated. The thing I hear from nurses who have worked for them are "we are nurses NOT servants". The customer is always right, etc.

Just more protection for the nurse and her credentials in a union job site.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2007

I currently work in a nursing home, and have reached the point of apathy. The administrators and managers at my workplace stress the concept of "customer service," which is really thinly-veiled permission for family members, doctors, and demanding patients to abuse the nursing staff. I roll my eyes when my patients make food complaints, while forcing a fake smile. I become irritated when a family member is being vulgar and attempting to push their weight, because my facility is wanting me to treat these disgusting people as if they are always right...

The coddling contunues. . .

pagandeva2000, LPN · Aug 1, 2007

I currently work in a nursing home, and have reached the point of apathy. The administrators and managers at my workplace stress the concept of "customer service," which is really thinly-veiled permission for family members, doctors, and demanding patients to abuse the nursing staff. I roll my eyes when my patients make food complaints, while forcing a fake smile. I become irritated when a family member is being vulgar and attempting to push their weight, because my facility is wanting me to treat these disgusting people as if they are always right...
The coddling contunues. . .

Basically, it is the same for the hospitals. My facility is applying for magnet status, the joke of all time. Our sister hospital obtained magnet a few years ago, and my friend that graduated from nursing school with me told me that it is horrible...they are magnet in name, only. It is political and that is all. Nurses are not autonomous, no matter what they say. We can do close to nothing without the orders of the physicians, who, do not cooperate with us very often. The families have outrageous complaints. I had one patient I had to do a nurse counseling for in my clinic for returning for a blood pressure check in two weeks. I told her to take her medications as ordered for us to determine if the medication prescribed is, in fact, working or is it because it was not taken. I explained to her that we don't want to increase the dose to an unsafe level by error. She stated to me that she does take her meds each day.

I went to lunch after speaking to her and when I returned an hour later, this patient was waiting for me and said "I just wanted you to know that I am no idiot; I take my meds each day, and therefore, there was no reason for me to be counseled. This counseling has to be stricken from the record". I said to her that it is customary to explain the importance of taking medications and she reiterated her point. I was so disgusted; the clinic was extremely busy. So, frustrated, I said to her "Okay, so, how should I word this...because either way, I did in fact have this conversation with you. Shall I word it as 'nursng tidbits' or 'dear nurse abby' because I was NOT removing the counseling from the record. It is a legal and valid document" and I walked away from her. She then reported me to the physician and the manager (who is not a nurse). I told the manager that she does not dictate to me how and what to document because I work under the auspice of an RN and not her. We just get destroyed everywhere.:angryfire

pagandeva2000, LPN · Aug 1, 2007

Hospital.
Nursing homes suck the life and will out of you. Understaffed and overworked. I did it for three years after graduation and got to the point where I would cry in the parking lot before I went in. The smells, the pace, the families, the constant bell ringing.
I worked in one of the best in my town. I went in with the idea that I was going to help improve the quality of life of seniors who were frail. Well, the family always knows best, management knows best, the patient knows best. You always are at the bottom of the heap, even when you are in the right.
Active treatment. Patients come and go. You get a break from the neediest, they move on.
Your skills stay fresh.
Only you can make the choice and know what will make you content.

Is there a considerable difference in the pay scale between RNs and LPNs in your area?

Fiona59 · Aug 1, 2007

Yes, PNs under our union contract (which sucked big time and we are up for negotations next year) make approx $17.50-$23.50 over a five step pay scale (plus shift and weekend premiums).

The RN's just renewed their contract, making them the best paid in Canada. Top level pay with charge premium and shift diffs come in at around $43/hr.

Let's just say we will be playing hardball next April.

We're not allowed to strike as we were deemed an "essential service" but let's just put it this way, when there was an issue of overtime being paid to part timers on weekends, we just didn't come in, we were all not available. After a month of bringing in RNs on overtime to cover our shifts, we got our overtime back.

kgkarma · Aug 1, 2007

If you had opportunites at a nursing home and hospital as a new grad, which would you take? The pay difference is about $8 per hour. I know what to tell my friend, but I was wondering what everyone else would do?
CrazyPremed

Is a nursing home and ltc the same? As an LPn I'll be working in LTC and there are plentry nice ones. During my clinicals I really enjoyed working with the elderly plus LPN salaries in the hospitals around here is awful.

scapion · Aug 6, 2007

hospital! hospital! hospital! i do both. yes the pay is higher in a nursing home , but the experince you get, you can not compare. plus way less patients. i started in the hospital. have been there 10 years.i'm per diem now. and i work in a nursing home-subacute rehab i started as per diem and now i'm the assist. manager. i think there is no question. hospital!