Pregrad Nursing Home/ LTC

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hello everyone!

I am new here. I just want to know how it is like to work at a long term care facility.

I will be doing my preceptorship there and I want some insights on how its like to work there.

Thanks!

Jem

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

Much of the work is with geriatric patients, it can also be kind of tedious work, much of what you do is daily skilled assessments on the rehab patients, skin assessments and mini mentals on the more long term patients, vital signs (that is if you don't have the CNA do it), BS and incilins, and giving narcotics and other meds that med techs are not allowed to pass. You may have some wounds to care for or the occasional excitement of a fall or settling of a dispute between coworkers, but for the most part it is routine and slow paced.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Most of my fellow students avoided LTC because they feel like they won't learn anything as oppose to working at hospitals. Is this true? I'm hoping I would get a full on experience in this area of nursing.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

LTC in general is a bit limited as far as experience goes. Most of the patients you recieve are in need of either rehab and maintinance in health. The amount of equipment you will be able to use and variety in treament will also be limited, if they were seriously ill and in need of extensive treatments they would be in a hospital not a nursing home. However your experience is what you make of it, take advantage of any opertunity that comes your way.

Do you have plans in staying in LTC? What made you decide in trying LTC?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home health.

I honestly don't know from experience what it's like. However, I have read a great number of threads here about LTC and I have never seen anyone say that it's slow pace. From what I hear it depends on the location and an individual facility. Some have poor staffing and nurses have to run around between 30 residents, while others offer more support. I suggest you visit the LTC section and read up on it :-)

and i believe that there is always an opportunity to learn, you just have to be ready for it and have an open mind.

good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

I have worked in LTC facilities for 5 years, where I work we have 45 beds and a lot of the time we have only one nurse on, so though the nurse is usually busy all day the work itself is slow paced and tedious if you get what I mean. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home health.

Thank you for that clarification Sparrow91 :-) and oh my goodness, that many pts and only one nurse? I have no idea how you do it. I am a newbie and just finished my nursing school, and have never been to a nursing home, so the max in the hospital was 5 pts and that was A LOT!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

I am not an RN yet I am only a CNA, but I work very closely with my nurses. Because they have so many patients to care for a lot of patient assessments such as their skin and mental statuses falls on us to pick up on and it is then up to the nurse to follow up. No working in a nursing home is usually far from being slow, its just that our responsabilities usually concern basic health maintenance as apposed to critical care.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sparrow91 I chose LTC because of the 8hr shifts as opposed to 12hr shifts. I have a baby to take care of therefor 8hr shifts will perfectly work for me even if I have to go 5 or 6 days a week. Also I want to experience how to work at LTC so I can decide which area of nursing I would like to work on afterwards. I have experienced a lot of hospital setting during nursing school.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks Sparrow91 and VeronikaRN. Your infos really helped. =)I'm excited to start.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute Rehab, Neuro/Trauma, Dialysis.

Work at the nursing home is tedious but is also very rewarding because it is an underserved area within nursing, a lot of good can be done for the patients. I personally love working with the elderly. Each has a story to tell if you are willing to stop and listen. Clinicals and preceptorships are what you make it, take advantage of every opertunity! Good luck! :up:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Okay..I have started working at LTC. At first, i thought that it was easy since all you have to do is give medications, documents, perform some vital signs when needed and assist some of the staffs. But when i found out that my preceptor has 45 residents to handle. OMG i was overwhlemed. She has been working there for a year now so she knows every resident including their medications and preference. The LTC has alot of italian residents and my preceptor knows some words so it's a bit easy for her to communicate. She's not italian btw. Right now im still in orientation stage, meaning following her around all the time and getting to know the residents and the routine. Now, im thinking of ways or things to suggest my preceptor so i can learn without being too overwhelmed with the number of residents once i start getting onto the real business. Any suggestions u can give me?

It is also my preceptor's first time to become a preceptor that is why I wanted to make some suggestions to her.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment