REAL NURSING?

LPNweezy · Mar 18, 2011

Awww thank you for this post! it really means a lot to me, being a LTC nurse. I am proud of what i do. And hey, LTC nurses give meds, start & hang IVs, do wound care, trach care, stoma care, PEG tube, and most of the things nurses do in acute care! the only things we don't deal with too much are drains, but occasionally we get them! and we don't have crash carts, but that doesn't mean i don't have my ACLS!

tewdles, RN · Mar 18, 2011

Seriously, if you are applying the nursing process to your care of the patient you are a real nurse. The setting you work in primarily determines the type of technical skills you must also develop and how you will interact with your patients. Critical thinking and nursing care are not the exclusive property of acute hospital nursing.

Psychtrish39, BSN, RN · Mar 18, 2011

We think you are wonderful too.. and yes acute care hospitals don't like a LTC nurse to come back don't want to orient you up to speed or thats what they say. I will tell you I work harder in LTC then I ever did in acute care and have many more patients . I know I could go back and do acute care but am not given chance due to being LTC for few years. I have more patients and those folks can go downhill in a second and do and you have to assess and think critically fast and get them to the hospital... I don't understand it either...

I am Legend · Mar 18, 2011

I am a student in nursing school, however, I have worked in LTC as a CNA for a few years now.. I have many friends that are nurses in both hospitals and LTC and yes its pretty sad the stigma that LTC care gets.. Honestly I would think LTC would be a lot harder. You have way more patients, a lot more charting, the nurses at my work are always busy! Doing my clinicals at hospitals we seriously sit on our butt for half the shift. Unless your working in an ICU or something your doing the exact same job in a hospital except you have 5 patients or less. I totally agress that LTC nurses are greatly underrated.

systoly · Mar 18, 2011

About 14 years ago I was working a weekend option in LTC while working med surg

and ortho at the hospital during the week. I never had to worry about volunteers to take my transfusions (I'm a LPN) and it was not uncommon for my coworkers to offer to take two of my patients if I'd only take that fall risk geri pt. and my coworkers weren't slouches either.

handyrn · Mar 18, 2011

I have said it before and I will say it again (and again and again and again...)

People really underestimate LTC nurses. And I get so mad at the medical community (mostly hospitals) that think that you don't have experience if you have only worked in LTC. Actually, I think you have MORE experience! The reason being that most nursing homes only have ancillary services monthly or the every 60 days that medicare allows. Therefore, you must be all kinds of people wrapped up in one:

a podiatrist (because they can only see patients every 60 days for routine matters)

a nutritionist (because usually the nutritionist only comes once a month, and only to approve the menu)

a diabetic specialist

a treatment nurse

an assessment nurse

a discharge planner

a ward clerk

do Dr. rounds

do IVs, drains, blood draws, etc.

a rehab nurse

a physical therapist

a psych nurse

There is no getting on the phne and calling someone from these departments, or writing orders for the patient to be seen by these people because they just aren't there! And if you do have to send your patient out to see one of these specialists, it could be weeks before they can get in to be seen. In the meantime, the LTC nurse has to figure out how to deal with it.

Then, there is the stigma that LTC means old people. In the years since I have worked with/around nursing homes I have seen the patients come from psych facilities because when they get older, the long term psych facilities do not have the means to care for them or in rural areas, there just is no where to put a younger person who needs to be in LTC except a nursing home. Because of this, you end up with quite a diverse population, and that just means you expand your knowledge/experience base. However, it's hard to get this across to a hiring person in the hospital. Sometimes, they just don't get it. And since they don't get it, how can we expect anyone else to?

nyteshade, BSN · Mar 18, 2011

Long-term care gave me the skills to management my time, and handle difficult family members. I think that's pretty important!

Isabelle49 · Mar 19, 2011

I was a hospital nurse for 16 years and home health for the last 9. I can't get into LTC because I have no experience there. Go figure!

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Mar 19, 2011

I've always worked hospitals because I love critical care, but I always imagined LTC to be one of the closest to the old fashioned ideal of Florence Nightingale. Bedside, compassionate care.

FF-PHRN · Mar 19, 2011

My first year as a nurse was in LTC. One of the most difficult things I have ever done in nursing was to get to know those wonderful elderly pts........then watch them go down hill until they expired. Its tough work as most nurse jobs are. Don't let anybody tell ya different. Good for you that you can do it! It is as real a nursing job as any other.

I have the LUXURY of treat 'em and street 'em. You do not. I appreciate the LTC nurses and what they do also.

Neveranurseagain, RN · Mar 19, 2011

I have said it before and I will say it again (and again and again and again...)
People really underestimate LTC nurses. And I get so mad at the medical community (mostly hospitals) that think that you don't have experience if you have only worked in LTC. Actually, I think you have MORE experience! The reason being that most nursing homes only have ancillary services monthly or the every 60 days that medicare allows. Therefore, you must be all kinds of people wrapped up in one:
a podiatrist (because they can only see patients every 60 days for routine matters)
a nutritionist (because usually the nutritionist only comes once a month, and only to approve the menu)
a diabetic specialist
a treatment nurse
an assessment nurse
a discharge planner
a ward clerk
do Dr. rounds
do IVs, drains, blood draws, etc.
a rehab nurse
a physical therapist
a psych nurse?

You forgot to list a few of your jobs:

a plumber

therapist

social worker

housekeeper

seamstress

hospice worker

and let's not forget customer service rep!

And just tell them RN stands for Real Nurse...