slower paced nursing in long term care?

AZMOMO2 · Oct 16, 2011

Homecare is way slower than the LTC. You can do as many or as few visits as you like, usually about an hour each. You can also do shift work with 1 patient for 8-12 hours.

caliotter3 · Oct 16, 2011

Most of these postings have confirmed what I suspected, that LTC is just as stressfull and fast paced as any other nursing job. I am also getting the impression that there is no such thing as an easy nursing job. Guess I'll have to either learn to like it or go back to school and be a paralegal.

Don't be so quick to jump on the paralegal bandwagon. Friend of mine got a paralegal degree then never got hired at all.

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Oct 16, 2011

I don't think I implied that walking is sedentary or did I say LTC was slow-paced. Every LTC nurse will have their own experience. According to the ones I have spoken to and observed at my grandmother's LTC, they do state they prefer the pace of LTC to hospital and that is slower, although not slow. They chose to go to LTC in their later-careers for the change in pace. You may have had different experiences but that doesn't negate theirs. I was responding to the OPs question not telling you what your experience was. Perhaps in other places they do run non-stop and never sit down, however this isn't the case at the LTC I have experience with. The med cart has so much on top that if they ran with it, there would be trail of cups, straws and papers on the floor. They walk the med cart to one location and do meds for about 6 rooms then move the med cart and repeat. They stop and chat with residents, the evening nurse actually often sits and watches TV for 20-30 minutes with my grandmother each evening. What they mostly get stressed and upset about isn't the pace or the residents but the admin and the politics, frustrations with CNAs and staffing woes.

This is what I'm calling you out on. You have no idea what these LTC nurses are going through. Have you actually followed her around for a shift. You word a med pass like its pushing a baby stroller. Its not just give two pills here and repeat until you finish. Have you done a med pass in LTC? It can take HOURS.

Not all residents sit quiet and watch TV. Tonight I had a resident who was literally off the wall. Hitting me, slapping me, punching me, trying to leave, grabbing things(narc keys) out of my pockets etc. It was impossible to do my medpass and control this woman at the same time.

You really didn't give the OP an accurate description of LTC. Where your grandma is, doesnt fit the description. She needs to know what its really like before she applys for it. LTC needs good nurses.

TonyaM73, ASN, RN · Oct 16, 2011

For the most part I am less tired and stressed out from my 12 hour/day med/surg job then when I worked LTC/rehab for 8 hours/day. I couldn't take a break in the LTC pretty much at all! If you want a calm, orderly job then LTC is not your cup of tea.

mazy · Oct 16, 2011

Most of these postings have confirmed what I suspected, that LTC is just as stressfull and fast paced as any other nursing job. I am also getting the impression that there is no such thing as an easy nursing job. Guess I'll have to either learn to like it or go back to school and be a paralegal.

What with all the malpractice litigation out there, becoming a legal RN consultant might be an avenue worth exploring, although I think it could quickly turn into a soul crushing job if you got hooked in with the wrong end of the industry.

I don't know if we have a forum on this site for legal RNs, but you might do a search and get some info about that option.

Also, clinical research is an option, I know there is a subforum for research nurses.

emmanewgrad · Oct 16, 2011

I recommend plasma centers: protein readings, ua strip readings, and sitting all day...:) good luck :)

beckster_01, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2011

Another area to look into is being a nurse for a private Group Home agency. I worked at a group home before I graduated for 5 years. It isn't boring, you still have to use your nursing skills, but the stakes aren't quite as high as in the hospital, and most group homes have 6-10 residents (tops). At least at the agency I worked for. I believe state agencies had more residents to each home. The nurses that I worked with did a lot of care coordination (setting up doctor's appointments), receiving calls about the resident's newest bumps and bruises, documentation auditing, as well as staff education and employee health screens. Again, not an easy job, but slower paced and more relaxed.

seizetheday · Oct 16, 2011

This is what I'm calling you out on. You have no idea what these LTC nurses are going through. Have you actually followed her around for a shift. You word a med pass like its pushing a baby stroller. Its not just give two pills here and repeat until you finish. Have you done a med pass in LTC? It can take HOURS.
Not all residents sit quiet and watch TV. Tonight I had a resident who was literally off the wall. Hitting me, slapping me, punching me, trying to leave, grabbing things(narc keys) out of my pockets etc. It was impossible to do my medpass and control this woman at the same time.
You really didn't give the OP an accurate description of LTC. Where your grandma is, doesnt fit the description. She needs to know what its really like before she applys for it. LTC needs good nurses.

You obviously know these nurses in my grandmother's LTC better than I do. I guess I am just naive, ignorant and very gullible because I believed what they told me and despite having spent 3-4 evenings a week at that LTC for 10 years I have absolutely no idea what happens on her unit. I guess they lied and really left acute care for the faster-paced, harder, environment of LTC and just lied to my face when they said they were burning out on acute floors and preferred the pace of the LTC. You are right, no LTC nurse could possibly have a different experience than yours. :uhoh3:

tyvin, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2011

You obviously know these nurses in my grandmother's LTC better than I do. I guess I am just naive, ignorant and very gullible because I believed what they told me and despite having spent 3-4 evenings a week at that LTC for 10 years I have absolutely no idea what happens on her unit. I guess they lied and really left acute care for the faster-paced, harder, environment of LTC and just lied to my face when they said they were burning out on acute floors and preferred the pace of the LTC. You are right, no LTC nurse could possibly have a different experience than yours.

Your grandmother is in a place that is so nice but believe me when I say it is definitely the exception to the rule. I will venture to say there are probably a few more out there like that as well but the are very few and far between. Let it rest.

Forever Sunshine, ASN, RN · Oct 17, 2011

You obviously know these nurses in my grandmother's LTC better than I do. I guess I am just naive, ignorant and very gullible because I believed what they told me and despite having spent 3-4 evenings a week at that LTC for 10 years I have absolutely no idea what happens on her unit. I guess they lied and really left acute care for the faster-paced, harder, environment of LTC and just lied to my face when they said they were burning out on acute floors and preferred the pace of the LTC. You are right, no LTC nurse could possibly have a different experience than yours.

Go read several posts on the LTC board. Find me one post where an LPN or RN is saying, "I have time to sit and relax with my residents and watch TV"

And if you read them.. you'll notice a trend.. that in LTC we have at least 25 residents who we are responsible, a ***** of a medpass, dining room duty, charting, admissions, md visits, labs, residents going south and having to be sent out, "fires" to be put out on the floor, CNA spats, etc etc and this is very challenging to handle,, especially for new nurses

DixieRedHead, ASN, RN · Oct 18, 2011

You obviously know these nurses in my grandmother's LTC better than I do. I guess I am just naive, ignorant and very gullible because I believed what they told me and despite having spent 3-4 evenings a week at that LTC for 10 years I have absolutely no idea what happens on her unit. I guess they lied and really left acute care for the faster-paced, harder, environment of LTC and just lied to my face when they said they were burning out on acute floors and preferred the pace of the LTC. You are right, no LTC nurse could possibly have a different experience than yours.

You know, when I think about the places I have worked, though the "work" was harder, the ED was actually the least stressful place that I worked. There is always a doctor, you don't have to call the on call for an order for a patient that he knows nothing about. The charting was simple sentence. "C/O CP 8 of 10, EKG, cardiac panel drawn." Rather than "resident c/o chest pain 8 of 10. Non diaphoretic, no nausea, called on call MD. Awaiting Call back. Resident given Ntg 1/150th sl per facility policy with no relief. Noted large, formed incontinent BM with total relief of symptoms. On called returned call, no further orders at present." I left because I wanted to get off 12 hour shifts at my age, and I wanted to go to church regularly.

Chrissy Lou · Oct 20, 2011

I don't think I implied that walking is sedentary or did I say LTC was slow-paced. Every LTC nurse will have their own experience. According to the ones I have spoken to and observed at my grandmother's LTC, they do state they prefer the pace of LTC to hospital and that is slower, although not slow. They chose to go to LTC in their later-careers for the change in pace. You may have had different experiences but that doesn't negate theirs. I was responding to the OPs question not telling you what your experience was. Perhaps in other places they do run non-stop and never sit down, however this isn't the case at the LTC I have experience with. The med cart has so much on top that if they ran with it, there would be trail of cups, straws and papers on the floor. They walk the med cart to one location and do meds for about 6 rooms then move the med cart and repeat. They stop and chat with residents, the evening nurse actually often sits and watches TV for 20-30 minutes with my grandmother each evening. What they mostly get stressed and upset about isn't the pace or the residents but the admin and the politics, frustrations with CNAs and staffing woes.

If that is truly the case there, then what a great place to work! :yeah: I have days when I am lucky to even get to talk to all 38-54 of my residents! Let alone see a tv- between "keeping them all vertical"- love that- the unbelievable amount of paperwork involved, orders, IV's, wounds, G-tubes, meds, insulins, and yes all the folks the hospital boots out that aren't ready to go home, keeping track of my wandering dementia residents.... no time to eat or go to the bathroom! I love my residents though!