1st LTC Job! Am I suppose to hate it?

kellycina · Mar 28, 2014

That is a common long term job nursing duties. Especially, evening and night shift with no secretary answering the phones. Passing meds and doing treatments. Taking off orders basically days and evenings. Nights usually do chart checks and labs for the next day. Give it a chance, this is common practice for long term care. Good luck and congrats!!

ritit123 · Mar 28, 2014

Hey there , don't freak out like with any nursing position get into a routine. With LTC the med pass is long, start ASAP. You will get intercepted plenty of times and getting the meds in on time is ur priority. Get to know ur patients profiles as soon as you can that way when labs come in you know why they were done. If you know you have to call the MD get all you facts straight have the cardex and chart ready, use the SBAR to organize your thoughts. Don't be afraid to ask you supervisor for help. That's their job.

JBMmom, MSN, NP · Mar 28, 2014

You're only four days in, if you felt confident I think you'd be doing something wrong! As others have mentioned, it's a whole new world in LTC, one you may not have experienced during nursing school (I know I didn't). During school I had, at the most, a four patient med pass on my eight hour shift- my first day of orientation the nurse said I should try to do as much of the 30 resident med pass as I could. I am slow. Even after over a year, the pass probably takes me 2 1/2-3 hours, especially if there are new admissions. Speak up and tell your supervisor you need help. If you're appropriately staffed, the supervisor shouldn't have a floor or a med pass, they should be there to support you. Know up front that you can't do everything perfectly- give yourself permission to just do your best and prioritize. It DOES get better, at least from an organization and comfort standpoint. If the population itself isn't your thing, that might not change. Good luck.

dorselm · Mar 29, 2014

I know just how the OP feels. Though I have experience as a nurse, LTC nursing is new to me and it sucks. At the facility in which I work there is only one vitals machine for the whole 5 floors. They're constantly over staffed. Some nurses get finished faster than me because they don't give all the meds. I find exelon patches that I put on a resident still on their back with my initials 4 days later when they're supposed to be changed daily.

invisigoth · Apr 1, 2014

Four years later... my job in LTC still sucks LOL. Oh well.

YesImVictorious · Apr 1, 2014

UPDATE: This is my 2nd week in orientation and its beginning to grow on me. I feel alot more confident and today I actually got my own cart for 2pm med pass. The next phase I will be working on is getting the paperwork done. Medicare charting, calling the doctor, faxing orders, writing orders etc. Im glad I stuck in there bc I was about to leave lol

x19amanda · Apr 12, 2014

LTC was my first job as well approx 8 mths ago; I was overwhelmed as a supervisor/charge nurse and taught myself the 30 person med pass (no tx nurses and no aides allowed to do any creams etc). ITS OKAY! This experience is great no matter how many people overlook LTC nursing. My time management is amazing and I am confident in making critical decision with no other nurse around in the middle of the night. Itll be okay! Nursing is stressful.

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Apr 13, 2014

Four years later... my job in LTC still sucks LOL. Oh well.

Not an E-Z gig by any means.

It is what it is.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Apr 13, 2014

I'd advise you to change your avatar. Using your own selfie as an avatar with negative posts is a really bad idea -- especially if your coworkers see it!