Want to pursue evenings/nights at a LTC facility

lorbal · May 14, 2008

I work at a LTC facility on the 3-11 shift. If you are going to work to get away from the home and not take care of everyone's needs, a nursing home might not be the place to be. The resident's are very needy individuals and it is a busy place to be.

I also was a stay-at-home mom and can understand to some degree where you are coming from, but your desire for any job has to come from your heart and soul, not the need to work.

I personally love working in the geriatric field, but it isn't for everyone.

There is much to be said for keeping a person's dignity thru the end stages of their lives. If you love the elderly, LTC is the way to go, if you are just applying at a LTC for a job to get your foot back into nursing, give it some more thought.

Nascar nurse, ASN, RN · May 14, 2008

oooogh. I don't know about this.

1. You can't just go take an LPN role (or even a CNA role). If you are licensed as an RN, you will still be held accountable to those standards by your state board. AND you've also mentioned having a chronic illness so you sure don't want to try being a CNA/in LTC/On 3-11 or 11/7 - I swear this has to be the hardest, most back breaking work done in health care.

2. There is virtually no difference in LPN, RN or RN BSN in LTC. Pretty much everyone will have the same type/number of assignment, the same responsibility and the same accountability. Sorry, but unless your higher management type position, ie: DON or coorporate - no one will even care if you have a BSN.

3. I suspect you have a false sense of what all in involved in LTC care. Please read some of the other threads on this forum to get a better sense of what it is like day to day. LTC does have many rewards, but in general it can be extremely difficult.

Sorry, my "reality check" is in no way intended to hurt feelings. I am only trying to steer you with eyes wide open.

snowfreeze, BSN, RN · May 14, 2008

Have you considered working as an aid/tech in a hospital? Simular work to aid in nursing home and should help mainstream you back to nursing.

Go into your interview with a positive attitude, a genuine smile and a plan. You are ready to return to nursing after raising a child, can't wait for the refresher course and thought getting back into the terminology and some hands on would help you along, you are doing this for you. Tell them you are not a morning person, never have been, evenings is your optimal time.

good luck

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · May 14, 2008

Mama bird~~I feel your frustration right now, my 16 and 17 y/o gave us one stressful weekend~~so I can relate about wanting to teach them a lesson and be out of the house at 3pm.

Let me ask this though, have you ever worked LTC? Physically the hardest work I think there is. Not to mention, always short staffed, lots of attitude problems with staff, mgmt is just happy to have a warm body with a lic number so sometimes the quality of staff is low ( no respect here for those who do LTC I have posted before that your angels, but the env can be toxic at time)You will have a huge pt load. I worked LTC a few summers during school and I never worked so hard for so little money EVER!!

Slow down and think about your options. Job shadow at the hospital and find a unit you feel comfortable in. You have the luxury of time to play with.

Best of luck

mama_bird · May 14, 2008

Hi to everyone:

I thank you for your input and advice. I have several reasons for wanting to pursue this option as opposed to other options.

I did 1/2 of my clinicals at 3 nursing homes in college. I know how hard it can be and you are often short-staffed. I really enjoyed it though. I have been doing genealogy since I was 12 years old and it is my addiction. I really loved talking to the clients while I was doing treatments/meds and they seemed to be very happy that someone was interested in their careers, military service, children, instead of being regarded as second-class citizens. I understand that as an RN I would have limited time with them, esp if I work overnight shift, but knowing I have the ability to engage them is a plus when you have to deal with dignity and often uncomfortable situations.

Also, being out of the house 3-11 or 11p-7a isn't really about my husband and daughter who have been enabled and need to get their own dinner. They are both gone during the day, from 7am-5pm usually, and we have three dogs, one who suffers from beagle dwarfism and is therefore incontinent and in diapers, and I need to be home in the daytime to take care of them and take them for their walks because God knows nobody else in this house cares for them the way Mama does. If I didn't have the dogs, I would work days or whatever. I wanted 3-11 or nights so I could get them out the door in the morning, take care of the dogs, and have plenty of time to get ready esp in the winter when it is cold.

I REALLY, and I can't stress this enough, REALLY want to be on my feet working. That is why i walk these dogs. I have been a size 14 pants for the past four years and I really have the energy now and am getting back into shape and thank God I am not on steroids anymore. I don't just want my life back...I want my body back as well. I was always a size 8/10 and I want to feel good about myself again, looks and feelings.

I have an interview tomorrow at a facility. The DON said she would take me as an RN either 3-11 or 11-7 or both/flexible, and that they kinda change RN's/LPN's depending on who is available, and that I would be doing mostly paperwork and giving meds and maybe changing a PICC line dressing which she will go over with me. I told her I am worried about someone coding and she laughed and said I have to take the CPR again anyways and she understands my apprehension but that I would be ok. I fully disclosed to them my situation and that I want to take a refresher course and she had no problem with it. She said to bring my license, driver's license, social and references and come tomorrow.

I really think this is a better option for me. It is close to my house and the hours are more what I want. The other job I interviewed for is days and that means I would only be home at lunch for the dogs. And it also would mean a lot of chaos in the morning.

I really don't have "plenty of time" because we have had to cut back to pay for my medicine ($556.00/month in premiums and $60.00 in Rx co-pays) that I really need to get to work and get in a job that is going to provide me with cheaper health insurance than the ridiculous amount coming out of my husbands check.

Besides, and this is a WHOLE other thread I won't go in to in detail but I am sure many here can relate: my husband is a recovering alcoholic and not working a program (read: dry drunk, his behaviors and attitude often svck) and not very happy that I all the sudden want to go back to work so I can't count on him to stay sober and keep a job and insurance. He keeps saying that "he got me insurance and medicine and now I want to go running around" which is NOT TRUE. He married me because of who I was, how educated and smart I was, how capable I was, and now he is mad that I am better? I think he is afraid of losing his "maid service." I don't put it past him to screw up or thwart my attempts to work and I NEED this medication.

racing-mom4, BSN, RN · May 14, 2008

It sounds as if your mind is pretty well set that you will take this job if offered to you. Best of luck.

eldragon · May 15, 2008

It sounds like you have a lot of issues to deal with. You have my sympathy.

Have you ever worked as a nurse?

I also love talking to people and can converse with anyone, anywhere. I often ask so many questions, that sometimes even the patient/resident loses interest! I also love to hear about their lives, their family history, etc.

There are wonderful things about LTC, and then there are terrible things, too.

But good luck to you whatever you do.

mama_bird · May 15, 2008

I had two years outpatient...before that when I was awaiting my license I took some LPN cases in homecare.

I never stopped being a nurse when I left. I myself have a chronic illness (rheumatoid arthritis), I dealt with infertility treatments and surgery and fibroids, I have a child with special needs, asthma, migraines, and multiple allergies, a friend with MS, and another friend with multiple medical problems and on a ton of meds and for over 10 years I have been her personal nurse consultant. I was there for my sister's pregnancy and labor, her pregnancy with an IUD in place (yikes), I have a mother with dementia, I have three rescued dogs: one geriatric/incontinent and one geriatric with dementia and cataracts. My sister is an attorney and I helped her with medical review or a battered-child death case, which involved reading 2- 5 in" binders.

On a whim, last year I took a practice NCLEX and got 80% right. I needed to brush up on pharmacology, cardiac and renal. I have always been available as the family nurse and if I didn't know something, I knew how to find it. I keep up to date on new drugs and treatments for illness.

I think I am going to recite that during my interviews, LOL.

Wish me luck, I go this morning. It's a 6 minute commute! I love that!

Blackcat99 · May 15, 2008

Good luck with finding a decent LTC facility to work in. :cry: All the LTC's I worked in were the pits. Never enough staff,non-stop patient falls, so-called nursing managers who were just "bullies in disguise." The worst part of LTC for me were the very hostile and rude visitors who always showed up on the evening shift to complain:madface:. I pray to God that I will never ever have to return to LTC. Anyway, if I were to return to LTC, I would only accept a night shift position because there are less visitors at that time.