What are some pros and cons of working in a nursing home?

not now, RN · Dec 4, 2008

Pros:

-A daily routine

-Becoming familiar with your residents which actually makes your job easier (i.e. I can Mattie to take her pills if I do this, Ted can usually be found next to the roses, ect)

-If you are a LVN/LPN it pays more than the hospital

-Getting close to residents and their families

-Being there for a resident who is passing

-Big hugs from the residents who see you more than they see their family

-Geriatric people are just plain awesome

Cons:

-Chasing people out doors, down hallways and through parking lots

-I was hit, kicked, slapped, punched and bit. Oh, and I had a wet brief thrown at me.

-When an emergency happens you have little to no help (no RT, code team, or doc available)

-Guilty family members taking it out on staff

-Tons of paperwork

-Overworked CNA's (I was one of them)

I loved working LTC.

whodunit · Dec 4, 2008

Pros also include a lot more automy. lots of experience working with pts who are on the vent, or dialysis, woundcare, and the list goes on...

To me, the biggest con is that everywhere I've worked, they are chronically understaffed which is great for overtime butdangerous for the pts and your license !

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Dec 4, 2008

Pros: Less stressful than the hospital

Pays better than clinics or MD offices

Elderly people are great to be around---they have SO many stories to tell!

Schedules are often flexible and tailored to the needs of the individual nurse

You get to really know people and their families, and they become part

of your life

Cons: LTC nurses are the least respected members of the profession---other

medical personnel tend to look at us as second-rate nurses who ended up in

LTC because we couldn't make it anywhere else. Nothing could be further

from the truth!

Understaffing is universal. If I had my way, there'd be a CNA for every 5

patients and a nurse for every 10---maximum. That's not going to happen in

this lifetime, but it sure could be better than it is.

bdeherr · Dec 4, 2008

I agree with the other posts-I took a nursing home job when I really needed a job, before the nursing shortage, it was my last resort. I fell in love with geriatrics. Just like family! I still do some critical care as my second job, but still love the challenge of LTC. Never dull! Always challenging. But increadibly frustrating at times, due to staffing and lack of respect from those that are not there.

**Elektra6, ASN, BSN, RN** · Dec 4, 2008

I agree with everything the above posters have said.

Pros: Same patients every day

Cons: Same patients every day

I liked rehab better because you have them long enough to get to know them, you get to watch their progress, and then they leave. I liked it better.