Why you as Nurses choose nursing homes?

joyflnoyz, LPN · Feb 5, 2004

Let's see...

I get to KNOW my residents--much easier to tell if something is "off", I can tuck 'em in and kiss 'em goodnight, hug them if they are sad, joke and laugh with them, and be with them when they leave this life. They get to know me, too!

*I* feel useful, needed and appreciated by my residents.

8 hours shifts..M-F decent pay (STILL not what I'm worth!)

Seems easier to have a flexible schedule-- right now I'm schlepping my dad to PT/RT, oncology appts, dr appts(I work 30 miles NE of where I live; the PT etc is 30 miles SW), doing his shopping on top of mine etc. Homeschooling the 2 I still have at home I'm exhausted- talked tothe DON and I'm going to have a day off during the week so I don't kill myself with it all.

it is HARD work--you'll use just about every skill you've got; too much to do most days

It can be very rewarding, or it can drag you down--just remember

1) Unless you specialize in Peds or OB..you ARE GOING TO BE A GERIATRIC NURSE!

2) Eventually the shift ends and you can go home

jenac · Feb 5, 2004

I choose LTC because you really get to know each one of your residents. You get to make the difference in their day-get to become almost family, sometimes all they have. Some of the people you meet are just amazing-all kinds who have lived amazing lives and can share so many things.They truely appreciate every second you can give to them-every little thing you can do for them. As the last poster stated- We get to hold their hands, laugh with them, cry with them-and be with them when they leave this world. Hopefully we also get to make a difference for the time in between.

sixes · Feb 5, 2004

As the above stated.

You get to know your residents, You feel their pain share their laughter and most of all you get to share their knowledge. Even though they may have lost their short term memories they have their long term. Most have lived amazing lives.

I look forward to going to work.

Even though they all have their little control issues, you learn what they are and you play into them.

8 hour shifts are great, sometimes you leave exhausted. I just couldn't imagine doing a 12 hour shift.

Before I worked at long term care I worked home care lots of travel, bad weather bad roads. In the Nursing home I get to do the same sort of work ( with the exception of hicc lines CV lines cadd pumps parental nutrition, parteonal dialysis well yo get the drift) and I only have to get to work and home.

At 43 years old life is great thanks to the great bunch of residents and the staff

Also have a great DON

angelbear · Feb 5, 2004

I dont work gereatrics anymore but I wish I did. The only reason I left was because of the lack of staffing. It didnt allow me the time I so desperately wanted to spend with the residents. I was good at it and I loved it I loved my residents and they loved me it was an extremely hard decision to leave but in the end I was afraid of the lack of staffing causing me to lose my license. If things ever change for the better in the care of geriatrics I would go back in a heart beat pay cut and all. I truely believe our elderly deserve the best of the best and I would be honered to be one of the ones providing it. It just isnt like that yet. I pray it is someday.

Cubby · Feb 7, 2004

Not only do you get to know your residents. You also get to know their families. And in this day and age-it's harder to sue someone you know, someone who has tried to do the right thing for their parent/grandparent. Plus I really love thses guys. They have paid their dues!

ktwlpn, LPN · Feb 7, 2004

Originally posted by Marti Ann
Hi nurses of long term care,

I have a question that will be shared with other nurses who work in nursing homes too.
Why do you choose to work with elderly residents in nursing homes when there are so many other fields in nursing...
Can you states some reasons why? I am only looking for good positive feedback.
Thank you for you time.

I enjoyed other areas of nursing over the years.I am in LTC now because I really enjoy being with this group of people.I strive to treat them with respect and preserve their dignity.And I try to bring some small bit of happiness to them each day...I also love the challenge of working with the demented- and trying to find ways to safely handle any problematic behaviors...

Speculating · Feb 7, 2004

Originally posted by Marti Ann
Hi nurses of long term care,

I have a question that will be shared with other nurses who work in nursing homes too.
Why do you choose to work with elderly residents in nursing homes when there are so many other fields in nursing...
Can you states some reasons why? I am only looking for good positive feedback.
Thank you for you time.

I have'nt worked NH since I was a CNA. You meet some incredible people. I had the privlige of meeting a nun that helped Father Flannigan start Boy's Town. She was in and out of it, but told me she was on the set for authenticity for the movie they made about Boy's Town with Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rownie. Mind you this was a nun - she told me they kicked her off the set for stealing!

Cibbie · Feb 7, 2004

I have worked in a long term multi level care facility for 9 1/2 years now (8 years now on full time nights). Our facility is government run and is part of the local general hospital even though we are on the opposite end of town. We are considered med nurses because if you think about it, we deal with multi system failures for the most part (CHF, CVA, diabetes, emphysema, etc. - and often all in the same resident!). We have G feeds, IV's, do bloodwork, dressings, and practice alot of the same skills of a medical floor. We work 12 hour shifts and we do not rotate shifts at our facility - we do either days or nights. I chose to work here after almost burning out at on the med/surg floors. I graduated at the age of 35 and was quickly disillusioned with the "patient focused care" model our hospital supposedly followed. The patients became tasks not people. You had no time to address their worries, frustrations, etc. because of severe nursing shortages. Breaks and meals started to become a vague memory. Everyday you would find nurses crying in the bathrooms. I began dreading going to work and was getting ill myself more and more often from the stress of work. That is me mind you. Some people like my paramedic husband, thrive on stress.

Long term care nursing as far as I am concerned is REAL nursing - nursing the way it should be. You can really have "patient focused care", getting to know your residents, their families and address their problems and concerns they way they should be. You can get involved in the planning and solution. The gratitude of "a job well done" makes the long hours more than worth it.

As others have mentioned, these wonderful people have stories to tell - of other countries, tales of yester year and their lives are often very colorful. We've had a Womens libber of the 1920's who recently passed away at 106 years old. She was feisty to the end. And one of the first female doctors trained in Switzerland - she was a jewish German woman who had tales to tell of their incarceration during WW2 in Germany. These people lived the history we've only read about. The majority of the residents are also so grateful for the care they receive.

LTC RN and lovin' it.

Carol.

HannasMom · Feb 7, 2004

First of all I love working in LTC. I feel I really count in my facility. I don't get lost in the crowd, as I did working in a hospital. Here I am a charge nurse and I enjoy this role. I work with some wonderful CNAs, they really love the residents and do a great job. Plus, they respect me and I have great respect for them.

I like the idea of getting to know my residents. I can tell if something is not right. One resident has a smile which can make your night more pleasant. If the smile is gone, then he isn't feeling well, or his blood sugar is high or low.

The photos on their walls and dressers tell their stories. Plus, they love to tell their stories of the past. You can learn alot from a 90 year old. Sometimes it's sad to see a man or woman who was beautiful or handsome, now sick and unable to get around like they use to. Yet knowing that they once had 5 children who are now successful, or a resident once worked as a scientist, helps you realize how special they are and how fragile life is.

I love the facility I work in, it's a pretty, homey place, with birds in several halls, two cats on each floor, a rabbit, plants every where, and children come to visit at least once each week. The staff and DON are a great bunch. Plus, I'm paid more now than I have ever been. I'm in my 50's but I'm finally happy and content working as a nurse in an LTC. I work the night shift, but I have discovered I am a night person. So I'm thankful I work as a nurse in LTC.

dizzejan · Feb 8, 2004

I work LTC because I love it.Have done acute , home and the gammut.I take care of my pts the way i want my family to be taken care of..they are my 2nd family!

Marti Ann · Feb 10, 2004

Thank You so much for your sweet and kind answers. You helped some nurses in nursing homes remember why they choose the profession of nursing. Best wishes.