is working in the hospital really easier than LTC???

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2010

right now i am taking care of 36 pt and i thought it is already hard. what can be harder than this? i mean in the hospital you only have 6 pts. and you work 3 days in a week whereas in the ltc...you work 5 days/wk.

It might be true that the nurse has less patients in the hospital setting, but keep in mind that they tend to be much sicker and have much higher acuity levels than the grandmas and grandpas at LTC facilities. You can hover over the 6 sick patients all day, or you can basically administer maintenance medications to the stable 30+ residents. It's different strokes for different folks. Some people like the hospital and others like the nursing home setting.

elizabeth321 · Jul 9, 2010

None of it is easy.....they bring their own challenges and rewards. Go casual and give it a try.

TonyaM73, ASN, RN · Jul 9, 2010

I certainly hope so. I just applied at a hospital today and after the shift I had to night I really hope that I get it. I had 30 patients, loads of orders not done on day shift, a pt I sent out almost immediately for low O2 sats, another patient I had to chase down all night because she kept wandering and trying to get out of the facility, not to mention the G-tubes, O2 and ALLLLL of the meds that these people are on. I couldn't wait to get out of there this evening!

mslpn210 · Jul 9, 2010

I have done hospital for four years and am starting a nursing home job next week.

I think that there is a different pace to each. At my hospital, we had up to 8 patients. Some days, they all have so much going on that I never stop. The post op patients come in with Q hour vital signs and I+O's, and you may get 1,2,3 fresh surgeries after another. (I am OB GYN). So, I may have say 2 couplets and 3 surgeries. The 2 new mother's may need help breastfeeding, or start hemorrhaging and then I have to put those fires out.. it can be stressful.

I hope I like LTC... lol

scoochy · Jul 9, 2010

After working SICU and PACU for a total of 25 years, I "free lanced" for a few years with a local nursing agency, working in a number of different areas of nursing. With the downturn of the economy, I took a position in LTC at a 102 bed facility 4 miles from my home. I had done per diem in LTC in the past, so I was not new to LTC. FOR ME, I can honestly say working in SICU and PACU was easier than LTC in different ways. The stress of the ICU/PACU was high, but the learning curve was phenomenal. LTC has its own set of challenges, but does not challenge my intellect. My goal now is to work for a personal injury law firm.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2010

"Easier" vs. "Harder" are relative and bias depending on the individual.

I've known people who went from hospital to LTC who say its a walk in the park. I've seen the opposite, where they come back to the hospital with their tail between their legs. I've known many LTC nurses who decided to "get more familiar with acute patients" who decided to give the hospital a try. Like the above, some love it, others run after a few days.

It depends on what you consider easy and hard. Me, I tend to like more focus on less things vs. being stretched around to a hundred different things. The higher acuity works well for me. But thats just me.

Otessa, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2010

Guess it depends on how you define "easier".

6 patients, yes, but they are those VERY sick grandma and grandpas that you care for now-and their families.

dekagirlsRN · Jul 9, 2010

It might be true that the nurse has less patients in the hospital setting, but keep in mind that they tend to be much sicker and have much higher acuity levels than the grandmas and grandpas at LTC facilities. You can hover over the 6 sick patients all day, or you can basically administer maintenance medications to the stable 30+ residents. It's different strokes for different folks. Some people like the hospital and others like the nursing home setting.

Just because they're in a nursing home doesn't mean they're stable and all you need to do is administer meds to them. Everyday is completely different with patients experiencing new and/or chronic symptoms. Someone could be having SOB, another one with chest pain, someone having a seizure, another one needs a breathing tx--sometimes all at the same time!! Talk about having to know how to prioritize!! It's a very high paced environment as well.

rnlately · Jul 9, 2010

I agree with dekagirl;

You have to be a quick thinker and able to prioritize in addition to passing meds. There are many nurses that work LTC thinking that their job is just that--pill popper; but there is so much more to be learned from this type of job. There is always the need for assessments because in my opinion these are the types of patients that are medically underserved; in other words, the forgotten ones. As LTC nurses we must be strong advocates because at times physicians want to just put a "bandaid" on the patient's concerns.

I can't speak for med/surg because I've only worked LTC/acute rehab but I it has it's set of challenges. I don't know if I agree that one type of nursing is necessary easier or better than the other. I think it just depends on the individual. When I finally venture over to med/surg I hope I find it just as rewarding and as much as a learning experience as LTC has been for me.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Jul 9, 2010

I agree with dekagirl;
You have to be a quick thinker and able to prioritize in addition to passing meds. There are many nurses that work LTC thinking that their job is just that--pill popper; but there is so much more to be learned from this type of job. There is always the need for assessments because in my opinion these are the types of patients that are medically underserved; in other words, the forgotten ones. As LTC nurses we must be strong advocates because at times physicians want to just put a "bandaid" on the patient's concerns.
I can't speak for med/surg because I've only worked LTC/acute rehab but I it has it's set of challenges. I don't know if I agree that one type of nursing is necessary easier or better than the other. I think it just depends on the individual. When I finally venture over to med/surg I hope I find it just as rewarding and as much as a learning experience as LTC has been for me.

Just because they're in a nursing home doesn't mean they're stable and all you need to do is administer meds to them. Everyday is completely different with patients experiencing new and/or chronic symptoms. Someone could be having SOB, another one with chest pain, someone having a seizure, another one needs a breathing tx--sometimes all at the same time!! Talk about having to know how to prioritize!! It's a very high paced environment as well.

I'm fully aware of the issues unique to nursing home residents. After all, I have been working in nursing homes as a floor nurse for more than four years.

delilas · Jul 9, 2010

Its apples to oranges to me. LTC you have more patients and often feel like a pill pusher; but at most facilities, you aren't going to encounter what you do in a hospital. My "orientation" to life in a hospital was seeing three patients on a floor code in one night, and having four so unstable as they waited for transfer, I was documenting VS every 10 minutes.

Of course there are some unstable patients in long term care; but if the acuity was nearly as high, they'd be in a hospital. Less patients, just as much work.

Both worlds have their stresses; it depends on what you handle and what you enjoy.