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

[ez2000]

i am contemplating in moving to the hospital. i always think that hospital med surg is easier than ltc w/ grandma's and grandpa's. 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. did i just read the topic right "i miss ltc i think" or it just happens to a few? because based from what i read...most nurses in the ltc can't wait to get out of ltc and work in the hospital. can somebody enlighten me as well?

[anonymurse]

I like the tele floor. It's good to have all my pts monitored. It's good to have lots of smart, experienced RNs around, at least one of whom will have dealt with any new situation I find myself in, and will have the time to explain.

I like to have 6 pts because I can get to know them and spend time with them (every nurse hoards time for some purpose or another; this is mine).

It looks chaotic with all the different stuff that goes on every night, but there's a lot more order than meets the eye.

I'm not sure how it came about, but every time a difficult situation arises, at least 3-4 of us have input, reach a decision, and divvy up the work, with the end result that no aspect of the situation falls through the cracks.

I would've developed differently had I been "raised" in LTC, but now that I'm shaped the way I am, I'd be very reluctant to lose any of the advantages my current setting affords me.

[Up2nogood RN, RN]

Grandmas and grandpas are in the hospital too and generally much sicker (obviously) than in ltc. You can also have a 20 yr old walkie talkie that thinks they're dying just from a lap appy. I've worked in both ltc and acute care and they're both difficult in their own ways. I prefer acute care since there's more resources available when needed stat.

[Caffeine_IV]

Both have their challenges. I like them both for different reasons and it doesn't include being easy.

[CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN]

I dunno...they are both probably just as hard. I'd love to try acute care when I get to working ft.

In my LTC we have sicker patients that what should be there..it is more sub acute. On any given shift I have at least 5 or so pt that are highly skilled and more like med surg pts. Q 1hr pain meds or suctioning or multiple IVs in addition to wound care, resp treatments and accuchecks, feeding tubes or TPN and some other drains etc.. This is in addition to 18 or so other residents half of which are regular skilled nursing home pts and the other half are LTC patients that are more alz dementia. Most days it is horrible and some days even worse when you don't have the supplies on hand or need to deal with outside agencies for support (meds, xray, supplies etc)

LTC is great for time management and people skills, working independantly and delegating/ supervising others.

I would love to try my hand in the acute setting but would never think that it would be easier at all.

[Redhead28]

I don't think one is easier than the other just different. Night/Day shifts on the same unit are not easier than the other, just different priorities. Different time management issues.

[tainted1972, ASN, RN]

You know all of those sick patients you have in LTC that you send to the hospital?? Those are the type of patients you will be caring for.

I worked med/surg/telemetry as an aide before becoming an LPN. The nurses worked very hard (we all did). There wasnt any time for a real break, the patients needed much more help then they do in LTC. It is a very fast paced environment that can go wrong any minute. You have doctors, surgeons, and families breathing down your neck constantly. People generally do not like hospitals and like to take out their frustrations on the nurses.

Trust me .. its not easier.

With that being said... I LOVE a crazy unorganized unpredictable environment.. once I finish my RN I am definitely going to go back to med/surg! :)

It is very rewarding to see someone knocking on deaths door recover fully and then see them come back a few months later to say "thank you". That is what it is all about!

[phlox]

I have worked in both and have found that I need the rush of adrenaline I get from the ER or emergency surgery. LTC is too slow and predictable for me. I like a lower nurse to patient ratio. I also like some shifts where I run my butt off and don't get a break and some shifts where I sit the whole shift doing very little and can put my feet up just watch the telemetry/monitors. I like variety.