Hello everyone,
I'm a nursing student who works as a nurse tech on a Rehab floor in a hospital. I have found that I really enjoy working with the elderly population. I find it both interesting (in a physiologically sense) and fulfilling (in an emotional sense). I am looking at my options for when I leave school -- I would like to hear from nurses who work at SNFs or work for home health or any nurse who went on to be a Gerontological NP. I hear such bad things about working at SNFs and I want the truth. Any career advice for a nurse who loves working with the elderly? I want a challenging, long-term career and will likely get advanced degrees.
Thank you very much,
J
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December 16th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Dear J,
I currently work in a SNF and absolutely love it much for the same reasons as you are enjoying it in the hospital you work in. SNF’s really need good floor nurses that really do care. There are too many that are there to just collect a pay check instead of being there for their residents. If you truly do enjoy working with the elderly, I totally encourage you to follow that path, because the love that you receive from your residents will totally be worth all the hard work u put in each and every shift!
Good luck in ur decision making! I know its a tough choice to make, I’ve been there, and think I made the right one for me.
Kort
December 29th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I have worked both SNF and Rehab. Both of which I loved dearly. I went to a non-traditional working environment straight out of nursing school. I did psychiatric nursing, which you either love or hate. If you are a nurse who likes the elderly then you usually like psych too. Anyway, after my three years in psych I then went to a SNF. It was the hardest and most worthwhile job I ever had. I learned a tremendous amount in that job about priority, organization, and assessment. However, I must warn you it is much more demanding than Rehab nursing in an acute care setting. As a nurse in the nursing home I was petrified that I had so many to medicate and only one hour to do it in. It seemed to me an endless medication administration assignment. Add to that assessments, tube feedings, and dressing changes and you would be putting it mildly to say I never sat down. I have also worked home health. I have to tell you that home health is an even tougher situation for a new nurse and should probably not do that unless they have medic or some other type of heavy health care experience. You really are out there all by yourself and YOU make all the decisions. I thought long and hard about becoming a gerontological NP but the great thing about nursing is all the areas you can explore. I moved into another setting altogether. If you love geriatrics then I suggest that you look for a rehab or medical job to begin with. If you already hold good organizational skills and assessment skills then by all means look at SNF too. Good luck to you in whatever you do and remember that you are in charge of your destiny and only you know what you can and cannot do.
December 30th, 2008 at 1:32 am
I am an LPN still pursuing my RN degree and intend to further my education, also. I’ve worked in LT care as an aide and had to quit because of lifting limitations and as a nurse I work in a SNF, sometimes with 38 pts to myself! The place is really disorganized, the new DON hasn’t even started yet, and as in the reply above mine, it’s like an endless med administration, especially when I am at a station by myself. BUT even though lots of nights I’m extremely overwhelmed, it has made me a better nurse already – i’ve only been there 3 months and it was my first job, so I’m kind of proud of myself because I realize I’ve found something I care enough about to work through the rough spots for. I’ve heard several co-workers say that if ‘you can work here, you can work anywhere’ and those nurses were former med-surg nurses. Some nights are better than others, the better ones are still very challenging, but all in all, so far, I think it’s worth it. YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THESE RESIDENTS and though it’s important not to become too emotionally involved, the thanks you get and the realization that you ARE making a difference in someone’s immediate – and long-term – well-being is the biggest payoff. These people have lived life, had heartache and happiness, and they know people. They value people. And though they’re not all always pleasant, even the difficult ones offer a word or look of gratitude at times even if it’s tough for them to admit it 🙂 So, after three months, I’ve lost my urge to run far and fast, and am reaping the biggest benefits of Skilled Nursing experience: connections with the pts and others who care for them, and most of all, a connection with myself I never had before. Most people wouldn’t reccommend SNF as a first job, but if you care about the cause enough it’ll come naturally after a while and the psychological and emotional rewards are the best. Best of luck to you.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Thanks for you advice and replies! I think I will stay in rehab nursing when I graduate. I kept thinking I should pursue something “harder” or more challenging like cardiac or ICU but at the end of the day I truly love working on the rehab floor and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Thank you all!
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 am
Just curious as I’ve never heard the term “SNF” before which I now understand relates to Skilled Nursing Facility for the care, rehab or long term, of residents with health care issues.
I only have one question:
Is there an Unskilled Nursing Facility?
January 24th, 2009 at 1:38 am
The term “skilled” is usedin reference to a skilled need that would be covered by medicare or insurance. (IV ABT, complex wound treatments, rehab) We all know that ANY nursing requires skill 🙂