Feature
Long-term care sector offers many rewards for nurses
June 5, 2007
The opportunity to use a variety of facets of their skill set and the chance to develop closer relationships with those in their care are two factors that make long-term care a rewarding field for registered staff.

Nurses say sometimes the benefits of working in long-term care are underestimated and misunderstood. But for those who enjoy the experience of providing care for the elderly, they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

OMNI saluted its registered staff recently through various appreciation activities to tie in with National Nursing Week, celebrated May 7 to 13.

One director of care said it’s important to express gratitude to nurses for choosing to work in long-term care and for OMNI. This is especially important during a time when nursing homes across the province continue efforts to attract staff to their sector. The shortage was magnified when the Ontario government introduced new rules entailing a registered nurse be on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week in every long-term care home in the province.  

Meanwhile, those who do work in long-term care are passionate and don’t need convincing.

According to Melissa Kendrick, there’s no better place for nurses to practice than in long-term homes. Long-term care, unlike other health care sectors, allows nurses to develop close relationships with residents and their families, says Kendrick, a registered practical nurse (RPN) at Frost Manor in Lindsay. She says she leaves the home each day feeling like she made a difference in residents’ lives.

“That’s the reason I got into long-term care,” she says. “In hospitals, people are coming and going every day. In long-term care, you make a difference and you can see the difference. In hospitals, nurses are making a difference every day, but you don’t get to see the outcome.”

Nursing in long-term care isn’t solely about filling out paperwork and handing out pills anymore. It’s a creative, rewarding and innovative occupation that challenges nurses to use all of their skills, says another RPN who has worked in the sector for 17 years.

The long-term care setting allows nurses to use a variety of areas of expertise and draw on their background. In long-term care, residents are supported holistically. “I get to use all of my skills here,” says another nurse. “We get to deal with every (area of care). I find that a real challenge.”

We are approaching the time of year when nursing graduates are looking for work. It’s time new graduates consider long-term care as a valid choice. The opportunity to shape peoples’ final life experiences is a sense of satisfaction like no other.