Long Term Care Nurse: Job Description and Information About Starting a Career in Long Term Care Nursing
Long Term Care Nurses administer aid to patients with injuries, illnesses or disabilities who require care for an extended period of time. A Long Term Care Nurse is typically a licensed RN with a minimum of 2,000 hours of long term care experience.
Career Definition: Long Term Care Nurse
Long Term Care Nurses tend to the physical and emotional needs of the chronically incapacitated, the elderly and patients recovering from critical injury or extensive surgery, helping them to develop their independence and minimize the impact of their disability. They work primarily in rehabilitation clinics or facilities offering special needs or skilled nursing care, but a growing segment of Long Term Care Nursing is engaged in home care, conducted in the comfort of the patients' residences.
Becoming a Long Term Care Nurse
Education Information for a Career in Long Term Care Nursing
Nurses have the option to concentrate on long term care subject areas such as diet, physical therapy, gerontology, pharmacology and psychology while pursuing an Associate's Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, or they can supplement existing degrees with continuing education in these areas. In order to practice, a Long Term Care Nurse should become licensed as an RN and have 2,000 hours of clinical practice in a related field.
Skills Needed by Long Term Care Nurses
Long Term Care Nursing is a multi-disciplinary field, and in addition to traditional nursing fields, practitioners need exposure to other disciplines, like psychology, sociology and ethics. Working with the chronically disabled is taxing physically and emotionally, and a Long Term Care Nurse must be physically fit, resilient, sensitive and empathetic. Shift workers may be asked to work 12 consecutive hours, at night or on weekends.
Economic Outlook and Career Growth in Long Term Care Nursing
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, opportunities for RNs should grow much faster than for other occupations. The home health care industry is experiencing a rapid growth period, and may provide Long Term Care Nurses with excellent employment opportunities for years to come. Median annual salaries in 2006 were $57,280 for RNs as a whole, $54,190 for RNs in home health care and $52,490 for RNs employed in nursing care facilities (www.bls.gov).
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