Assisted Living Nurse – Things To Know
As the number of older Americans continues to increase, nurses with experience providing long-term care are in great demand. One such specialty area for nurses is assisted living, where nurses administer medicine to residents while monitoring their overall wellbeing.
Nursing at an assisted living facility can be less chaotic than in other healthcare settings, enabling nurses to form close relationships with residents while developing strong working relationships with each individual. Furthermore, many assisted living facilities provide speech therapy as a service to address swallowing issues for residents.
RN’s
RN’s perform many of the same duties as LPN’s but are also responsible for administering medications and overseeing nurse aides. They may work with high-acuity patients after surgery or have experienced myocardial infarction (heart attack) or cerebrovascular accident (CVA or stroke), among other events.
Assisted living nurses must pay careful attention to every detail and identify changes in the health of their patients, such as new medication effects or interactions. Furthermore, they must possess patience and compassion as some patients may exhibit signs of irritation or depression.
As with any nursing position, assisted living nursing requires continuing education and certifications. Some facilities offer per diem nursing positions for newcomers who wish to gain hands-on experience; more experienced RN’s may move up into head nurse or manager roles at such facilities; they often form partnerships with home healthcare providers in order to reduce hospital readmission rates.
LPN’s
LPNs work under the supervision of registered nurses (RN) and physicians to provide patients with comprehensive patient care. Their duties may include administering medication, taking vital signs and helping with daily living tasks. They may also supervise CNA’s as well as a variety of administrative duties. It’s their job to monitor any changes to patients’ conditions that arise and communicate them back to the medical team immediately.
An LPN in assisted living can build relationships with their patients on a regular basis, which can be both rewarding and stressful. Effective communication skills will also be necessary.
Nurses working in assisted living must possess strong organizational skills in order to stay on top of all their responsibilities. These may include developing programs, coordinating healthcare services and scheduling shifts for staff. In addition, nurses in this profession must possess emotional resilience; working with elderly patients who may be suffering illness or disorientation requires comforting them while answering their queries.
CNA’s
An assisted living nursing career entails more than simply doling out medicines and treatments; nurses must also be skilled communicators and compassionate towards their patients, since they will see them daily over two years. Nurses must be able to answer any queries from patients as well as understand their language and dietary preferences in order to build strong relationships and provide efficient services.
Nurse Practitioners (RN’s) are responsible for providing total patient care. This involves initiating medication plans, administering medication as directed, preparing IVs, drawing blood and giving injections. In addition, they must monitor residents for adverse side effects from medications or potential interactions that could negatively impact health or life situations as well as interact with family members of residents to communicate any changes that arise in health or living situations.
An effective aide can assist nurses in many aspects of their work, particularly paperwork and basic medical tasks. A CNA should listen attentively to residents, give clear instructions, and keep accurate records.
Administration
Nurses working in assisted living perform various duties. This may include assessing resident needs and creating service plans on an ongoing basis, administering medications to residents as prescribed and supervising CNAs and aides; performing physical therapy exercises or other rehabilitative activities as necessary and regularly communicating with family members of residents.
These facilities range in size and type; some provide extensive care on multiple floors; while others are smaller with only a few rooms; these often serve those who require specific assistance such as memory loss or physical impairments.
Assisted living nurses need to be capable of dealing with patients of various ages, from young adults to the elderly. They must adapt to individual patients’ needs while remaining good communicators, multitask, maintain an organized workspace and be adept at dealing with stress well, since many patients in these facilities may suffer from chronic illnesses that make them feel unwell and anxious.