“As health care is changing, many facilities are training and hiring nurses with higher qualifications due to the trends of patients that are being referred to our skilled-nursing facility or as some refer to as nursing homes,” said Melanie Henry, executive director, The Courtyards at Pasadena.
Sandra Colley, RN, administrative director, Nursing Service, HCR ManorCare, said hospitals are releasing patients sooner.
“Patients come from the hospitals to our skilled-nursing unit, where we provide most all services that the hospitals provide such as IVs and rehab. Patients cannot go home with an IV, so they come here and we care for them until they are able to return home. We also have patients who come from assisted-living facilities which do not have skilled care,” Colley said.
Henry said, “We have many patients that have come to our facilities and have been through our specialty programs, whether it is our diabetic specialty program, pulmonology program or rehab, and when they need these or other services again, they return.”
Nurses in a skilled-nursing facility also provide tracheostomy care, G-Tube care, respiratory care, as well as administer IVs and more.
These nurses need computer skills due to many facilities changing to electronic health records.
“Patients also receive physical, occupational and speech therapy from rehabilitation departments within the facility. In a few of the skilled-nursing facilities, there are respiratory therapists and/or the nurses receive additional training to be able to provide the care needed,” Henry said.
“Nurses who work in nursing homes need experience in long-term care, because this is a very busy place and nurses have a lot of responsibilities. We do not have doctors here every day, so the nurses are the eyes and ears for the doctors. Our nurses stay busy caring for the patients, talking to the doctors on the phone, recommending labs or services, providing and administering medications, checking back in with the doctors, checking on lab results and so much more,” Colley said.
Nurses always are in demand, and HCR ManorCare is looking to hire for a number of openings.
“We are also in need of nursing assistants, at least 10. We are always looking for nursing assistants, work with the nurses on assignments in caring for the residents in the nursing home section or those in skilled care,” Colley said.
HCR ManorCare has more than 500 facilities across the country, and there is always something available for those interested in climbing the ladder.
“I started out as a nurse and have held a number of positions. This company offers great benefits and salaries are competitive with hospitals,” Colley said.
The Courtyards at Pasadena, under the Fundamental, LTC umbrella, has 92 facilities in America.
“This industry will continue to grow due to the rapidly aging population, but mainly because people are living longer today,” Colley said.