It should come as no surprise that nursing is one of the career fields that offers the most versatile opportunities. Nurses can work in many different settings, with many different populations, and at many different levels of leadership. Nurses play many important roles, but the role of nurses in senior living can be especially important.
Nursing Basics: Who, Where, and Levels
Some of the most common settings nurses work in are hospitals, doctors offices, outpatient centers, home healthcare, and schools. Senior living – including skilled nursing, assisted living, and memory care – is the second most common setting for nurses. It’s only behind hospitals.
As broad as the settings a nurse works in are, the populations they focus on working with are equally broad. Many nurses work with a general population.
Think about nurses in hospitals or primary care physician settings. Every day they may work with patients of any age or experiencing any health challenge. Some nurses may choose to work with patients who have certain conditions, such as cancer or mental health conditions. Other times, nurses may choose to work with patients of a certain age, such as children or older adults.
Beyond where they work and who they work with, nurses can work in a range of roles. Most often, nurses work in direct care. No matter the setting, most nurses work in direct care positions. They’re hands on, providing direct care to their patients. Some nurses work in supervisory positions, like nurse supervisor, providing direct care and supervising other nurses and nursing assistants. There are also management and administrative roles nurses can have. These can include nurse administrator, assistant director of nursing, director of nursing, clinical director, or chief clinical officer.
Nurses in Senior Living
In senior living, nurses work with the same patients every day. That’s different than many nursing settings where they may see a patient once (ER) or once a year (doctor’s office). There are many unique aspects of being a nurse in senior living, but there are many benefits for both the nurse and the senior living residents.
Assessments
The first experience a senior living resident and their family have with a nurse is often the assessment. Whether moving to a new senior living community or a new level of care, assessments are an important early step. During the assessment, the nurse gets to know the new resident/patient and the assistance or care they will need. The nurse may ask the resident or patient to perform some of their daily activities. It helps them get a sense of what their abilities are and create a care plan. It’s also a chance to get to know what a resident’s likes and dislikes are and their goals.
Medication Management
This is one of the most common tasks nurses perform in senior living. At times a resident can perform most of their own activities of daily living (ADLs) but need help remembering to take their medications. A nurse is able to remind the resident to take their medications. They can also ensure that the right dosage of each medication is being taken at the right time of day.
Care
Based on the assessment, nurses know the amount of care that each resident or patient needs. They consider the amount of time a resident may need assistance and the types of assistance they may need. With that information in hand they create a care plan. It’s an outline for how often they will assist the resident with each task. A care plan also helps plan for who will be involved in providing care, such as a nursing assistant. The care provided to each resident is personalized to their needs. Some of the care nurses provide to senior living residents includes monitoring vitals like weight, blood pressure, and heart rate. It can also include managing medication and supporting activities of daily living, such as dressing or bathing.
Advocacy
Next to family members, nurses can be some of the best advocates for senior living residents. They’re often among the first to notice changes with a resident, like being less social or experiencing new memory challenges. When a nurse notices changes like that, they become an advocate for their patient.
Emotional and Educational Support
Things related to healthcare can be confusing. Whether it’s a diagnosis, treatment, equipment, or medication, it’s easy to have lots of questions. Nurses work with their patients and their families to provide education, helping them to understand their own health. Many things related to health, especially as we age, can also cause emotional distress, such as stress or anxiety. Nurses offer a listening ear, for things related to health and those not, and provide emotional support to their patients.
Collaboration
A key skill for nurses is collaboration. Regardless of the setting they work in, nurses must be able to collaborate. They have to work with their patients to make sure their needs and goals are being met. In senior living, collaboration goes beyond the resident or patient and typically involves family members and an interdisciplinary team (IDT). The IDT is a group of professionals who work with the patient, including nurses, doctors, social workers, therapists, and more. Together, an IDT discusses things like changes with the patient and any adjustments that need to be made to the care plan.
Nurses in Senior Living at The Ohio Masonic Communities
Like other senior living communities, nurses are a vital part of living our mission to serve as the trusted partner to help our communities thrive. We want our residents to thrive, and it doesn’t happen without dedicated, compassionate nurses. We also want to make sure our teams have the benefits and tools they need to continue being, or even become, a great nurse. That’s why we offer $5,000 per year in tuition assistance. Our process is simple, and we pay the school up front before classes even begin. We also work with Hondros College of Nursing so our employees receive discounted tuition when pursuing a nursing degree. Plus, as a nonprofit, employees of The Ohio Masonic Communities can be eligible for student loan forgiveness under Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
To maintain their knowledge, nurses have continuing education requirements. At The Ohio Masonic Communities, we’re proud to be able to offer our employees access to a library of free, online trainings that meet continuing education requirements.
Are you interested in being a senior living nurse? Check out our current job opportunities at Browning Masonic Community, Springfield Masonic Community, and Western Reserve Masonic Community!
Ready to learn more about the role nurses play at The Ohio Masonic Communities or how you can be a nurse with us? We’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 1 (877) 881-1623 or contact us here. You can also browse our current job openings here. We have three senior living communities across the state of Ohio – Browning Masonic Community in Waterville, Ohio, Springfield Masonic Community in Springfield, Ohio, and Western Reserve Masonic Community in Medina, Ohio.