NursingHomeAdmin

Great question. While there is a bit of a difference between skilled nursing facilities and retirement homes (which don't offer the same intensive medical oversight) there are some generalizations about both you can use to judge whether the facility is of a good quality.

When you walk into a facility uninvited, without a tour, do the residents seem happy? Does the staff? Are there planned activities and entertainment for the residents, or are people just sitting around watching TV? Finally, there is probably no better measure of quality than unfiltered testimonials from residents. Talk to as many as you can and get their impressions.

Oh, lots. You may have been asking as a joke, but that is part of the reality for nurses in all settings. One of our greatest responsibilities and rewards is to help patients keep their dignity even in challenging situations like that. As a side note, our facility goes through 73 boxes of Depends every week!

It's always a challenge because you are dealing with people's lives and you can't make a mistake. In that respect, there is a lot of stress.

The only advice I have is that if it's something you really want to do, stay committed and learn as much as possible. The more secure you feel in your knowledge, the better practitioner you will be.

In my own career path, I wish that 25 years ago nurse practitioners were more respected and valued. But I am glad I took that path and glad I later became an administrator. Being a nurse practitioner is a huge advantage to being an administrator.

The best part of my current job as an administrator is knowing that I have created an environment in which employees love their jobs and the patients feel satisfied and content. It's great to be able to surpass expectations… a wonderful feeling.

Funniest was when a 911 operator called me at work and said the patient in room 213 had called 911 with an emergency. The operator asked me to check on the patient. I ran upstairs to see what happened. When I got to the room, everything seemed fine. The patient was sitting there and I asked her if she had called 911. She said, very calmly, "yes, I did." I asked her what the emergency was and she replied, "I have to go to the bathroom. It's an emergency." (I took her to the bathroom, and we went over the use of the call bell again.)

Not exactly a ghost story, but it is creepy: In a small facility I worked in a number of years ago, I had a small office in the basement. One of my first days there, I was enjoying lunch at my desk when someone wheeled in a gurney with a body on it, covered in a white sheet. I was quite surprised and said, "What's that?!"

"Oh that's Mrs. Jones. She expired," the nurse said casually.

It turns out they used my little office as a temporary morgue, as it had one of the best airconditioners in the building.