Employer Quotes

The quotes below are about this issue:
Long-Term Care: Long-term care facilities, in particular, have difficulty attracting and retaining health care professionals. Because long-term facilities are not reimbursed at the same rates as hospitals, they cannot always provide competitive compensation. Additionally, the image of long-term care is generally seen as less "glamorous" than other health care environments. Employers need more health care professionals who are dedicated to a career in geriatric care and/or in nursing home facilities. Students also need a greater understanding of the nursing home model, which includes the social model of aging in addition to the medical model of aging.

Employer Quote	Region
"Employer 1: I think as far as the clinical skills—definitely—I hear what you're saying; those skills are there. But, nowadays, many nursing homes are swinging away from the medical model. It's more of a social model. So, that brings a new light on nursing, too. Question: So, are you saying that we've got to have more of these students in this new nursing home model? When you study to be a nurse, do you specifically say that you want to work in a nursing home? Or in a hospital? Or a...? Employer 1: You get it all. From OB, to med-surg, to nursing home, you get it all. You do rotations. Question: But it sounds like the nurse that's going to work in a nursing home is going to need a whole different skill set? Employer 1: They need strengths in soft skills. It's a social—it's a medical model, but it has a very social model feel to it. It deals with families and [lost in translation]. Question: And is the social aspect becoming more important? Employer 1: Absolutely. Employer 2: Yeah. Employer 1: It is very important."	Northwest
"We can't—we're not funded so that we can pay our licensed nurses what they can get paid in a hospital. Sometimes I hear that it's upwards of ten dollars an hour difference. So, that's what we struggle with in long-term care."	Northwest
"We talk about nursing homes changing and the need for higher skills. You know, we see that all the time. But residents coming into our facility need a skill level that is more applicable to an RN, but you cannot necessarily afford the RN wages all the time, so the RNs are going to hospitals."	Northwest
"You know, I've been a CNA, an LPN, and an RN. And it's hard work working in a nursing home. Yeah, maybe it's not as glamorous as an emergency room or whatever. But you deal with some complex cases, and you can actually build some excellent skills. But I don't think it's being sold in programs—it's not portrayed as a glamorous place to work. But we do wonderful things to extend the lives of the elderly population, and nobody wants to do it. Because I don't think it's—I don't know if it's seen as just not good enough for a lot of the people who are coming out of colleges?"	Northwest