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Does anyone have any advice about Manor Care Nursing Home?
QUESTION: As you may remember, I was laid off of my Human Resources Manager job back in
April. I've finally started to make a real effort to look for a new job.
Yesterday I found a listing for an HR Manager job for a small nursing home. The
ad says "96 beds." It is a Manor Care.
Here's my FOAK question. What is it like to work in a non-care position in a
nursing home? I have never even been IN a nursing home. What "type" of person
works there? I am used to working with Internet folks, so I'm not so sure I
would enjoy working in this atmosphere. Am I asking for trouble by working in a
one-person HR department in such a place? Will the employee-relations issues be
a nightmare? Are the workers in these homes unionized?
What kinds of questions should I ask to make sure I'm not going to be working
in one of those horrible places where the patients get abused and the
caregivers get worked like slaves?
Does anyone have any advice?
ANSWER: I have worked as a nurses' aide in several nursing homes. Thank God I
don't anymore. I will be glad to answer your questions as best as I can.
Usually, in a nursing home, you will be working with nurses (LVNs, RNs, DONs
and aides). You will also be working with activity volunteers and
administrators. One of the worst types of people you will encounter in a
nursing home is guilt-ridden family members who take out their frustrations
on you if things at the home don't go their way. Most of the time the
patients (or residents) are very nice and much more appreciative of your
job performance than their disgruntled family members.
Don't let me scare you out of at least trying a job at a nursing home.
There are rewards, too. You may even find it to be very fulfilling if you
like old people. You can also learn some very neat things and gain a lot of
wisdom from some of the patients that are still in their right minds. Not
all of them have Alzheimers disease.
Nursing homes are not unionized. Most are independent or owned by the state
and are funded by state grants and medicare, etc. As long as you are not
dictatorial or overbearing to the nursing staff, you should be able to
interact with the staff with no problem.
Not all nursing homes are have long histories of abuse. But they do have
a terrible tendency to be understaffed. Yes, caregivers are rather
overworked and a lot of them are on single moms who are trying to either
supplement their welfare checks and food stamps, or are trying to avoid
being on public programs.
My MIL was once an administrator at a nursing home and literally staked her
job just to get a 5-cent raise for the aides that worked under her. MIL was
one of the best administrators you could ever work for. She didn't ride you
constantly, but she did expect her staff to do their best. And the aides
were so happy for their 5-cent raise, they cried. They had threatened to
walk out on their jobs if my MIL was fired for trying to get them a raise.
I must say that employee relations are usually far from being the nightmares
they are made out to be. It really depends who you work with. No matter
where any of us works, there are always a few fault finders. I've been through
all of this.
Don't let it scare you. At least go for an interview and feel free to ask
questions. Don't just ask the person hiring you. Ask some of the nurses
and aides that work there what the work environment is like during the day.
I know this is rather long. Sorry! You feel free to ask me more questions.
If you need me to get more info for you, I would be more than happy to call
my MIL and ask her more about her experiences in the nursing home and pass
them on to you. Don't be afraid to ask me anything. I'll be glad to be of
help to you.
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