With no bedside experience, how long does should training in a Skilled Nursing Facility be?

Skilled nursing requires multiple talents. You need to know how to care for trach inserts, IV drips, assessments and DOCUMENTATION of findings in a PROMPT manner. Most times you will work over your shift trying to catch up on documentation! They under staff and overwork staff there on regular basis. You will have to figure out where supplies are and what techs you have who will support you. It is a GRUELING 8 hours DAILY! good luck with that rotation.

The way you pose this question makes me wonder if you are already in training at a SNF. If this is the case then the training should be as long as you need to safely assess and care for your patients. Otherwise: Each SNF is different. Some may handle more IV’s, and trach’s and some may not. Check their intake policy. Some may have CMA’s to deliver meds or you may be juggling that along with the assessments and documentation for ALL the patients. In a hospital setting the patient to nurse ratio should be better but your patients are sicker. So it is a trade off. Bottom line is you have your license, you have the knowledge, you just need great organizational skills, great assessment skills and critical thinking. This comes with practice no matter where you get your bedside experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Seasoned nurses in both areas are a great resource. I hope this helps.

you need to work in med surg for at least 5 years before working in a SNF> It's a danger to the patients that you would be doing their care. These are people, not robots to work on. These people need to be treated with respect and dignity. Imagine how scary it is to actually have to be in a SNF? How sad and angry they are. You need to be prepared for that. Please get your med surg experience first. I don't believe you would be a safe practitioner in a snf until you get more skills. Don't be afraid of it. the more skills you have, the safer practitioner you'll be. Don't you and the patients deserve that?

At least 3 months

Nursing education needs to incorporate clinical experience and internships in their nursing programs. While knowledge is needed, it is the practical experience that challenges critical thinking skills to assess and provide safe care. With the complexity of managing multimorbid conditions, along with advancing technology, nurses have to be better educated before entering the workforce.

you need to work in med surg for at least 5 years before working in a SNF> It's a danger to the patients that you would be doing their care. These are people, not robots to work on. These people need to be treated with respect and dignity.