Dear Donna,
At an adult medical day care center, what is the role of the RN?
Interested in Adult Day Care
Dear Interested in Adult Day Care,
Adult day services are growing and offer many different opportunities for nurses in both direct care and management. In a direct care role, you would be creating care plans, doing initial and ongoing assessments, administering medication, attending to medical needs such as dressing changes, checking blood sugars, if appropriate, and so on. You would be communicating with family members/caregivers, completing state required documentation, and generally interacting with clients. It is typically a pleasant and low-stress environment where you can develop long-term relationships with both the person you are providing care for and their loved ones. Most of these facilities are open Monday through Friday during daytime hours and are closed for holidays, weekends and inclement weather such as snow. So your work schedule would follow suit. Some nurses work as consultants to multiple adult day service centers providing in-service to staff, creating care plans, monitoring for safety issues and so on. Other nurses are owners and managers of such centers. I suggest you contact adult day service facilities in your area and ask if you can visit. Many such facilities welcome visitors. Mention that you are a nurse and are considering this type of setting for future employment and would like to see how such a facility operates. Ask for a nursing job description while there. And if they say, "We're not hiring right now," let them know that you are just coming for a visit this time. This way, you'll actually see the interaction of the staff with the clients and get a feel for the flow and structure of a typical day. Talk to the nurses while there, if possible, and ask them about their work.
Best wishes, Donna
Donna Cardillo, RN, MA, CSP, Nurse.com's career advice columnist is president of DonnaCardillo.com. Known as The Inspiration Nurse, she is a keynote speaker, retreat and seminar leader, and author of "Your First Year as a Nurse: Making the Transition from Total Novice to Successful Professional" and "The ULTIMATE Career Guide for Nurses: Practical Advice for Thriving at Every Stage of Your Career." She brings more than 20 years of clinical, management and business experience to her role as career guru. To ask Donna question, email [email protected].
