Nursing home vs Hospital

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- By (29 articles)

Being a nurse involves a high amount of responsibilities and challenges. However, not all nursing jobs are the same; the nurses’ duties change based on the type of environment they work in. The main two settings are nursing homes and hospitals, and these two institutions offer completely different pros and cons. Both are fundamental, and one is not better than the other. It depends on your preferences, your personality, and your career goals. Let’s see the differences!

Hospital-based nurse

Hospitals are very busy environments, with lots of emergencies, and daily challenges. Therefore, the advantages of working in a hospital are the chance to work in an environment where your skills and medical knowledge can be constantly developed and improved, less boredom, fast career progress, and constant support from those with more experience. Usually, nurses who choose to work in a hospital are at the beginning of their careers and are looking to boost their skills rapidly. On the other hand, this means that a nurse will not have the chance to see the results of the care they provided, and will not be able to get to know their patients well, because they stay much shorter compared to those staying in a nursing home.

Nursing home-based nurse

 

Nursing homes can be highly gratifying for those looking to treat patients in the long term, not just an injury or a sickness. It allows nurses to get to know their patients, talk to them more often, and take care of their social and mental needs, not only their physical care. Moreover, it gives the chance to specialise and broaden their knowledge in a specific field (for example dementia). However, this comes with some disadvantages: nurses working in this setting must be more self-sufficient, and able to handle most problems (including emergencies) with little immediate backup from more highly trained staff.