The nature of long-term care nursing work

Data from a pilot study on the nature of nursing work in long-term care (LTC) facilities are compared with data on nursing work in intensive care units (ICUs). The comparison suggests that the LTC nursing work environment is a complex, demanding, and interesting one that is different from, not less than, nursing work in acute care environments. The data also suggests that nursing educators and researchers should reconsider LTC nursing work environments. Long-term care nursing offers an ideal, relatively controlled environment for research on what nursing work is and how nursing interventions affect patient outcomes. Long-term care nurses, whose daily work has always involved working with a variety of professional and unlicensed staff members, can serve as models for delegation and interpersonal skills. Finally, the LTC setting offers the ideal environment for clinical sites in connection with the proposed curriculum changes in end-of-life care for patients and their families.