Required education
ADN or BSN
Average annual salary
$50k–$83k
Attributes
Independent
Work on your own or even start your own practice, in some states.
Patient-facing
Work hands-on, directly with patients.
Varied
Take on different tasks, patients, and situations every day.
You’ll help your patients with day-to-day activities such as getting dressed and taking baths.
What you’ll do
Coordination
You’ll work with your patients’ medical teams to create viable treatment plans.
Education
You’ll keep your patients’ families up to date on their loved ones’ medical conditions.
Treatment
You’ll monitor your patients’ health and give them medication and therapeutic treatments such as massage and exercise.
Where you’ll work
- Assisted Living Communities
- Nursing homes
- Patients’ homes
How to become a Long-term Care Nurse
01
Get an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), taking an elective course in if possible.
02
Pass the NCLEX-RN.
03
Work as a Registered Nurse in a nursing home for two years.
04
There’s no specific Long-term Care Nurse Certification.
You may be required to hold the Basic Life Support Certification through the American Heart Association or Red Cross or the Gerontological Nursing Certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Join an Organization
Become a member of a Long-Term Care Nurse organization to find career opportunities, learn from your colleagues, and support the profession.
Related Organizations
A Nurse Anesthetist’s role is also independent.
An Informatics Nurse is another type of management nurse.
