Long-term care nurses tend to patients who need medical treatment over a long period. Unlike their acute-care counterparts, long-term care nurses treat the same patients for months, years, and even decades. Long-term care patients may include:
- Children and adults with disabilities
- Patients recovering from a severe illness or injury
- Patients with dementia
Whatever their patient population, a long-term care nurse must possess compassion, critical thinking, and be able to advocate for their patients.
How Long to Become?
2-4 Years
Job Outlook
6% increase from 2022 to 2032
Average Salary
$94,480
Where Do Long-Term Care Nurses Work?
Long-term care nurses work in any setting that houses chronically ill, disabled, or severely injured patients who need care for a long time. As a result, long-term care nurses can find employment with:
- Assisted living facilities
- Home health agencies
- Hospices
- Memory care facilities
- Nursing homes
A long-term care nurse who works in a nursing home or hospice may have fewer patients. These patients are likely to need more assistance with repositioning or getting out of their bed or chair and are at a higher risk of falling.
Home health long-term nurses sometimes visit patients a few times a week, but some patients need full-time nursing care. In this case, long-term care nurses will spend all their time with a single patient in their home.
What Does a Long-Term Care Nurse Do?
Long-term care nurses work with patients who have continuing or lifelong medical needs. Like acute care nurses, they give meds, complete assessments, and collaborate with the healthcare team. Here are some common long-term care nurse daily tasks:
- Administering medications
- Collaborating with physicians, nurse practitioners, patients, and families
- Collecting laboratory samples of blood and other bodily fluids
- Dressing changes
- Inserting and managing foley catheters
- Inserting and managing NG tubes
- Keeping patients clean and comfortable
- Managing central lines like ports and PICCs
- Managing tracheostomies and ventilators
- Monitoring and taking vital signs
- Patient and family education
- Patient repositioning
- Wound care and prevention
Different levels of care can mean a mix-and-match of the skills above. Some low-acuity settings, for example, don’t take patients with IV access.
How Much Does a Long-Term Care Nurse Make Per Year?
A long-term care nurse earns an average of $94,480 per year. They can make a little more or less depending on the work setting and cost of living in the area. The low-end average is $63,720, and the high-end is $132,680. Different employers may be able to offer higher or lower compensation depending on which type of facility they work in:
- General Medical and Surgical Hospitals: $96,830
- Offices of Physicians: $83,110
- Home Health Care Services: $87,430
- Outpatient Care Centers: $102,640
- Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities): $79,280
Are Long-Term Care Nurses in High Demand?
According to the Administration for Community Living, the 65 and older crowd made up 16% of the U.S. population in 2019, but are expected to be 21.6% of the population by 2040. As Americans age, their health needs may cause them to need long-term care, creating jobs for nurses in this specialty.
All nurses are in high demand in the United States. The BLS predicts nursing jobs will grow 6% from 2022 to 2032, with about 203,200 openings each year. Long-term care nursing is set to offer strong employment opportunities for years to come.
Additional Resources About Becoming a Long-Term Care Nurse
To learn more about becoming a long-term care nurse, these websites offer additional resources.
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