Feature
Careers in long-term care result in opportunities, skill enhancement
OMNI offers incentives for nurses to grow within company
Tuesday April 29, 2008
For many years the long-term care sector has faced challenges when it comes to recruiting nursing staff. Statistics Canada is predicting there will no longer be enough long-term care workers to replace retirees within the next five to 10 years. OMNI Health Care, however, is dedicated to bucking this trend.
Now, more than ever, OMNI is dedicating itself to providing nursing its team members with vibrant, enriching careers in a sector that’s constantly changing.
One thing nurses should know when considering a career — particularly recent nursing graduates — is that long-term care homes are forums for skill development. Nursing in long-term care requires leadership, quick thinking and strong assessment skills.
Additionally, the long-term care sector is on the cutting edge of the development and enhancement of evidence-based practices in areas of dementia care, wound care, palliative care and psychogeriatrics.
The multidisciplinary, resident-focused approach to care in the sector means frontline staff members are constantly developing their skills while learning new talents along the way.
Maureen Imamovic, administrator and director of care at Springdale Country Manor in Peterborough, says working at OMNI has been advantageous to her career.
“The skills that I have are skills nurses who have never worked in long-term care (will not have),” she says. “Those aren’t skills that I could teach them. Those are skills that I’ve acquired from 16 years of long-term care experience.”
Nurses choosing a career with OMNI can be assured many educational opportunities and will be encouraged to grow within the organization.
As part of OMNI’s new human resource plan, internal promotion will be increasingly focused on, and team members willing to put forth the effort and attain the required education can expect to advance their careers within the company.
Long-term care, like any other sector, is constantly evolving. Gone are the days when care homes were institutional environments where residents were cared for as a whole.
Today, residents receive individualized care. The administration of medications is being reduced, as staff members turn to more holistic approaches to care. And with new approaches to care come new skills to be learned and applied.
If you are interested in a nursing career at any of OMNI’s 17 long-term care homes, please contact the company’s home office at (705) 748-6631.
