Health South Rehab Hospital?

I recently took a position as a staff RN at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ and I have to say I'm so glad I found this place. The facility is under 10 years old, it's pretty well staffed by nurses but we run short of CNAs when we have lots of 1:1 observations. Having come from an acute care hospital to a specialty hospital like HealthSouth was quite a surprise. There's no floating to other units and not the usual hospital politics that you find in other places. All in all, it's been a really positive experience thus far. All the nurses I've worked with have really gone out of their way to welcome me there and make sure I get well oriented to the facility. I think you'll like it there.

JerzeeMike-- I am a new grad and have an interview at another HealthSouth location in NJ. Do you have any tips on interviewing (what they will ask, what I should ask?) Any info would be appreciated!

JerseyGir1--They ask you about any past experience you've had in healthcare. What brought you to nursing and how you feel about patient care. The HealthSouth I work at is very concerned with nurses working with mutual respect and professionalism toward one another while delivering superior care to our patients. They let you know that they are acute rehab and that you won't get the experience in critical care nursing a lot of new grads are looking for right out of school but in the job market in NJ right now I say give them a good look. I was very surprised that they pay better than many of the hospitals in my area (Jersey shore).

It's a lot of work and they still chart the old-fashioned way (anyone remember Kardex's?!) but it works out nicely for me and the satisfaction that comes with this type of nursing can't be beat. Good luck on your interview!! Let me know the outcome.

Thanks for the info, I will let you know!

I just started orientation today at the Healthsouth in Panama City, FL. I start working in patient care tomorrow. Hope I like it!

I am a former HealthSouth RN in Las Vegas. I wound up working for HealthSouth when the stand-alone mental health facility I worked for was abruptly closed by the parent company. HealthSouth was at once a golden opportunity and an exhausting place to work.

I went straight from nursing school onto a hospital mental health unit. I relocated and went to work for another mental health facility (after a not-brief-enough stint in long term care). HealthSouth hired me, and they gave me a lot of skills I never had the opportunity to gain going straight into psychiatry from school. I learned about PICC lines, central lines, wound vacs and ventilator patients, and I dealt with scads of fresh post-ops. My facility had a comprehensive unit and a brain injury unit. I spent about half my time on each, and it was a solid learning experience from a clinical standpoint. We delivered very good care and had very good doctors. It was not a place I was ashamed to be associated with profesionally.

On the down side - they had a tendency to understaff. Our night shift RNs were sometimes carrying 18 patients apiece, which is crazy. The work is hard physically, as you do a lot of lifting and turning and assisting with transfers. This was the first place I ever worked 12-hour shifts, and I would leave literally numb at the end of my shift.

I knew when I went to HealthSouth that I would not be a rehab nurse forever. That said, they gave me a job when I had trouble finding one and they gave me clinical skills that I might not otherwise have acquired. I am grateful for the opportunity they gave me.

I have worked for H.S. for 16 years. Has it's ups and downs but really not a bad place to work, and fairly good benefits too. Pay is pretty good but the raises really suck