Too Smart for Rehab Nursing

Specialties Rehabilitation

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I am too smart for Rehab Nursing.

This is what I hear whenever I tell people that I enjoy working in acute rehab and that when I am done with nursing school this Fall I think I am going to stick around on the rehab floor. I am a Nurse Tech who has worked on this floor for about a year. I am an A student who gets rave reviews from my clinical instructors. "Work in cardiac!" I hear often, "Go to progressive care!" "Rehab?!? You're too smart for rehab, you'll get BORED"

Bored?!? Have these people ever been on a rehab floor? They seem to think all we do is give pain meds and take teetering old ladies to the bathroom. Rehab combines med/surg nursing with a great deal of psych nursing and ortho nursing AND neuro nursing AND oncology nursing! We get all sorts of people on this floor! You have to be ready for anything.

Also, I enjoy the patients. I like getting to know them and their families and there is no greater joy than watching the patient that was not able to even move his/her legs on arrival finally stand up and take a few steps for the first time. Rehab nursing is about being a cheerleader some days and a drill sergeant the next. You have to use tough love sometimes. . .but also know when to just hug a patient and let them cry. We also laugh a lot on my floor.

Yes, there is a TON of paperwork for the nurses (I hear them cursing FIMs every day). Yes, it is physically hard. Yes, there are a lot of pain meds. No, there isn't the constant excitement of Trauma nursing or ICU. But there is magic and fulfillment and some days you truly do feel like a guardian angel.

Does anyone else love working in rehab and hate the comments about how boring it is and how a "smart nurse" shouldn't work there? Because some days I start to doubt myself and I start to think that maybe I should go to a med/surg or tele floor when I graduate -- I am afraid of being pigeon-holed forever as a "rehab nurse" But would that be the worst thing in the world?

Thank you for this thread. I graduate in May. I just finished my neuro rotation. At first, I was bummed not to be assigned to the prestigious neuro hospital; I wouldn't get to see all those people who were acutely ill after a CVA, TBI, SCI, etc. I got assigned to acute rehab instead. Boy, was I glad! I felt so... at HOME in that place. It has everything I love about nursing: different medical problems and different acuity levels (not boring!), education, education, education of patients (did I mention education? LOL), psych skills are a must, families are involved in the patients' care, pain management skills are needed... I could go on. I love the idea of seeing patients come in in very bad shape and start to improve. Even in a week's time I could see some patients were already making amazing progress. I asked my clinical instructor if I should do med/surg first, since that is what I have heard so often. She said, "If you want to do rehab, do rehab!". Bless her. I don't know if I'll get a job in rehab right away, but I will definitely be looking and will keep looking.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.
Thank you for this thread. I graduate in May. I just finished my neuro rotation. At first, I was bummed not to be assigned to the prestigious neuro hospital; I wouldn't get to see all those people who were acutely ill after a CVA, TBI, SCI, etc. I got assigned to acute rehab instead. Boy, was I glad! I felt so... at HOME in that place. It has everything I love about nursing: different medical problems and different acuity levels (not boring!), education, education, education of patients (did I mention education? LOL), psych skills are a must, families are involved in the patients' care, pain management skills are needed... I could go on. I love the idea of seeing patients come in in very bad shape and start to improve. Even in a week's time I could see some patients were already making amazing progress. I asked my clinical instructor if I should do med/surg first, since that is what I have heard so often. She said, "If you want to do rehab, do rehab!". Bless her. I don't know if I'll get a job in rehab right away, but I will definitely be looking and will keep looking.

You just summed up everything I love about it. I also love the team atmosphere because you are all working toward the same goal--getting the pt better. I only wish the rest of the nursing world knew this.

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Specializes in Rehab Nursing.

thank you for this thread, everyone. i haven't gotten around to reading all the posts, but the ones i read made my day. i worked in ltc for a year and went on to acute rehab. my unit is the first jcaho certified stroke rehab program in the state of massachusetts and one of a few in new england. that is exciting news for our staff, but still people say i'm "too smart" for rehab. i'm not too smart, i'm smart and i'm right where i belong. i love working with geriatrics (which a lot of the people i graduated nursing school with think that in and of itself is low on the nursing totem pole) and i love seeing them come in at their lowest and literally walk out the door. it's an amazing feeling. yes, sometimes i feel like those icu nursing are so smart (which they are) but i am done feeling like they are smarter. they have a different skill set than i do and the nursing world needs us all! i love having the same patients every day for weeks at a time. i love seeing the progress and i love seeing family members who love seeing me every day!:heartbeat sometimes i think of how exciting it would be to be an er nurse, but i know i am good at what i do and i like what i do. i am good at what i do and i use it to my advantage. i have learned so much and i know there is more to learn.

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Specializes in ER, ARNP, MSN, FNP-BC.

Just an FYI, don't think of the ER as just adrenalin .... we get to share in patient triumphs too, just for a shorter period LOL. We need caring empathetic nurses too :up:

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I work 3-1130 in acute inpatient rehab. My pt load last night was 7. I had a 30yo s/p cva secondary to drug abuse, incontinent, aphasia, behaviors; a 50yo s/p cva, MI, morbidly obese, PICC that was not giving me blood return on 2 lumens, immobile, massive BLE edema/cellulitis with multiple dressing changes, IVABX; 2 elders s/p stroke, diabetics, IVABX, saline lock changes, 1 s/p brain surgery, 1 TBI with left LE amp with IV meds, 1s/p CABGx3 with CVA. 4 of these pts were on telemetry monitors, all were q15m safety checks, 3 were void trials with bladder scanning 2x per shift, 3 were g-tube feedings. Sound BORING??? I learn something new every night. But I do hate the documentation for medicare.

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Specializes in Rehab Nursing.
just an fyi, don't think of the er as just adrenalin .... we get to share in patient triumphs too, just for a shorter period lol. we need caring empathetic nurses too :up:

i'm sorry, i didn't mean anything bad by it, i hope you didn't take my post wrong!!! i just meant i would love to work in an er, but i have realized after my time as a nurse i like working with patients for a longer period. i've also thought of working in an acute neuro floor, but sometimes you have patients for a few days (sometimes longer) but i really like seeing them for weeks and watching their progress. personal preference. again, i meant no offense!

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Wow, I love these posts!

I started out in rehab as a nurse tech. I was told initially that I would either Love or hate rehab. When I graduated nursing school my nurse manager would not hire me straight out of nursing school. She stated that she did not hire new grads she wanted nurses with a certain skill set....etc...I went to ER. I have been in the ER for 3 years. I have NOT been happy! There is a lot of drama in my ER. Plus I miss seeing my pts get better, but I continued to think it will get better I'll get happy. Finally I had a long coversation with my ER manager we both agreed ER was not for me he said it was nothing about my nursing or me that I was not "flourishing" in the ER and that he wanted me to flourish. I have hated my job for a while. Dreaded going to work etc. Again nothing against the staff or patients just not happy. I don't feel like I get to "help" people..sure we "snatch people from the jaws of death" but I missed the follow up. The seeing them get to go home!

I immediately thought of rehab I have missed it SO MUCH!!!! I am now hired and will soon be transferring. Some of the nurses I work with have rolled their eyes and said I couldn't do Rehab I'd get bored. Rehab nursing is easy. Yes I do admit...Rehab CAN be a slower pace than ER....The patients are GENERALLY lower acuity they are soon to go home. I have even heard "rehab nurses aren't real nurses" It drives me crazy but was starting to make me doubt myself! This post has helped that so much and thanks for the great encouragement and reminders!!:redbeathe:nurse::redbeathe

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Specializes in Acute Care, Rehab, Palliative.

Yeah I have been on a rehab/palliative/complex continuing care unit since I graduated and my former classmates ask me when I am going to get a real nursing job.

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

I have worked in both med/surg and acute rehab. You use alot of the same skills. Last week in acute rehab I was monitoring a heparin drip, drawing type&cross and hanging prbc and ffp. You do have to have skills in all settings. I dont know why rehab gets such a bad rap.

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Specializes in I/DD.

My two cents:

I'm not a Rehab nurse (well...not really a nurse yet, but graduating in a week), and I am not going into rehab, at least not in my immediate future. However I did do clinical on a Rehab unit and have the utmost respect for these nurses. I was impressed with the collaboration between disciplines and the active role the nurse plays in getting their patients physically and mentally ready to go home. They also had very acutely ill patients (stroke) and needed to be prepared for any rapid turn of events. The students who were a year before me told me that Rehab clinical was like working in a glorified nursing home, but they couldn't be more wrong! I think that what I struggle hardest with as I enter the nursing community is the lack of respect between disciplines. All nursing is "real" nursing, we just need to recognize that different nurses deliver different kinds of care depending on what the patient needs!

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Specializes in Occupational Health Nurse/ case manager.
My two cents:

I'm not a Rehab nurse (well...not really a nurse yet, but graduating in a week), and I am not going into rehab, at least not in my immediate future. However I did do clinical on a Rehab unit and have the utmost respect for these nurses. I was impressed with the collaboration between disciplines and the active role the nurse plays in getting their patients physically and mentally ready to go home. They also had very acutely ill patients (stroke) and needed to be prepared for any rapid turn of events. The students who were a year before me told me that Rehab clinical was like working in a glorified nursing home, but they couldn't be more wrong! I think that what I struggle hardest with as I enter the nursing community is the lack of respect between disciplines. All nursing is "real" nursing, we just need to recognize that different nurses deliver different kinds of care depending on what the patient needs!

You are not a full-fledged nurse yet, yet you have a wonderful attitude that alot of nurses do not share. Some look down on other specialties while forgeting it is ALL about the patient. There are many nurses who show "lateral violence or agression". Check out this term and you will see how some nurses, especially, seasoned nurses "eat their young".!!:)

http://www.nursingworld.org/mods/mod440/lateralfull.htm

(P.S. I used to work for the 2nd best-ranking rehab hospital in the Nation and saw first-hand literally miraculous recoveries due to the colloborative efforts of the team. So, before, rehab nursing is "pooh-poohed" one should find out more!)

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Specializes in psych nursing/certified Parish Nurse.

you dear Rehab nurses, it was gratifying reading your posts--you have everything to be proud of... and nothing to feel "you are too smart" about... (excuse the dangling participles).

by not having special "categories" of patients, you are free to think "outside the box" and use your creativity... all too often left behind in the other fields. In medicine we have all pretty much left behind creative thought--and are "boxing in" everything we do, as well as our patients.

the sad state of medicine right now is this "categorization" of the human person and brain... which the up-to-date scientists are correct in saying, "we are only in the infancy stages of knowing anything about the complex human brain: the most complex thing we know in the universe." we do this categorizing of each other, our patients, and most of the world. this does not leave us free to think creatively--and in the end, lovingly.

the less we limit ourselves and our patients, the more "healing" will occur. I read someone comment disparagingly about "the power of positive thinking" somewhere recently... and I must say, since that person limited positive thinking, that person limited himself. heroes don't think in self-limiting (thusly God-limiting) ways: it is they "who get the job done." Athletes are being trained to think in this way--why isn't everyone else?

:nurse:

I love you, rehab nurses! Keep the faith!

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