Acute care vs acute rehab, fearing stagnation

[_littlemissBSN, BSN, RN]

Hello nurses! First off, I'd like to share a bit about myself: I'm a recent grad and I currently work at an acute rehabilitation hospital. I'm almost 2 months in on my own after 6 weeks of orientation.

I was initially not confident working in an acute care setting because I felt I would be overwhelmed, so I accepted the acute rehab nursing job and thought that this might be a good start for me - practicing the basics without getting too overwhelmed given that my patients have lower acuity in comparison despite the 7 to 8-patient workload.

2 months of experience is nothing for a new grad and I know for a fact that there is so much more to learn. The thing is, I'm aware that I'm not going to learn it all in one place and so I may have to eventually find a job in an acute care setting. I wish to keep honing my nursing knowledge and skills while I'm trying to find that particular nursing field where I'd truly like to be at.

Also, since I do not have an experience in an acute care setting (besides my clinical experience as a student nurse), I would like to know what else are the differences between acute care and acute rehab besides the acuity of the patients and length of hospital stay? My workers tend to say that our place feels like a "med-surg unit" since some patients aren't even stable enough to be there and the workload is heavy. Thing is, I'm not sure if they have an acute care experience, so I don't know how reliable that statement is.

Lastly, how difficult do you think would it be for me to transition to an acute care with my rehab experience?

Thank you! Would appreciate your advice!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

At two months in, you have about 1/12th of the experience you need to become a competent nurse. You have plenty of time to look around for your niche in nursing.

You will find that only someone who has worked both in acute care and on your particular floor will have an accurate idea of how your floor compares. I've worked acute care for forty years, and I couldn't begin to answer the question because I have no idea what acute rehab is like. If you see floats, agency nurses or travelers, they're the ones to ask.

Concentrate on learning the basics now; you can start looking around for your next job when you're closer to the two year mark. By then, you should have an accurate idea of what you do and don't like about your job and about what you might like to do next.

[cleback]

Even in acute care you won't learn it all. Many medsurg floors have specialties (neuro, ortho, oncology) so the position that you can see/do everything is more of a nursing unicorn than reality. nurses learn what they need to know and what interests them. As you get more experience, try to see what cases and populations are most enjoyable for you and pursue that field. Also consider your work-life balance and what kind of job you will fit your lifestyle best as well.

Best wishes!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

One never learns it ALL. Ideally, you learn something new every day.

[_littlemissBSN, BSN, RN]

Thank you for your replies! I appreciate it. Ruby Vee, you're right and that I should be asking those who have experience in both acute care and acute rehab to get a more realistic comparison between the two specialties.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I went from working in an acute rehab for ortho pts (mostly total joints) and then got a great job on an ortho unit in acute care. the experience of dealing with post-op ortho pts was invaluable. So, depending on the population that you are caring for, you can look for an acute care position related to what you are currently doing.