Complex Continuing Care

[elomi18]

Hi All Nurses!

So I have been just recently hired in Complex Continuing Care Unit in a hospital and I am both excited and very nervous as well since I have not practiced in a hospital for almost 2 years now since I graduated in 2014. My recent experiences have been in Long term Care for 5 months (employed as a New Grad RN) and 4 months (pre-grad experience). I have been doing a bit of research regarding what to expect from the unit, as well as feedback from others. Although, I've heard more of people saying that its a "heavy" unit and that others have advised them "not to work in CCC unit" for whatever reason. I still do keep an optimistic and hopeful experience because I believe I will get the hands-on experience I need to grow my confidence as a nurse.

I would like to hear your opinion, especially those who do work in Complex Continuing Care unit regarding what would I expect to find and the skills I will learn in CCC, what your daily routine is like, and maybe perhaps what you like and dislike about CCC. I would greatly appreciate the feedback and thank you for your time.

[loriangel14, RN]

Where are you located? I have worked CCC for 8 years and I love it. We have a mix of rehab, palliative and patients waiting for LTC placement.

[elomi18]

I'm located on Ontario, Canada and currently working in one of the hospitals in the GTA :) Ohh thats good that there's a mix of rehab, palliative, and patients waiting for LTC placement.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

I'm not familiar with the CCC term, but sounds like LTAC? Long term acute care? If so, yes it's heavy work, but you will learn a lot. If you hop on over to the LTAC/LTACH forum under Nursing Specialties, I've posted replies to some "new to LTACH, any advice?" type threads. I worked in one for about a year and a half, and learned a lot even as an experienced, then-former ICU RN. Esme12, one of the most knowledgeable RNs on here, has some helpful info on there, too. She used to manage one, I believe.

[loriangel14, RN]

Yes I'm in Ontario too. I think our CCC units are different than what is in the US. They aren't acute patients but can still be heavy. My floor is mostly staffed with RPNs and we have no RN on nights at all. I really like the patients but it's not for everyone.

[elomi18]

Ohhh i see.. So is it really like LTC when the RPNs usually give the meds and do wound treatments, etc and the RNs do a lot of paperwork for the most part? I know its quite similar to LTC.. But what would be some of the differences? And is it the same as LTC when there's one Charge nurse in the unit?

[loriangel14, RN]

Our unit has just an RN on days and evenings( they work 8s) and no RN on nights. The RPNs work 12 hour nights and days. Our charges have no assignment but help out on the floor. It's not neccessarily like LTC because we are rehab so we get younger patients too. Some are post MVAs and we get some ABIs too.