Critical Access Hospitals

[LetsChill]

Hey all -

Do any of you have insight into the day to day life of a provider working in a critical access facility (rural/regional facility with less than 25 beds)? What do you wish you had there that you would find in a larger facility? Do you prefer a smaller facility over a larger one? Why or whynot?

Thanks for taking time to answer these questions!

Lets Chill

[Cwoods]

Hey all -

Do any of you have insight into the day to day life of a provider working in a critical access facility (rural/regional facility with less than 25 beds)?

What do you wish you had there that you would find in a larger facility? Do you prefer a smaller facility over a larger one? Why or whynot?

Thanks for taking time to answer these questions!

Lets Chill

First, didn't you have some weird stick figure thing as your picture? What happened to that!?

Full disclosure, I'm still in school and I'll start hospitalist clinicals this month; however, I have been a nurse at a CA hospital for my entire carreer.With that, I'll take a stab at this.

As I'm sure you are aware, resources are minimal. At my hosptial, there are minimal to no specialty docs. We have OB, Ortho, Urology, ENT (sometimes). That's about it. There is no consulting so it leaves the providers exposed. That can be good and bad. I've had some stellar IM docs that work codes better than EM...but there are some other ones that...well... you get it. The nurses can be the same way. I assume that it's that way in every facility; however, in a CA facility, it is just you.

Be sharp and sure of yourself. There is only 1 provider at a time for the most part.

That being said, the community is small and everyone will know you very quickly. I personally enjoy that part of it.

I'll have a little more insight after this year. I know this isn't any new information but I thought I'd get the thread started. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[LetsChill]

Lol my pic has always been the same. Thanks for the info tho. I'm quite autonomous currently at my tertiary care facility, working nights with no physician there, taking call for our team's 80 pts and doing 10-15 admits a night. It'll be a change of pace though I'm sure!