Hospital Units with Longest patient stays

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Specializes in Coronary Care.

Hi everyone,

I am currently a BSN student. I have worked as a CNA in both an assisted living facility and a hospital. I actually enjoy the long-term relationships developed in an assisted living facility versus the quick turnaround in the medical surgical unit of my local community hospital. My question is is which hospital units have longer patient stays and the opportunity to really get to know the patients? I like working with infants and children but I also work well with the geriatric population. Thoughts anyone?

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Oncology. You'll see them multiple times, often for weeks at a time for treatment and recovery.

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Burns. You get a person with major burns requiring multiple grafts. Add a bad inhalation injury and an extensive rehab and then you will have a person whose stay is measured in months.

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Pediatric oncology. Some kids are there 6+ months

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

NICU...we have some kids up to a year.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Another vote for oncology. We have had patients pushing a year in our BMTU. This isn't like long term care where it's the expectation, though. Everyone involved in the care of these patients is very frustrated, the patient is usually very depressed, the family is at their whit's end. The patient often dies when they've been there that long.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab.

LTAC hospitals might be a good fit. They patients are chronically ill, trachs, vents, massive would care. Typical length of stay is 4 weeks. It's a challenging environment but I loved getting to know my patients and seeing them progress. Staffing is generally very poor though.

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Specializes in ICU.

Dialysis! You can have the same patients' for 20 years!

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Specializes in LTC, med/surg, hospice.

Inpatient rehab within hospital

Oncology unit

Some general medical floors

LTAC

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

Another burn vote. We've had patients that stayed 12-13 months. It definitely is a unique specialty.

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Specializes in Coronary Care.

Thanks everyone! I was thinking along the lines of NICU or pediatric Oncology if I wanted to work with younger patients, but I haven't thought about the burn units...thanks everyone!

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Specializes in Med/surg, Onc.

Some burn units do pediatrics as well. Burns aren't something everyone is comfortable doing and it's a small market too. Definitely worth learning more about. Most people think I'm crazy that I love it.

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