Is this considered acute experience?

[caseyuptonurse]

I work in a freestanding acute rehab hospital. We deal with brian injury, strokes, spinal cord injury, COPD deconditioning, cardiac deconditioning, ortho, and more. I feel like I'm on a med-surg floor at times. I have between 7-10 patients on nights. I have had heparin drips, blood administration, running IVs, trachs, vents, wound care, dialysis, PICCs to draw labs from, LVADS, and more. I've had stat orders to give blood and stat orders to start IVs and fluids and more. When someone starts to decline to the point that we can't help them from avoiding respiratory distress or cardiac arrest we call 911 to get them sent to an acute hospital. I just wonder if what I do is considered acute for when I do start applying to new jobs. I'm a new grad and I love where I work. I'm just concerned about the future and when I want to go to an acute hospital if they will consider my experience acute or not.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I just wonder if what I do is considered acute for when I do start applying to new jobs.

I also work at a freestanding acute rehabilitation hospital and no, most employers do not consider it acute care experience. They consider rehab post-acute care experience unless the nursing practice took place on a cardiac rehab unit, neuro rehab unit, or acute rehab unit inside a general acute care hospital.

However, with the experience we have, we are more likely to be hired at an acute care hospital than the nurse who has only worked in long term care.

[caseyuptonurse]

Thank you for clarifying! I find relief that they don't consider it as LTC because I honestly do feel as though I am working on a med-surg floor at times. It seems like the quicker the hospitals want to get their patients to rehab, the sicker they are for us.

[Loo17]

Thank you for clarifying! I find relief that they don't consider it as LTC because I honestly do feel as though I am working on a med-surg floor at times. It seems like the quicker the hospitals want to get their patients to rehab, the sicker they are for us.

I think you could easily say you work in subacute rehab and describe the med-surg type patients you care for.

[Nierdo]

I work in an inpatient acute rehab unit in a hospital. Ive been told many times from many hospitals we are more sub-acute and do not really have the acute care experience needed for other floors. I beg to differ. We get alot of the same patients! I consider this acute care.

I've gotten interviews for ortho and neuro floors recently because of the rehab care we give. Since alot of our guys are splints/casts/braces/TKA/THAs or stoke guys they at least take notice. There is hope!!! Just talk up your med-surgy guys

Also look into spinal cord units since they can be an extension of rehab like patients too

[caseyuptonurse]

I work in an inpatient acute rehab unit in a hospital. Ive been told many times from many hospitals we are more sub-acute and do not really have the acute care experience needed for other floors. I beg to differ. We get alot of the same patients! I consider this acute care.

I've gotten interviews for ortho and neuro floors recently because of the rehab care we give. Since alot of our guys are splints/casts/braces/TKA/THAs or stoke guys they at least take notice. There is hope!!! Just talk up your med-surgy guys

Also look into spinal cord units since they can be an extension of rehab like patients too

I actually work on a spinal cord injury unit now! Haha. But since posting this I have already received two interviews for stepdown units that I'm considering. So there is hope!