LTAC Exp Counts as Hospital Exp?

Good Morning, Gil · May 4, 2012

If you're talking about whether or not LTAC counts for CRNA school, it doesn't. CRNA school requires ICU experience, but I guess it depends on your LTAC's ICU whether or not that would count or not. You could just ask the CRNA schools that you're interested in, and they will tell you how to proceed.

Personally, if I were going to attend a CRNA program, I would want the highest quality ICU experience wherever that may be (as far as acuity of patients, etc). Don't know how acute your LTAC's ICU is.

If this is not what you were asking, then it's not a helpful reply lol. But, most people wanting to know if their ICU experience "counts," want to know if it will work for CRNA school. I work in an ICU, and I wish that I were remotely interested in being a CRNA since the extra money would be nice to put away for retirement, vacations, helping out the parents when they age, etc. For whatever reason, I have always been attracted to things that don't pay well. In college: wanted to be a social worker or school counselor. And, let's face it: many things pay better than nursing, but that's not why we became nurses.

As far as graduate degrees, I probably will end up going for nursing education (pending how much I enjoy precepting in the future, have only precepted once as a fill in back in the day lol, but enjoyed it), which is probably the lowest paying graduate nursing degree you can obtain since it doesn't pay any better than bedside nursing for the most part lol (if you have your masters only), but I make my career choice based on where my passion is (and there's nothing wrong with making career choice based on money, and I'm not even implying that's why you want to be a CRNA, but let's face it: if it didn't pay well, most people wouldn't bother with the intense training).

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · May 4, 2012

Short answer is no.

netglow, ASN, RN · May 5, 2012

They don't waiver the actual CC ICU experience.

Zookeeper3 · May 5, 2012

If you are looking for a basic ICU to gain a good year of skills in before moving to a high acuity one than it certainly DOES count. (NOT a lick for CRNA though). These patients are multisystem sick and are very busy. It is a great place to start before you jump head first into balloon pumps, 15 drips, ventricular assist devices and so on. It is a great base of any ICU care.

Im a travel nurse now in one of those ICU's and haven't seen a vent in the three weeks I've been here, so just be aware the acuity varies greatly from that type of ICU to others in large facilities.

mindlor · May 5, 2012

Hi all. Thanks for the replies!!

No I do not have any aspirations to be a CRNA.

I just was curious if other "regular" hospitals would respect this LTAC experience......

Cheers

sauconyrunner · May 5, 2012

I think that any experience handling vents would be respected in a hiring process. I mean, lots of RN's work at acute care facilities and never handle a vent. You need to make it very clear on your application though that you are working on a vent unit.

This does bring to mind though- we hired a traveller once to work in the ER from an LTAC. She had a lot of experience with trached patients but not a lot of experience with patients in really acute respiratory distress needing intubation...and she also had not a lot of experience at all with medications used in our setting. She eventually was fired after she documented that Respiratory was giving prednisone treatments. (Breathing tx ordered and Prednisone...she didnt understand that prednisone was a pill, not the treatment...) and was trying to give a patient 7 ml in one buttock IM. I think she was just not bright, and that this

had nothing to do with where she came from, but just be aware that you wont be working with many of the critical care meds- pts go to LTAC when they are stable enough to leave acute care.

mindlor · May 5, 2012

Understood :)

Thank you