Need help deciding to go into rehab nursing?

[payday]

I'm not familiar with rehab nursing. If you find it's not your cup of tea after a while, what kinds of other jobs does it prepare you for? What kind of skills do you use?

This rehab is connected with a large city hospital.

Thanks

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

Never done anything but. However, those who have something to compare it with have told me it gave them a good basis for med-surg and especially helped with time management- you're juggling a number of pt, each with his/her own array of chronic diseases. Where I work each unit is semi-specialized. Mine is cardio-pulmonary. Others are spinal cord injury or brain injury so there can be a heavy neuro componant.

[mom and nurse]

I agree with the previous poster. Our rehab hospital has not only the usual ortho patients (hip and knee replacements), but also Spinal cord injury patients, patients recovering from strokes, patients recovering from gunshot wounds and motor vehicle accidents. I remember hearing someone call it med surg "light" though we deal with patients on Oxygen, IV's, etc. In rehab nursing the patient has gone through the "Trauma" phase and is now dealing with the psychosocial issues of having their lives altered forever. In rehab nursing you get to know the patients and their families and celebrate with them as they improve day by day in their ability to perform their ADLs, or when they are able to go from a wheelchair to a walker. Many come back to visit us and thank us after they have left the hospital. They enjoy showing us how much they have improved.

Here's more information: http://www.rehabnurse.org/about/definition

and a brochure (acrobat reader is needed to view this) http://www.rehabnurse.org/profresources/makeadiff.pdf

Hope this helps. :)

[GingerSue]

Rehab - positive from my experience.

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Rough on your body... great if you like to see your patients actually improve