Oh my gosh!!! (found the rural nursing forum)

[Ted]

I JUST found this forum!

(Got to get away from the "Off Topic" forum more often!!!!)

I'll be posting here more often. (Be afraid. Be very afraid.)

Just for the books. I work for probably THEE smallest hospital in Massachusettes! We've just been designated a "Critical Care Access Facility". No one knows what the heck that means except that we get full %% in Medicare reimbursements. But because of this, we can only have 15 acute care patients in the hospital at one time. . . including the med/surg floor, the maternity floor and the ICU/CCU (where I work).

Total beds in our hospital??? Let me count in my head (which really hurts by the way!). . . . 32 beds including the E.R.

Yep! We're a small, rural, community hospital. And I'm still surprised to find that we all have a job there because. . . because. . . because. . . there are days when we have less than FIVE patients in the whole facility! One time, not too long ago, we only had one!

I love my job! Can't ship the really sick ones out fast enough!

Cheers to you all! :)

Ted

[joni p]

Now see, Im like the other poster and thought that the hosp that I work at was small. We have 152 beds. I guess it is small in comparison to the one I can from was a major teaching hospital here in the state.

Hey everyone!

I too work in a small rural hospital. There are 2 other hjospitals in this county. I came from a Large teaching facility in the State capitol. What a change!

I would like to see the three hospitals come together as one and expand the services

We do the critical access thing. But we have only 5-6 acute care beds and 40 LTCU beds that have bascally kept the place open for many years. It is too bad the Acute care nurses do not appreciate The LTCU. there is a great deal of strife between the 2 units. Most of the nurses that work here have grown up here and never worked any place else. We don't even have 24 hr lab operations. And XRay doesn't like to come in on the weekends.

But I guess things are supposedly improving. We have 2 new Doc's (who came from the same facility as me in the state capitol). Hopefully the Boy's Club that already exists will not hinder the new doc's from progressing this place.

Pray for us.

[rondafan]

I also work in a small rural hospital..... 22 beds 2 of which are designated OB, 2 of which are used for storage but can be cleaned out if needed for high census. We have a 2 bed ER but have triaged in the hall & placed in old ICU rooms. We have a lot of nursing homes in our community so we generally have a few swing bed pt's. I've worked the big hospitals & have done home health so I'm thinking I can handle anything that walks thru the door but now I'm cross training for OR. I got a $6.00/hr raise to come here from HH. We have 2 RN's 1 LVN & 2 CNA's usually on staff so pt load is rarely over 5-6 pt's. I can't complain. I do miss the ICU setting but we have our share of excitment that rolls thru the door....lol. This town has 1100 people most of which are nursing home residents. I have had a gunshot wound & was suprised he came to us but come to find out he was trying to "loosen the piston in a motor w/ a 12 gauge shotgun" & had a forearm full of buckshot...........lmao. I'm thinking you might be a redneck if you've ever done engine repair w/ a shotgun............

[mattsmom81]

I'm thinking you might be a redneck if you've ever done engine repair w/ a shotgun............

:rotfl: Reminds me of my small hospital who's ER was always hoppin' on Saturday Night...where we could always count on seeing at least one 1 or 2 drunk cowboy rednecks who got too close to the kicking end of a bull or horse... :uhoh21:

You can tell we're both from Texas... :chuckle

[northRN]

:) HI ....

I work in VERY small rural hospital ..... 13 mixed beds .... mostly med/surg .... and a 24/7 ER .... usually very close to full .... and you never know just what will come into ER ..... riding accidents.... MVC's .... cardiac .... Have only been an RN for three years ..... (went back to school as an "old lady" ) .... and the learning curve has been steep!! .... but .... VERY interesting! ..... we are enjoying our summer here in northern Alberta, Canada .... soon ..... the snow will be a flyin'!! ..........We all belong to UNA .... United Nurses of Alberta .... a great union, with the best interest of nurses in Alberta in mind ........