Physical Rehab for new grad

Specialties Rehabilitation

Published

Would you recommend physical rehab for a new grad? I have until Tuesday to make my decision!

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

What other options do you have?

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Med Surg job that has not been supportive of new grads. Lol

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

I have been working in rehab for the past three years. However, doors will open for you professionally with a year of med/surg experience on your resume because rehab is so underappreciated.

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That was my main concern.

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I have been offered a job in a rehab unit at a local hospital but can't decide if I should take it.

I have 6 months in med Surg but am scared I won't get enough experience in rehab. Any thoughts?

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Specializes in Utilization Management.
I have been offered a job in a rehab unit at a local hospital but can't decide if I should take it.

I have 6 months in med Surg but am scared I won't get enough experience in rehab. Any thoughts?

What kind of experience are you worried about not getting per se? The acuity for inpatient rehab patients is going up, which means our patients are coming to us sicker and sicker. Granted we don't have vents or titrate drips, but we do have patients that required those things just a day or two prior to admission. We manage IV meds, do IV pushes, hang blood, tube feedings, TPN, complex dressings, etc. I felt like I worked on a med-surg floor today, except our nurse to patient ratio is much better and we have a pretty good handle on teamwork. After floating to a med-surg unit just yesterday and having the most ridiculous shift I've had in a long time (i.e. terrible patient load with no help), I will take my Rehab unit any day.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
I have been offered a job in a rehab unit at a local hospital but can't decide if I should take it.

I have 6 months in med Surg but am scared I won't get enough experience in rehab. Any thoughts?

Be careful what you ask for! I did some agency work on the side 2 years ago, (my regular job is med/surg float nurse), and this agency sent me to this 2-story rehab unit. When I walked in for orientation, it was very quiet, lots of joint issues, etc. I felt it would be a breeze. When I reported for the actual shift, my assignment was upstairs on the second floor. No problem. When I stepped off the elevator, IV pumps were sounding off, there were vents GALORE, everybody up there had a picc line, hemovacs, jp drains, you name it, they had it. The assessment was a 6-page front and back, handwritten deal, MARS and charting all done on paper, we collected our own lab samples from sputum to stool and all that in-between, we had to spin our own blood, Heaven forbid you had more than one patient on a heparin drip with the APTT due every six hours, not to mention that the blood collection had to be called for pick-up and transfer to another hospitals lab for testing and the only one with computer access for lab results viewing was the house supervisor. This facility of 'stable' patients had a code blue every week that I was there! It was like an ICU on more steroids than Lance Armstrong!!!!! No, don't go there....you wouldn't get any experience at all.:sarcastic:

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Lol.

Guess I worded that incorrectly. I am actually concerned it won't count as "med-Surg" experience.

From the interview, description and shadowing it definitely seemed just like med Surg but wasn't sure how it will count in the future, on paper.

And I do remember her saying they got new management and are getting sicker patients. Guess I was still thinking about the "stable" portion of the job description.

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