Health South Rehab Hospital?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2008

There are multiple Healthsouth Rehabilitation hospitals in and around my area (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas). All of the nurses I've met who have ever worked at their facilities say it was one of the best jobs they ever had.

DoGood2u · Apr 2, 2008

HealthSouth sounds like a decent place to work. I did my first clinical rotation at a HealthSouth in my city. The nurses all seemed nice but the LNAs always seemed overworked.

Even so.......I got an externship there this summer in between first and second year. I may even want to work there after I graduate.

The company is stable.

Do you think their benefits are good?

lvs2nrs3535 · Apr 10, 2008

Expect high acuity patients, we got them from the ICU, with trachs, pegs, on precautions of all kinds..IV's of all types with TPN and mediports, picc lines and more...

Its a wonderful learning opportunity for a new nurse, because (at least at our facility)

you have a charge nurse to go to when unsure.

This can be frustrating as you gain experience and you are overruled, especially when it turns out you were correct.

Also, be very careful about your fellow nursing staff. Another nurse who was a float stepped into a room where I was feeding a red spoon patient in a supine position, made a 10 second evaluation of the situation, and accused me of unsafe nursing. Although I proved later, I had the doctor come in and evaluate the patient, (the patient had no swallowing issues..only pain and limited ROM issues) and I was actually acting under that doctors orders...this nurse was a favorite of the Nurse Manager and DON....and my life subsequently became hell.

I eventually had to leave my job. They changed my schedule to one I could not work, and when I told my nurse manager that...she said, well..dont work it, and its no call no show..and your done. Im miserable about it...but a lesson learned.

Be careful whose toes you step on.

They just might be attached to a butt you should be kissing.

This nurse actually caused my patient pain and harm with her actions...but somehow...Im the one out.

Now...I do NOT believe this applies to Healthsouth as a rule. I think its an everywhere anywhere thing. I was in the right. That did not matter...and Im now fighting for my license....after getting unemployement..(which I actually only collected for 4 weeks)

The DON wrote a letter to my state board accusing me of multiple med errors, ect....

My life is hell...nursing IS my life...I suppose I should start my own thread on this and ask for advice...

But...back on topic...I loved my job...its rewarding to have patients for 4-6 weeks, and help them back to the highest level of functioning they can achieve, and they love you for it also. I miss it sooo much.

Mooch206 · Apr 26, 2008

:nurse: I recently had an interview with Healthsouth for an LPN position. They didn't let me know anything during the interview and I really didn't tell them anything about myself. The only questions they asked were "why should Healthsouth hire you"? and "do you have IV experience" however, if you don't that's ok. I got called a couple days later and offered a job, but I have to set up a meeting to go over the benefits and offer. From what I've read and heard from others, they don't really make an offer until they find out if you are going to take benefits or not. I believe they pay more if you don't enroll in benefits. They also pay more if you are flex or on call.

It's a great sign that you got an interview, because if they don't have an opening, they don't call, you just get filed. So Good luck to you.

HouTXRN · Apr 28, 2008

As with any facility, management affects your experience. My experience with HS in TX has been disappointing & down-right scary at times.

There's always a staffing issue, report isn't given on time, & I'm lucky to be on the floor by 0800 even though I've been there since 0630. Mgmt will throw you into any situation to cover the "assignment" board w/o giving much consideration to experience, length of employment, etc.

RN's are required to do ALL the assessments but the majority of staff are LVNs. Your assignment might be assessing 55 patients if you're the only RN that day.

I'm on my out of that place but only there PRN so that helps.

rgrgray · Jul 29, 2009

I have to say I totally agree! As a new grad i do not recommend them. Esp. in the houston conroe area! All they care about is filling the gaps..not how much exp. you have! They just want to get the job done without consideration of your lic. or the pt.s safety! Im learning the hard way!

JerzeeMike · Jul 30, 2009

I recently took a position as a staff RN at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ and I have to say I'm so glad I found this place. The facility is under 10 years old, it's pretty well staffed by nurses but we run short of CNAs when we have lots of 1:1 observations. Having come from an acute care hospital to a specialty hospital like HealthSouth was quite a surprise. There's no floating to other units and not the usual hospital politics that you find in other places. All in all, it's been a really positive experience thus far. All the nurses I've worked with have really gone out of their way to welcome me there and make sure I get well oriented to the facility. I think you'll like it there.

JerseyGir1 · Jul 31, 2009

JerzeeMike-- I am a new grad and have an interview at another HealthSouth location in NJ. Do you have any tips on interviewing (what they will ask, what I should ask?) Any info would be appreciated!

JerzeeMike · Jul 31, 2009

JerseyGir1--They ask you about any past experience you've had in healthcare. What brought you to nursing and how you feel about patient care. The HealthSouth I work at is very concerned with nurses working with mutual respect and professionalism toward one another while delivering superior care to our patients. They let you know that they are acute rehab and that you won't get the experience in critical care nursing a lot of new grads are looking for right out of school but in the job market in NJ right now I say give them a good look. I was very surprised that they pay better than many of the hospitals in my area (Jersey shore).

It's a lot of work and they still chart the old-fashioned way (anyone remember Kardex's?!) but it works out nicely for me and the satisfaction that comes with this type of nursing can't be beat. Good luck on your interview!! Let me know the outcome.

JerseyGir1 · Jul 31, 2009

Thanks for the info, I will let you know!

RITA2007 · Aug 5, 2009

I just started orientation today at the Healthsouth in Panama City, FL. I start working in patient care tomorrow. Hope I like it!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Aug 6, 2009

I am a former HealthSouth RN in Las Vegas. I wound up working for HealthSouth when the stand-alone mental health facility I worked for was abruptly closed by the parent company. HealthSouth was at once a golden opportunity and an exhausting place to work.

I went straight from nursing school onto a hospital mental health unit. I relocated and went to work for another mental health facility (after a not-brief-enough stint in long term care). HealthSouth hired me, and they gave me a lot of skills I never had the opportunity to gain going straight into psychiatry from school. I learned about PICC lines, central lines, wound vacs and ventilator patients, and I dealt with scads of fresh post-ops. My facility had a comprehensive unit and a brain injury unit. I spent about half my time on each, and it was a solid learning experience from a clinical standpoint. We delivered very good care and had very good doctors. It was not a place I was ashamed to be associated with profesionally.

On the down side - they had a tendency to understaff. Our night shift RNs were sometimes carrying 18 patients apiece, which is crazy. The work is hard physically, as you do a lot of lifting and turning and assisting with transfers. This was the first place I ever worked 12-hour shifts, and I would leave literally numb at the end of my shift.

I knew when I went to HealthSouth that I would not be a rehab nurse forever. That said, they gave me a job when I had trouble finding one and they gave me clinical skills that I might not otherwise have acquired. I am grateful for the opportunity they gave me.