SPECIALTY INFO REQUEST

mom and nurse · Feb 19, 2004

Originally posted by Oramar
I feel I need to mention the down side of rehab nursing. The patients are supposed to come to you in a stable medical condition....NOT! Also, since even the stable ones have recently been very ill they can become unstable very quickly. These units are staffed for stable patients. I have frequently find myself doing one on one nursing while waiting for patients to be transfered to a unit where they can be cared for at the level they need. You would be shocked at how long that takes in some instances. I find myself reaching very deep into my med/surg, telemetry experience to find the skills I need to care for such unstable people.

Thanks Oramar - I've started my practicum in a small rehab hospital and yes, I've noticed that basically it is med surg. Though it appears the patients do come to the hospital in stable condition, many are older and have very serious health problems. I'm really impressed by the nursing staff though. They do a lot of teaching and seem to enjoy what they do.

minnib · Apr 16, 2004

Hello All,

Just my 2 cents....I LOVE REHAB nursing!! I am an LPN an just transferred from an MH/MR facility my only job for 2 years straight from school, so I went to a community hospital's rehab unit night shift. Sometimes pt load is 24 with RN, LPN and an aide. I am sooooooo very glad I picked this unit to start out in in a hospital(and will probably choose this as my speciality) we all work together and I do have tons of time to work on my assessment skills, a mostly geri pop. they love the attention:-) I get to see some M/S stuff and we get no new admitts during the evening. My friend works in the ICU (RN) she is tired of getting 3 pts with major problems and not getting support from some of the other staff so hopefully she will come up. Sometimes though it is tough on your back, you must use excellent body mechanics esp., on this unit. I just love really feeling like I am helping my pts and they are so appreciative:-) I hope this helps, please email me w/ any questions or comments.

Melinda

mom and nurse · Apr 16, 2004

Thanks Minnib - So far I've really enjoyed rehab nursing as a nursing student. I'm curious how it would feel though as a full time employee.

Did you say 24 patients? Most of the nurses at our facility do not have more than 7 (though I've seen the nurse/patient ratio up as high as 9 or 10). That's definitely right about the body mechanics. (So does that mean that the RN has 12 patients and you have 12 patients? with one aide....)

How do you get all your charting done for 24 patients. Is it done by flowsheet? Or perhaps since you work nights, the LPNs and RNs have more time to chart?

minnib · Apr 16, 2004

Hi MomandNurse,

yes 24 pts at the most but not everyone needs a full assessment and the 2 nurses split the assignment but help each other if needed when census is low the aide or LPN will be pulled. This is long term rehab so our pts are stable and yes they are stable!, you may have an occasional code. We use FIM charting(pain in the butt at times) but not bad mostly and yes we use flow sheets. We have long stretches of really quiet times and other times we have some busy nights where lots of pts want pain meds and ^ to the BR but it is never crazy where you are pulling your hair out and cursing your coworkers! The docs are even mostly laid back and it is over all a positive environment. Some nurses have left because they wanted more excitement. so no; you won't get much excitement in here unless you think that the the young woman who has MS that could hardly take any steps for over 2 yrs has just walked 40 feet down the hallway is exciting I DO!!! and I almost cried when she told me her accomplisments for the day! But anyway thats the great thing about nursing, their is room for all of us and our personalities. Take care.

Melinda

"I'd rather have 15 minutes of something wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special"

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mom and nurse · Apr 17, 2004

Thanks Minnib - Yes - I have enjoyed rehab nursing. I'm not much for excitement and the 3 doctors onsite at our rehab hospital are very laid back. I feel comfortable talking to them. Yes, the nurses help each other out too at our rehab facility. The average length of stay at our facility is about 3 weeks.

I know what you mean about excitement. I get excited when I see a person who came in and could hardly move, pushing herself down the hallway. My last day of practicum. Monday and I am really going to miss the place. I will probably end up back there when I graduate. THe nurses have been fantastic.

Thanks for your reply :balloons: