Totally Disapointed

Published

I have been working on rehab floor since graduating in May of 2015 with my Associates, prior to obtaining my degree I was a LPN for 8 yrs...I feel like I am not gaining any new skills I went to school for besides taking (myrtle and frank) to the bathroom every 15 minutes and putting on there TED Hose...I will be able to switch units in a month and can no wait to move on so can get some hands on skills...Kudos to the nurses who work with these patients for years on end..But it is just not for me.

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I don't know where you're located but I had a recent meeting with a rehab adminstrator and was told how additional training for the nurses was going to be needed to deal with the rising acuities they're admittimg. It wasn't remotely close to being limited to ambulating and applying TED hose.

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Not sure what you were expecting as responses but I'm betting you offended a lot of rehab specialists. :unsure:

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

A Nursing Career can be seen as a Journey and not just a Destination.

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Specializes in Emergency Medicine.

I've said it before, I'll say it again- attitude is everything and what you make of a situation is directly correlated to what you gain from said situation.

Make the best of the situation until another opportunity comes to light. You're learning, but you just can't see the big picture in the grand scheme of things yet.

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Life is all about trade-offs. If the predictable routine is getting to you, then a switch to something less routine is good. I met nurses who left what I thought were cushy jobs because they said they were bored.

Sometimes after a chaotic, stressful day a predicable, routine job with stable patients looks so good.

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

I'm a certified rehabilitation registered nurse (CRRN) who recently left an inpatient rehab hospital job after 5+ years due to the rising acuity level.

The last time I worked there (earlier this month), four rapid responses were called within 24 hours on one unit. In addition to the garden variety CVAs, TBIs and SCIs, we took many fresh postoperative cases such as limb amputations, knee/hip arthroplasties, laminectomies, thrombectomies, cervical fusions, CABGs, mitral valve replacements, craniotomies, ORIFs, etc.

We also had a mixed bag of medical cases: pneumonias, acute coronary syndromes, ESRD on hemodialysis, poorly controlled DM, CHF exacerbations, COPD exacerbations, polyarthritis, etc.

We transfuse blood products, manage nephrostomy tubes, apply wound vacs, maintain central lines, access ports, set up CPM machines, change dressings, apply sequential compression pumps, remove sutures and staples, and perform digital bowel stimulation, just to name a few common procedural skills in the rehab setting.

I simply did not want anyone to be under the impression that no new skills are to be gained in rehabilitation nursing. It is a specialty in its own right.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Be very, very careful what you wish for.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I really have to wonder what kind of rehab unit you're working on, if all you're doing is putting on TED hose and taking patients to the bathroom. In addition to what The Commuter has already listed, nurses on my unit are trained to manage patients with LVADs. It's basically acute care, with three hours of therapy thrown on top. There's no reason you shouldn't be gaining and/or maintaining skills on a Rehab unit, unless you've already mentally checked out and all you can see is TED hose and bathroom trips.

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Not mentally checked out as you say...Worked ER as a LPN at a small rural hospital and that is what I long for again..just thought i would give floor nursing a shot..probably picked the wrong floor..been there for about 7 months a total of 3 or 4 IV sticks,,did have a lady with a wound vac but we dont manage those (only in a emergency) they have a wound care team/dept that takes care of all wounds on the floor minus some small dressing changes...I had a coworker that did have a order to hang blood and I witnessed this procedure but she said after being there for two years herself that is only the second or third one she had to do...so typically for our 12 shifts we usually do med passes, bathroom trips (because we are total care facility..No techs/pca's) and ted hose in the morning...if people are satisfied with this environment fine..but its just not for me.

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Maybe bedside nursing isn't for you. That is okay and it sounds like you are just frustrated tbh.

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Specializes in Heme Onc.
Not mentally checked out as you say...Worked ER as a LPN at a small rural hospital and that is what I long for again..just thought i would give floor nursing a shot..probably picked the wrong floor..been there for about 7 months a total of 3 or 4 IV sticks,,did have a lady with a wound vac but we dont manage those (only in a emergency) they have a wound care team/dept that takes care of all wounds on the floor minus some small dressing changes...I had a coworker that did have a order to hang blood and I witnessed this procedure but she said after being there for two years herself that is only the second or third one she had to do...so typically for our 12 shifts we usually do med passes, bathroom trips (because we are total care facility..No techs/pca's) and ted hose in the morning...if people are satisfied with this environment fine..but its just not for me.

Sounds like you just ended up at a BORING rehab.

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