Skilled Care

What a wonderful article and a great way to educate us nurses. This Skilled nursing should be a specialty in itself if it isn't already. I've had the pleasure of working in a skilled facility and I thoroughly enjoyed taking care of those under my care. Most of them were residents but some of them were only their for a short period of time. It takes a special nurse to help patients recover when they are at their worst. The best part is seeing them leave in better heath than what they came in with. OP, skilled nursing is blessed to have a great nurse as yourself!

Great article. Way too much stigma associated with this field of nursing. It really isn't as depressing as outsiders make it out to be. Many residents thrive in nursing homes. And many of them come from truly horrible living conditions in the real world, and have a much fuller life here then they ever could have isolated in their old homes. My facility has gardens, a wood working shop, a bowling alley, a chapel, a salon and lots of other stuff I can't recall now.I'm still a little puzzled by the difference between "skilled" care and "long term" care. My elderly, confused residents who don't have a feeding tube or trach or something like that aren't really skilled nursing residents? Any nursing facility that legally has to have a licensed nurse on duty 24/7 is a skilled nursing facility, I thought.

I think this would be a great place to get those coveted med-surg skills. I did my first year and one half on a bone marrow transplant unit-way over my head. I survived. And went into psych.It sounds like a skilled facility is a good place to get to know patients as well as help them with their care. Thanks for article.

Quote from BrandonLPNGreat article. Way too much stigma associated with this field of nursing. It really isn't as depressing as outsiders make it out to be. Many residents thrive in nursing homes. And many of them come from truly horrible living conditions in the real world, and have a much fuller life here then they ever could have isolated in their old homes. My facility has gardens, a wood working shop, a bowling alley, a chapel, a salon and lots of other stuff I can't recall now.I'm still a little puzzled by the difference between "skilled" care and "long term" care. My elderly, confused residents who don't have a feeding tube or trach or something like that aren't really skilled nursing residents? Any nursing facility that legally has to have a licensed nurse on duty 24/7 is a skilled nursing facility, I thought.

What about LT ICU? Like Kindred Healthcare ICU? Would it still be considered long-term or skilled care?

I am not learned in LT ICU. However, I would assume that ICU requires skilled nursing. Perhaps there are a higher level of skilled nursing, but I am not familiar with it.Long term care is not necessarily skilled care.

Can someone please explain the difference between rehab, SNF, LTC, and skilled nursing facility? I am a nursing student and all of these different types of facilities seem to be one in the same but I don't think that is the case! I appreciate it

SNF=Skilled Nursing Facility, so that is the same thing. Explained above, however, skilled nursing is skilled in that people need a higher level of care than a LTC, which is Long Term Care, which can be just about anything, nothing but someone who needs supervision all have different levels and/or units. All are the resident's "homes" although some from both types of facilities do progress to being able to go home or in a higher functioning residential treatment facility.

Quote from jadelpnSNF=Skilled Nursing Facility, so that is the same thing. Explained above, however, skilled nursing is skilled in that people need a higher level of care than a LTC, which is Long Term Care, which can be just about anything, nothing but someone who needs supervision all have different levels and/or units.All are the resident's "homes" although some from both types of facilities do progress to being able to go home or in a higher functioning residential treatment facility.

I am currently a recent grad RN working in a SNF. I have been there 10 months. While I have learned some skills there, there is a limit on what you learn, due to the types/acuity of patients who go there and also the lack of training or mentoring. I work on the night shift with 60 patients and I am the only RN in the building. So if something happens (and something does every night), there's no one to help me or give me guidance if I don't know what to do. I worry about losing my license or getting fired all the time, since this facility uses nurses as a scape goat when something goes wrong.Furthermore, some of the RNs who work there give me a nasty attitude when I ask for help with a skill. For example, in nursing school I only had the opportunity to start an IV two times, and that is definitely not enough practice to be proficient at it, especially in dehydrated elderly people. So when I asked the RN supervisor for help in placing an IV, she gave me a nasty attitude, saying, "Oh you should have learned that in nursing school...why don't you know how to do that, you are an RN after all"...So, it's a good opportunity for a limited time, but within a year or less if you want to increase your skills you need to go to either a subacute, LTAC, or acute facility.

Quote from PeacockMaidenI am currently a recent grad RN working in a SNF. I have been there 10 months. While I have learned some skills there, there is a limit on what you learn, due to the types/acuity of patients who go there and also the lack of training or mentoring. I work on the night shift with 60 patients and I am the only RN in the building. So if something happens (and something does every night), there's no one to help me or give me guidance if I don't know what to do. I worry about losing my license or getting fired all the time, since this facility uses nurses as a scape goat when something goes wrong.Furthermore, some of the RNs who work there give me a nasty attitude when I ask for help with a skill. For example, in nursing school I only had the opportunity to start an IV two times, and that is definitely not enough practice to be proficient at it, especially in dehydrated elderly people. So when I asked the RN supervisor for help in placing an IV, she gave me a nasty attitude, saying, "Oh you should have learned that in nursing school...why don't you know how to do that, you are an RN after all"...So, it's a good opportunity for a limited time, but within a year or less if you want to increase your skills you need to go to either a subacute, LTAC, or acute facility.

Actually you are right i skilled person has better level of treatment and knows exactly what the problem is, he can better cure this instead of anyone else. I agree with you the whole article is quite informative and we need to understand these things for our own care otherwise we will be in danger.