Rehabilitation nurses care for patients who are recovering from a serious illness or injury. There comes a point where some patients are stable enough to be discharged from acute care in the hospital, but are not strong enough to take care of themselves at home. In this circumstance, patients are referred to a rehabilitation facility.
There, they can gain strength through physical and occupational therapies, and return home when they are able. Rehabilitation nurses work with these patients to help them recover enough strength to get as close as possible to their baseline strength and independence.
Where Do Rehabilitation Nurses Work?
Rehabilitation facilities often look very similar to hospitals, with patient rooms and nurses’ stations. While a lot of patients head to rehab after discharge, some rehabilitation can be done at home or in other medical settings. As a result, rehabilitation nurses can work in a wide variety of environments:
Rehabilitation facilities (inpatient and outpatient)
Home health agencies
Hospital rehab units
Skilled nursing facilities
Department of Veterans Affairs
Long-term care facilities
Assisted living facilities
PT/OT offices
Fitness facilities
Medical offices
Insurance companies
Community centers
Government agencies
All kinds of illnesses and injuries can lead to the need for physical rehabilitation. When a patient is bed-bound for an extended time, muscles weaken, and it may take supervised training for patients to be able to take care of themselves again. Some common diagnoses that require rehab include:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amputation
Burns
Cancer
Cardiovascular events
Cerebral palsy
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Parkinson’s disease
Joint replacement surgery
Multiple sclerosis
Organ transplant
Pulmonary disease
Spinal cord injury
Stroke
Traumatic brain injury
Whichever area rehabilitation nurses work in, they help patients regain their independence and live a full life.
What Does a Rehabilitation Nurse Do?
While most of the actual physical training is performed by licensed physical and occupational therapists, rehabilitation nurses play an important role in recovery. Rehabilitation nurses treat the patient’s pain, enforce activity orders (like getting out of bed for meals), and develop nursing care plans that give their patients the best chance at a good outcome.
When patients will not be able to return home at the same level of independence, they provide a listening ear and voice of encouragement, helping patients adapt to a new lifestyle or change in physical ability.
Some typical rehabilitation nurse tasks include:
ADL ability assessment
Administering medications
Collaborating with physicians, nurse practitioners, patients, and families
Collecting laboratory samples of blood and other bodily fluids
Dressing changes
Emergency resuscitation
Head-to-toe assessment
Inserting and managing urinary catheters
Keeping patients clean and comfortable
Managing chronic tracheostomies
Monitoring and taking vital signs
Nursing care plan development and updates
Patient and family education
Providing enteral feedings through G-tubes
How Do I Become a Rehabilitation Nurse?
For those who want to become a rehabilitation nurse, the first step is to earn a nursing degree from an accredited nursing program. Rehabilitation nurses can graduate with a/an:
After they graduate, nurses can work in medical settings as graduate nurses (GNs). They can practice as GNs during their training until they take their state licensing exam, the NCLEX. After they pass the NCLEX-PN (for LPNs) or NCLEX-RN, GNs earn the title of LPNs or registered nurses (RNs). After finishing their unit orientation, LPNs and RNs can practice on their own.
After some years of experience in this specialty, rehabilitation nurses may wish to earn a specialty certification. The Association of Rehabilitation Nurses offers a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) certification, with these eligibility requirements:
Current RN license AND one of the following:
Two years experience in rehabilitation nursing within the last five years OR
One year of experience in rehabilitation nursing and one year of advanced study (beyond a bachelor’s degree) in nursing within the last 5 years.
Rehabilitation nurses can also return to school to pursue an advanced practice degree. Once a nurse graduates with a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a focus on rehabilitation, they can practice as a nurse practitioner (NP). An MSN can be finished in two years, but nurses may take longer if they want to continue working full-time during the program.
How Much Does a Rehabilitation Nurse Make Per Year?
Rehabilitation registered nurses can make the same as other RNs in a hospital or outpatient setting, with an annual average of $82,920 per year as of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In general, acute care pays more than post-acute care, so rehabilitation nurse earnings may be slightly less than the RN average. Salaries can change with location and experience, with a low-end average of $61,250 and a high-end of $129,400.
The West Coast, New England states, and Alaska pay their nurses the best, but the cost of living in these areas can also be high. The lowest paying states are in the Midwest and some southeastern states.
Licensed practical nurses may earn a little less than RNs, with an average salary of $55,860. Depending on location, an LPN can earn anywhere from $40,490 to $72,650.
The salaries for rehabilitation nurse practitioners, on the other hand, are higher than RNs, with average annual earnings of $148,960, according to BLS data from 2022. The BLS reports a low-end average of $87,340 and a high-end of $165,240. The location of employment can affect rehabilitation nurse practitioners as well, with differences similar to RNs.
The top paying areas for rehabilitation nurses and nurse practitioners include:
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Napa, CA
Vallejo-Fairfield, CA
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Yuba City, CA
Sacramento-Roseville-Arden-Arcade, CA
Are Rehabilitation Nurses in High Demand?
Nurses of all specialties are in high demand in the U.S. currently. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that 24% of U.S. hospitals have reported critical staffing shortages. The baby boomer generation is aging, and by 2030, everyone in that group will be 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As the boomers age, health issues will surface, and more may need rehabilitation services to retain their independence. As a result, rehabilitation nurses should see job opportunities increase in the years to come.
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