Sniff

Much to my surprise, I'm actually enjoying my clinical rotation at a SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility)! This could be another sign that I should give up my original plan to work in acute care. I think I may focus my job search more on the rehab side of things. I don't want to rule out acute care completely, because I still like the hospital setting, but I'm finding that I really LOVE rehab.

A SNF isn't what you make think. A lot of people think a SNF is a nursing home (if they've even heard of the term at all) and so they're turned off at the idea of working there. There are some long term care residents at the SNF where I work, but there's also an entire unit of rehab patients who are staying there for only a short time before they get discharged home. Those are the patients I get to treat.

I like working with patients who are deconditioned after a long hospital stay. We work on strengthening exercises, balance, range of motion, endurance, and of course transfers and gait. It's fun to come up with an exercise plan to get these patients back to their prior level of function. My patients are adorable! I really enjoy working with them.

I thought of this clinic as one to "get through". I didn't think I would like it all that much, but I find that I actually look forward to seeing my patients each day. It gives me renewed confidence that this is the right career path for me. I'm antsy about looking for a job right now because there are so many possibilities once I graduate! My number one goal is to find a job that I'll enjoy, where I'll get to help people return to the activities that they love, and where I'll feel like I'm making a difference in people's lives. I'm excited to try to look for a job like that in the coming months!