Where do rehab nurses work?

Rehabilitation nurses play a key role in helping patients recover from chronic illness, disability, or injury. Rehab nursing allows people in recovery to regain independence and the ability for self-care.

Rehab nurses can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community and home health settings, and in dedicated rehabilitation centers or hospitals. Rehab nurses work with patients recovering from chronic illness or injury over weeks or even months as patients regain function and independence.

Whether you work in an inpatient or outpatient setting, as a rehab nurse, you’ll love the feeling of watching your patients progress. While every patient’s journey is unique, as a rehab nurse, you will help shape the patient’s path toward a higher quality of life through your work.

Whether you’re entering the field of healthcare for the first time or bringing years of nursing experience with you, rehabilitation nursing is an amazing opportunity to move forward in your career.

Types of Rehabilitation Nursing

Registered Nurses are the backbone of rehabilitation nursing teams. However, if you aren’t an RN, you can still begin a career in rehab nursing.

Depending on your education and accreditation status, you can enter the rewarding world of rehab nursing at several different levels. No matter where you enter rehabilitation nursing, there is always room for you to advance your education and career.

Registered Nurses (RNs)

Registered Nurses, or RNs, fulfill numerous vital roles within rehab nursing. As an RN rehab nurse, you will direct the care of your recovering patients alongside a team of healthcare professionals which could include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, other nurses, and more.

RNs coordinate care and often supervise the work of Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants.

In addition to coordinating care, your role as an RN rehab nurse could also include educational, leadership, and client advocacy responsibilities.

Moreover, RNs have many options for specializations within rehab nursing. As a rehab nurse, you can work toward additional certification specialties including gerontology, wound care, pain management, case management, and more.

While it’s not necessary to become a Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse (CRRN) in order to work as a rehab nurse, many RNs find this certification to be a useful step in their rehab nursing career.

As an RN rehab nurse, you will have numerous opportunities for career advancement and specialization in both inpatient and outpatient settings. This role is in high demand, and the need for registered rehab nurses is likely to continue to grow. As a result, as an RN rehab nurse, you can decide which direction to take your career.

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs)

Licensed Practical Nurses, or LPNs, are an integral part of rehab nursing teams.

LPNs perform essential functions such as recording the patient’s history, giving medication as prescribed by the physician, taking vital signs, performing basic wound care, providing immunizations, observing patients’ reactions to medications and mental health status, and providing emotional support to patients.

LPNs generally work as part of the rehab nursing team under the direction of an RN and/or a physician.

Becoming an LPN takes less time than becoming an RN. While licensing requirements for LPNs vary by state, it generally takes only one to two years of training through a community college or vocational school to prepare for your accreditation exam and become an LPN.

As with all branches of rehab nursing, educational and career advancement can be part of your journey as an LPN. At Brooks Rehabilitation, many LPNs use our tuition assistance program to receive the necessary education to become a registered nurse.

Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs)

Certified Nursing Assistants, or CNAs, play a vital role in the recovery of rehab patients. CNAs, also known as Nursing Assistive Personnel, perform essential functions as part of the rehabilitation care team.

CNA responsibilities include tasks that support a patient’s activities of daily living, hygiene, and nutrition. CNAs may also obtain and document vital signs, assist with mobility, and observe patient behaviors and symptoms.

If you are considering beginning a career in healthcare and are not sure where to start, becoming a CNA in a rehabilitation setting is a great choice. As a rehab CNA, you’ll work directly with RNs and LPNs to ensure your patients receive the best care as they resume daily activities and independent functions.

You’ll enjoy the same gratification that all rehab nursing staff experience as you watch your patients make the journey toward recovery and self-care, and you’ll learn the basics of rehabilitation nursing as part of a dynamic team.

If after working as a CNA, you decide you want to take the next step and become an LPN, you can take part in programs like the educational assistance and training offered at Brooks Rehabilitation to advance your career.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Nursing

Inpatient rehab nurses can work in a variety of clinical settings, including hospitals and dedicated rehabilitation centers.

At dedicated rehabilitation hospitals, rehab nurses develop longer-term relationships with inpatient clients and their families. Rehab nurses work with patients of every age and stage of life. Patients enter inpatient rehabilitation centers or hospitals when the acute dangers of their condition or illness have been treated and they are ready to begin the journey toward increased independence.

Inpatient rehab nursing could include helping patients who are regaining function due to illness, disability, ALS, amputation, brain injury, burns, cancer, organ transplant, spinal cord injury, and more.

At Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital, our commitment to high-quality patient care and nurse-focused organizational strategies has led the inpatient rehab nursing team to achieve Magnet recognition, the highest designation for nursing excellence. If you’re interested in working as a rehabilitation nurse in an inpatient setting, Brooks Rehabilitation Hospitals offer unparalleled opportunities for your rehab nursing career.

Outpatient Rehab Nursing

Rehab nurses can also work in outpatient facilities. Some patients do not need full-time care, and can seek rehabilitation care in outpatient environments. The goal of increasing function and restoring independence as much as possible for each patient remains the same whether rehab nurses are working with inpatient or outpatient clients.

In addition, some rehab nurses work in patients’ homes instead of within a clinical setting. Brooks Home Health Care, for instance, which is located in Jacksonville, Florida, employs a team of rehab nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists to provide high-quality care inside patients’ homes.

Rehab nurses working for Brooks Home Health Care coordinate care for patients with needs including cardiac care, cognitive and dementia care, diabetes care, disease and pain management, IV therapy, medication monitoring, ostomy care, respiratory care, and more.

Nursing Careers at Brooks Rehabilitation

Brooks Rehabilitation offers rehab nurses a chance to grow and advance in an innovative, gratifying, and patient-centered atmosphere. You can begin your career in rehab nursing by becoming a member of a dynamic and growing team at Brooks.

Build Your Rehab Nursing Career at Brooks

Because of the rewarding work, opportunities for advancement, and team-oriented culture, rehab nursing with Brooks is a long-term career for many of our staff. If you’re looking to put down roots in your nursing career, look no further.

Many members of our nursing staff take advantage of our generous tuition assistance program to advance their careers. This benefit is available for team members who have been with Brooks for more than a year.

At Brooks, you’ll find team members who began their career with us as a CNA, and have advanced all the way to specialized RN roles through continuing education.

In addition to tuition assistance, Brooks also offers a state-of-the-art Hi Fidelity SIM LAB to help you build your skills and competency. When you become a rehab nurse with Brooks, you’ll have endless opportunities for training, continuing education, and career advancement.

In addition to the terrific benefits and competitive pay you’ll receive as a rehab nurse with Brooks, you can also enjoy other options working with Brooks will bring you. Because Brooks Rehabilitation has a network of freestanding rehabilitation hospitals and home health services in Florida, you have options regarding your preference for inpatient or outpatient settings.

Brooks also offers flexible scheduling, weekend positions, and temporary positions for nurses, so you can start your career with Brooks in a way that meets your needs.

Submit Your Resume Today

Brooks Rehabilitation is currently hiring Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Certified Nursing Assistants for multiple locations throughout Central and Northeast Florida, including Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Lake City, and more.

For many of our rehab nursing jobs, we are offering lucrative sign-on bonuses in addition to the many other benefits you’ll receive as a rehab nurse at Brooks.

As a valuable team member with Brooks, you can grow and advance in your career, all while making a huge difference in the lives of your patients and their families. What are you waiting for? Apply today to start your new career journey at Brooks Rehabilitation.