Long-term acute care nursing is one of the in-demand nurses during this pandemic. As a nurse getting specialization can escalate tour knowledge and skills as well as give more service to those who need you. LTAC nurses take care of patients who need long-term care after getting out of intensive care, which means they still need close monitoring and specific treatment plans to recover faster. Know more about LTAC nurses and become one so you can get more experience as a nurse.
Table of Contents
What are LTAC nurses’ job duties?
Assessment of Patient’s Condition
Before nurses determine the needs of their patients they need to know their medical history and check on ten records of the patients. Each patient has particular needs and they have to be addressed by the nurse on duty. LTCA nurses are to assess the patient’s condition so they have an idea of what needs to be done and they can see the treatment that the patient has already undergone.
Work with the Medical Team in Implementing the Individualized Treatment Plan
Since patients have different conditions and needs, an individualized treatment plan is given to each. This treatment plan is then formulated and implemented by the medical team handling the patient’s case. LTAC nurses are those who implement the treatment for their patients, therefore they have to be skilled in different ways of administering medicine, especially IV methods once most patients in LTAC are not yet capable of taking on oral medications.
Dressing and Cleaning of Wounds
There are patients in the LTAC facility who have suffered from accidents and burns that need regular dressing and cleaning of wounds. Proper dressing and cleaning can make their recovery faster, so LTAC nurses should be skilled in the proper ways of sterilizing cleaning equipment and sterilizing wounds.
Ordering Diagnostic Test
Diagnostic tests are needed by the patients in LTAC facilities now and then. Part of the duties of an LTAC nurse is requesting those orders, so they can tell the progress of the patients or other treatment and procedures that need to be done to make the condition of the patient better.
Administers Lifesaving procedures if needed
Since most of the patients in the LTAC facility are not yet stable, LTAC nurses have to be skilled and knowledgeable in administering life-saving procedures whenever needed. So they need to be alert and observant enough to know if the patient is still in good condition or not. This is very important since it can take the patient’s life out of risk.
Where are long-term acute care facilities located?
LTAC facilities can be found in hospitals or there are some of them that operate separately as a facility. They have their licenses and have been accredited by the government to operate since LTAC facilities should have the proper equipment and tools needed by their patients.
What are the primary differences between an LTAC facility and a rehabilitation center or skilled nursing facility?
When it comes to the differences between an LTAC facility and a rehabilitation center or skilled nursing facility (SNF) it is as follows:
The complexity of Medical Care
LTAC handles more complex cases compared with a rehabilitation center or SNF. So patients who need more close monitoring and assistance are recommended in LTAC facilities.
Level of Therapy Offered
When it comes to a better intensity of therapy rehabilitation tops the list of the three facilities.
Staffing
In LTAC nurse patients are being checked every day by doctors while rehabilitation center and SNF have doctors too but there are more therapists since this is what they specialized in.
Each facility has its focus therefore they are equipped and manned by the right staff.
Now that you have been enlightened on the topic of Spotlight: Long-Term Acute Care Nursing then you can advance your career and become an LTAC nurse or if you are in the contours to get the experience you need to be able to achieve your future goals as a nurse. Getting more exposure can enhance your skills and broaden your knowledge which can come in handy for you when you face different circumstances at work and even in your personal encounters. So take the challenge of working as an LTCA nurse and see our career grow.
