Rehabilitation Nursing: Why It’s Different

At Encompass Health, we know how important nursing is to our patients.

Prior to the pandemic, nursing shortages existed across the country. This shortage has only increased over the past two years, as nurses faced the daunting challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented.

Our nurses weathered the unknown, and through it all, they continued to provide compassionate care to their patients, as well as their colleagues.

It takes a special person to be a nurse—even in the best of times—but it’s these people who play a key role in getting our patients back to what matters most after an illness or injury. Nursing is unique in inpatient rehabilitation. With the average length of stay for our patients at about two weeks, our nurses form relationships with their patients; it’s truly a special bond.

I often hear stories about our patients returning to thank their nurses. It’s these stories that make rehabilitation nursing a special profession, as well as an asset to the care we provide.

While our nurses need our support now more than ever, it’s something I’m proud to say we’ve been doing at Encompass Health well before the pandemic. The following are just a few of the ways we strive to not only to support our nursing staff but also to help them grow in their career.

Mental Health Support

Working in nursing and healthcare in general can be challenging, pandemic or not. We know this, so we offer emotional and mental support to not just our nurses, but all employees and their families. Our Employee Assistance Program offers 24-hour crisis help and confidential counseling at no cost to our employees. The program also offers valuable resources to help with a variety of personal issues, such as child care, finances and caring for an aging loved one.

Chamberlain University Partnership

We not only want to support our nurses emotionally, but we also want to help them grow professionally. Encompass Health teamed up with Chamberlain University to offer our nurses an opportunity to seek higher education at a reduced rate. Through the partnership, nurses can advance their degrees at a significantly reduced rate

CRRN Certification

As mentioned earlier, rehabilitation nursing is unique. We want to give our nurses the tools they need to be successful in the role. Encompass Health offers reimbursement and one-time bonuses to those who choose to become Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurses (CRRN). This certification allows our nurses to sharpen their skills related to the patient population we treat and the inpatient rehabilitation setting.

These are just a few ways we support our nurses at Encompass Health. Learn more about what it’s like to be a rehabilitation nurse and the lasting bonds they form with our patients.

The content of this site is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding any medical conditions or treatments.