The Benefits of Working in a Hospital
Ah, hospital life… There’s truly nothing like it. Where else could you have ortho, cardiac, neuro, and bariatric patients on your schedule, all on the same day? If you like a fast-paced, see everything, do everything kind of workplace, acute care is the setting you’ll thrive in. But it’s not just the pace of life that’s both unique and appealing about working in a hospital. Let’s break it down:
You get to work with a large number of very educated and talented people. Not just other therapists, but nurses, doctors, social workers, respiratory therapists… the list goes on and on. You won’t find a group like this in any other setting besides acute care—you just won’t. Because of that, you have the most opportunities to collaborate with these great minds, putting your heads together to create a care plan to best benefit your mutual patient. It’s thrilling, it really is.
Cotreats. I’m a huuuuge proponent of cotreating. I recognize that a lot of facilities—along with insurance and possibly other clinicians—don’t agree, but I see a huge value in a cotreat. When we’re working with a patient who hasn’t been out of bed for a while, or who has multiple traumatic or neurological injuries, a cotreat between PT and OT or OT and Speech is simply the most beneficial. I love that acute care has the most opportunities to perform a cotreat.
Continuing education opportunities. First, there’s the online modules you must complete annually. If you complain about them… I don’t know what to tell you. Sure, they’re monotonous, but I see them as a win because they typically count for CEUs, and you get to do them on the clock. As a bonus, you can count the time spent on completing them towards your productivity. What’s the problem?! In addition to those online trainings, hospitals will sometimes have in-person or live video presentations by surgeons, specialists, etc. where you can learn about a new technique, technology, or practice the hospital is either currently implementing or thinking about implementing. It doesn’t hurt to be on the forefront of medicine, and it’s even better when you get to count it towards your CEUs.
The patients themselves. I love my job, I really do. One of the best things about my position as an acute care occupational therapist is I often get to see people on the first day after one of the worst days of their lives. Is that weird? Maybe, but the way I see it is: I’m one of the faces they associate with “getting better.” When I go in for that initial evaluation, I’m the one they work with to create the plan that’s going to get them back to their prior level of function. It’s a big responsibility and one I don’t take lightly. I wear that responsibility like a badge of honor, and I work my hardest to earn an ongoing role in their recovery.
The food. And not just the water! Although, the water is unreal (if you don’t like crushed ice, I don’t know what to do with you). My one hospital cafeteria carried cauliflower crust pizza! Hospitals (at least in my experience) have the biggest variety of food available, and they’re also the most likely to have treats in the break rooms. We joke a lot about the pizza parties that hospitals throw for their HeAlThCaRe HeRoEs, and there’s a reason for that, and yet… I do like the food best in the hospital setting!