What is a Rehabilitation Nurse?

The nurse who practices Rehabilitation Nursing is a Rehabilitation Nurse. It is a nurse who helps people recover from chronic illnesses and disabilities. In turn, people are able to gain optimal health and adapt to an altered lifestyle. Rehabilitation Nurses aim to support their patients by drawing out feasible plans and setting realistic standards and goals. This allows the patients to meet expectations on a short-term basis, follow a routine and be disciplined. Following this short introduction to rehabilitation nurses, continue reading this blog to understand the profession better. 

Who is a Rehabilitation Nurse? 

Rehabilitation Nurses are also called Rehab Nurses. They have expertise in identifying and supporting people to adjust to their chronic health conditions. Detailed and well-informative care plans and strategies are established to help other caregivers as well. Furthermore, rehabilitation nurses also maintain contact with other healthcare professionals such as psychiatrists, physical therapists, occupational therapists as well as speech and language therapists. A rehabilitation nurse leads their patients to manage activities of daily living, social and independence issues, as well as familial relationships. 

What are the Responsibilities of a Rehabilitation Nurse?

As a rehabilitation nurse, the professional has to undertake a variety of tasks. We have mentioned the major tasks and responsibilities below.

1. Monitoring patients and providing treatment 
2. Managing Paperwork 
3. Providing emotional care to the patient’s family 
4. Recording patient updates and progress 
5. Coordinating with other healthcare professionals 
6. Counselling patients 
7. Creating care plans for patients and families 
8. Educating patients and their families about managing the chronic condition 
9. Working with teachers and co-workers 
10. Overseeing the transition of patients from hospital to home 
11. Educating the entire community on injury prevention 
12. Advocating and standing for healthcare plans and constitutional policies that can help people with disabilities be included and prosper in their schools, workplaces, and other communities. 

Skills of a Rehabilitation Nurse

Now that we have learned about what rehabilitation nurse does and what their core responsibilities are, let’s get into what skills they require to pull off such a profession. 

The following are some of the skills that they use on a regular basis. 

1. Communication skills: Rehabilitation Nurses have to communicate with the patients and their families on a regular basis, so communication is truly a skill at their workplace.

2. Physical Endurance: The job of rehabilitation nurses may easily include long hours and a hectic schedule, so enduring it all is a skill in itself. 

3. Organizational Skills: From managing patient records to organising official documents and preparing health care plans, rehab nurses need to be quick on their feet with swift organisational skills. 

4. Scientific Analysis: The knowledge of anatomy, medical science, and physiology is required for nurses to apply and analyse the patients on the basis of the same. They further evaluate and suggest care plans to the patients.

5. Empathy: One of the most important skills and requirements of a rehabilitation nurse to carry, empathy plays the foremost role in taking care of their patients.  

Educational Requirement to Become a Rehabilitation Nurse 

For one to pursue the path of a rehabilitation nurse, a background in science or medicine is a must. 

• For an undergraduate degree, you may either go for an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree in nursing. The former may take two years to complete, while the latter could take 4 years. 

• Next, students, having had the scientific knowledge, as well as a recognised degree in their hand, can pull through to obtain an official license in nursing. This can make them become a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse. 

• Pursuing a master’s in nursing can further allow the students to become clinical nursing specialists or nurse practitioners. During the master’s and postgraduate levels, the students can also choose a specialisation in rehabilitation.

• Other than the aforementioned, students can also go for professional training and certification for rehabilitation nurses that also involve an examination. 

Global Universities 

Shared below are the top universities in the world for Best Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Programs.

Name of University	US News Ranking 2022-23 in Nursing
University of Pennsylvania	1
Emory University	2
Duke University	3
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor	3
Case Western Reserve University	5
The Ohio State University	5
University of Washington	5
New York University	9
University of Illinois–Chicago	9

Top Colleges in India 

Shared below are the top universities in India that offer B.Sc (Nursing). 

Name of College	MoE NIRF Ranking 2023 (Medical)
ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES – [AIIMS], NEW DELHI	1
Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research	2
Christian Medical College	3
Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences	7
Banaras Hindu University	5
Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education & Research	6
King George`s Medical University	11
Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research	15
Aligarh Muslim University	22

Salary of a Rehabilitation Nurse 

The salary of rehabilitation nurses completely depends on their experience and skill level. But based on an average, we have provided some figures of the wages of a rehabilitation nurse below. 

Other Career Opportunities for a Rehabilitation Nurse 

A rehabilitation nurse can work in some different job positions as well. Below is a table where we have mentioned the same, along with their salary. 

Job position	Average Salary
Administrator	$64,735 (INR 53 lakh)
Licensed practical nurse (LPN)	$48,588 (INR 40 lakh)
Consultant	$68,217  (INR 55.7 lakh)
Nurse practitioner	$113,270 (INR 92.5 lakh)
Clinical nurse manager	$78,434 (INR 64 lakh)

Recruiting Areas 

The work environment of a rehabilitation nurse can take different forms. Some of the most prominent recruiting areas for rehabilitation nurses are mentioned below. 

1. Rehabilitation facilities
2. Educational Institutions 
3. Long-term care facilities 
4. Private Practices 
5. Insurance companies
6. Health maintenance organizations
7. University Hospitals 
8. Community Hospitals 
9. Schools 
10. Government Agencies, Department of Veterans Affairs

FAQs 

That’s what a rehabilitation nurse is. If you want to reach out for more information regarding a rehabilitation nurse, you can always reach out to Leverage Edu experts. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session.