By 2030, all Baby Boomers will be aged 65 or older. As a result, the demand for physical therapists continues to grow. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s predicted that the demand for PT will grow 17% over the next decade which is faster than the average growth of other occupations.
What is a SNF?
A SNF (Skilled Nursing Facility) is a residential community where individuals receive care from an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, social workers, dietitians, and physical, occupational and speech therapists. Within these communities, there are some patients receiving short-term rehab before returning home while others are there for long-term stays requiring ongoing care. The SNF is designed to meet the needs of individual patients and serves a variety of medical and functional complexities.
What are the job prospects in the SNF world?
With the population aging, the SNF market is continually growing! As people live longer, they require more care, whether it is short or long-term. Serving numerous SNFs in the state of Alabama as well as Florida, Missouri, and Arkansas for the past 28 years, Restore Therapy is a leader in rehabilitation services. We look forward to our continued success—hopefully with you as part of our team!
Restore and the Therapy Student
At Restore, we strive to provide students the necessary skills that will carry them beyond their time as a student into a rewarding, successful career in rehabilitation services.
For students who transition to Restore Therapy employees, we have a structured mentorship for physical and occupational therapists as well as a clinical fellowship program for speech-language pathologists. We value our patients as well as the healthcare professionals serving those patients.
Disspelling the SNF Myth
The Myths:
Everyone in the SNF is older and has dementia
While many of the residents in our facilities are older, SNFs are actually home to residents of all ages with varied backgrounds and needs. In addition to long-term residents, most SNFs also have patients who are there for short-term rehab. These patients, in particular, may be of any age across the lifespan.
It’s hard to provide therapy services in the SNF environment
Regardless of the setting, providing rehabilitation services can be challenging when working in a setting with multiple professionals such as nursing staff, social services, activities, and dietary, etc. In the SNF world, both therapy and facility staff are working toward the same goal to provide the best possible care to those we serve.
While our goal is the same, our strategies and initiatives may be different making communication a challenge. Therefore, it’s important to be a good communicator with an attitude toward collaboration. With strong communication, we can all work together to meet the patients’ needs in a caring, supportive environment.
The residents are lonely and it’s a depressing place to work
Residents of SNFs represent different backgrounds, interests, and life experiences. In addition to therapy services, SNFs also facilitate a variety of activities and events to keep residents active. These activities, in addition to therapy, help maintain a patient’s abilities and engagement.
When working in a SNF, we have the opportunity to change lives and help others live life to the fullest every day.
Productivity expectations are too high
At Restore, our mission is “excellence in service”—this means that we strive not only to deliver the best care, but to do so in an ethical way. Our productivity expectations reflect this. We have established standards that promote principled practice.
There are too many challenges working in the SNF setting
A SNF is indeed a challenging place to work, but every setting poses its own unique obstacles and opportunities. Are there demanding patients? Sometimes. Are there environmental difficulties?
Possibly. As rehabilitation professionals, we are prepared through our educational training and clinical experiences to face tough situations with a broad set of skills. Our goal is to focus on the opportunities.
Each day, we have the opportunity to positively impact lives; this is both our mission and our privilege.
Contact our Recruiter Gary Avery, LPTA for Career information: gavery@restoretherapy.com.
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