Nursing Structure vs. General Acute Care the Difference Between the Structure of a Nursing Home Facility and a General Acute Care Hospital
Nursing Structure vs. General Acute Care
The difference between the structure of a nursing home facility and a general acute care hospital
Tracy Kennedy
HCM 610-1205B-01
American InterContinental University
Unit 3 DB
The nursing structure that exists within a nursing home facility and a general acute care hospital is different due to the skills and professional staff that are required to treat patients. These differences are necessary because of the type of illness or injuries that a patient comes in with. Acute care hospitals deal with more illnesses and injuries that a nursing home facility is not equipped to handle. The type of nursing staff at each organization is different as well.
Nursing home facility Nursing homes have nurses, most likely RN 's, and certified nurse 's assistants, CNA 's. Many nursing homes do not have the staff to care for the patient 's properly. Many of the residents at a nursing home require help in everyday activities, such as eating, bathing, and moving around. CNA 's are not paid that wages that they deserve and this is one reason for the staff shortages that plaque many nursing homes. Nurses are overworked and there is not enough of them to handle the workload required to properly care of their residents. The shortage problems and high turnover affects the quality of care that these nursing homes can provide, which is lower then the residents require for continued quality care. (Day, T., 2005) Nurses at a nursing home facility provide simple medical care, such as changing dressings, medication, and CPR if required. For more extreme medical needs, these nurses call for the help of a hospital. If a resident suffers from a heart attack or other illness that the facility cannot care for, the resident is transferred to a hospital, most likely a general acute care hospital. If the resident recovers enough, they are transferred back to the nursing home. Nursing homes are classified as a long-term care facility and residents
The difference between the structure of a nursing home facility and a general acute care hospital
Tracy Kennedy
HCM 610-1205B-01
American InterContinental University
Unit 3 DB
The nursing structure that exists within a nursing home facility and a general acute care hospital is different due to the skills and professional staff that are required to treat patients. These differences are necessary because of the type of illness or injuries that a patient comes in with. Acute care hospitals deal with more illnesses and injuries that a nursing home facility is not equipped to handle. The type of nursing staff at each organization is different as well.
Nursing home facility Nursing homes have nurses, most likely RN 's, and certified nurse 's assistants, CNA 's. Many nursing homes do not have the staff to care for the patient 's properly. Many of the residents at a nursing home require help in everyday activities, such as eating, bathing, and moving around. CNA 's are not paid that wages that they deserve and this is one reason for the staff shortages that plaque many nursing homes. Nurses are overworked and there is not enough of them to handle the workload required to properly care of their residents. The shortage problems and high turnover affects the quality of care that these nursing homes can provide, which is lower then the residents require for continued quality care. (Day, T., 2005) Nurses at a nursing home facility provide simple medical care, such as changing dressings, medication, and CPR if required. For more extreme medical needs, these nurses call for the help of a hospital. If a resident suffers from a heart attack or other illness that the facility cannot care for, the resident is transferred to a hospital, most likely a general acute care hospital. If the resident recovers enough, they are transferred back to the nursing home. Nursing homes are classified as a long-term care facility and residents
References: Day, T. (2005). About Nursing Homes. Retrieved on January 22, 2013, from http://www.longtermcarelink.net/eldercare/nursing_home.htm Mosby 's Medical Dictionary (2009). Acute care definition. 8th edition, Elsevier. Retrieved on January 22, 2013, from http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/acute+care The National Academies Press (1996). Nursing Staff in Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Is It Adequate?. Committee on the Adequacy of Nursing Staff in Hospitals and Nursing Homes, Institute of Medicine. Washington, DC. Retrieved on January 22, 2013, from http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=5151&page=450