Carly Engel, Level II OTA Student: SNF Expectations v. Reality

Carly Engel

Level II OTA Student

Susque-View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

SNF Expectations v. Reality of Health Care

Before beginning my time at Susque-View Home Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, I truly did not know what to expect and what exactly healthcare was like in a SNF. I think many people expect nursing homes or SNF's to be sad or depressing places, but that is not the reality I experienced during my time at Susque-View. Aside from the healthcare aspect of an SNF, the environment alone upon entering Susque-View Nursing Home is uplifting. There is a beautiful garden with numerous plants and clear windows on the ceiling allowing sunshine to shine down on the garden and brighten the room.

Also, based on previous experiences, I expected a lot of the healthcare in a SNF to be focused on maintenance with the residents. I was pleased to learn the reality is that healthcare in a SNF is all about rehabilitation and getting the residents back on their feet and home as soon as possible. Discharge planning is started from day 1 and therapy's goal is to work on what the resident needs in order to get them to be as independent as possible and living in their previous environment with the least amount of supervision.

Insurance plays a huge role in healthcare in a SNF. I knew this coming in, but I did not know what to expect or how much of a role it would play. I learned about insurance and Medicare in school, but it is hard to understand until you directly see how it works in a SNF, and even then it can still be difficult to understand. I learned that the reality of it is that in a SNF, insurance dictates a lot. It controls the amount of days and times that a resident gets therapy each week and insurance also has the power to stop paying for resident's therapy if progress is not being made in the time that it should.

This leads me to another thing I learned about healthcare in a SNF, which is that documentation, paperwork, and productivity is very important. I did expect this before coming in, but it was reinforced throughout my time spent in this SNF. Insurance companies look at our documentation and so do other healthcare professionals for information on the residents we work with. I can clearly see how it can be difficult to keep up with the documentation, weekly notes, and expected productivity rates, but it is an important part of the healthcare world.

Overall, my expectations of healthcare in a SNF vs. reality differed quite a bit before I got to personally see the day to day operations. The reality I got to experience was much more than my original expectations. I never pictured myself working in a SNF long-term, however this experience has positively changed my outlook. Although there are the expected challenged and struggles, such as insurance and logistics, I still believe the healthcare in a SNF can be enjoyable and a positive experience when everyone works together as I have seen at Susque-View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

Meet Carly Engel

Carly was a Level II OTA student from the Pennsylvania College of Technology working in our rehabilitation department at Susque-View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. She worked with our department from July 16, 2018 to September 7, 2018.