Hutchinson Hospital operates a 15-bed Medicare-certified skilled nursing unit for patients who don't require acute care, but need therapy or care that cannot be given at home.

    Typical candidates for skilled nursing may include the following:

• Persons with hip or knee injuries who need further physical and occupational therapy.
• Cancer patients who need IV medications and injections only a nurse can provide.
• Stroke patients who need further rehabilitative therapy.
• A patient who needs education and monitoring by a trained professional in order to manage a self-care treatment program.
• Patients who have complications from surgery requiring around-the-clock monitoring and treatment.

Admission
    Patients are admitted to the skilled nursing unit by a physician. Typically, this occurs immediately after dismissal from the hospital. The physician develops a medical care plan for the patient, choosing from a variety of services.

Services
    In addition to nursing care, rehabilitative treatment may be provided by any or all of the following:

• The physical therapist who assists in restoring movement in the arms and legs and also teaches methods of coping with disabilities.
• The occupational therapist who assists with daily living tasks such as bathing, dressing, food preparation and personal hygiene tasks.
• The speech therapist who concentrates on speech, language and swallowing problems.