By Tiffany Lai August 13, 2023
*All opinions here are my own. This section is merely what I have experienced working in each setting.
Community hospital
These hospitals are smaller with many patients being residents of the area. They have less resources than large hospitals so they transfer out higher acuity patients that cannot be managed with the expertise and equipment they have available. In my experience, working here is like living in a small town instead of a city. There is a friendliness, a sense of camaraderie between coworkers and staff, and I have found it to be more laid back than other settings.
Managed care
In my opinion, this type of hospital is like the Ford assembly line of hospitals. Efficiency, cost management, and rules are the defining features. There are structured guidelines and decision trees for all healthcare professionals as well as therapy. This structure can be helpful, especially for new therapists, but some might dislike its inflexibility. The patients here tend to be working and middle class people with jobs that provide insurance.
County hospitals
One of the settings with the best benefits and pay. This setting will take all patients regardless of whether they have medical insurance, so the patient population often includes people who are homeless, impoverished or undocumented. Mental health issues and socioeconomic struggles are common in this patient population. County hospitals often are certified to take trauma patients, so you may see victims of violent crime, suicide, motor vehicle accidents and other accidents.
Trauma hospitals
Trauma hospitals are designated different levels. This setting particularly requires attention to detail and patients have a high level of acuity. Patient stories may be difficult to process emotionally and patients are often emotionally traumatized. However, for some therapists, this is the reason they like this setting best. Many trauma hospitals are also county hospitals or academic hospitals.
Academic hospitals
Hospitals are assigned differing levels of care. Academic hospitals are generally tertiary care, meaning patients have complex diagnoses that require specialized care or equipment and have a higher level of acuity. Because of this, much more is required in terms of medical knowledge specific to each diagnoses. The members of the therapy team often become highly specialized in the sector of the hospital that they work in. There are a lot of opportunities for free continuing education in house and you will often see students of every discipline practicing medicine in this setting.