What does a subacute care nurse do?
A subacute care nurse cares for patients who no longer need an intensive care unit but need more skilled care than a regular nursing home: ventilator or tracheostomy care, IV therapy, complex wounds or intensive rehabilitation.
Where the work happens
Subacute units in skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care hospitals and transitional care units. Patients arrive after a hospital stay and may stay for weeks while they recover enough to go home or to a lower level of care. Medicare covers skilled nursing facility care after a qualifying hospital stay, with rules about days and eligibility.
Skills
Respiratory care, central line and feeding tube care, wound assessment, medication management and teaching families. Nurses need to recognize when a stable patient is getting worse and send them back to the hospital. A critical care or medical-surgical background helps: see critical care nurse.
Staffing
Both RNs and LPNs work in subacute care, with aides providing daily care. The BLS counted 648,410 LPNs at a median of $64,400 in May 2025, while the median RN earned $97,550. See long-term care nursing.
Growth
Hospitals discharge patients earlier, which increases the demand for post-acute care. The BLS projects 3% growth for LPNs and 5.6% for RNs from 2025 to 2035.
Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.