I only did a level I in acute care (NICU), but here's what I heard from classmates who did level IIs in acute for adults. It's initially overwhelming dealing with all of the medical terminology, various medical conditions, and equipment in the room. You don't get tossed into it though and are gradually given more and more patients when you demonstrate competency. There's no set schedule and you have to be very flexible due to patients being taken away for an x-ray or not being cleared by a doctor that day, etc. You typically only see patients a small number of times and it can be seen as kind of repetitive to some, especially if you see patients with the same diagnosis throughout the day. For example, if you are on an orthopedic floor, you'll see lots of hip/knee replacements. Overall, doing an acute FW will help you learn about medical conditions, how to do quick evaluations and treatments, and how to work on time management and flexibility. There's also less opportunity to carry out many of the interventions you'll learn about in coursework that are more conducive to other settings where you see patients for a longer time, like inpatient rehab.
I know acute inpatient pediatric level II placements were somewhat rare in our program, but I would echo everything that I said above. The only thing that would make an acute peds level II harder is that you are dealing with sick kids/babies (including death) and the developmental aspect adds another layer of complexity. Both my friends who did acute peds for level II came away not wanting to go into it as a career. However, I thoroughly enjoyed my level I in the NICU, so it's just a matter of personal preference I suppose.
