At your facility, who goes on rides with residents to doctor's appointments?

[Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN]

Everyone keeps saying the Activities Director is supposed to go (along with her assistant) but she isn't certified. So all of the CNAs are getting pulled off the floor leaving the rest of us shorthanded. It's becoming a big issue. It's hard enough to get everyone to come in; we don't just have spare people running around with nothing to do. It isn't just doctor's appointments, there are several residents that go to dialysis on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

I need to come up with some suggestions and was wondering how this is handled at other facilities. The DON is trying to get the Activites Director put through a CNA class, but that hasn't happened yet.

Help!

Dondie

[kids]

The facilities I've worked in it was extremely rare for the facility to send a staff member along. It's the familiy's responsibility to transport (if possible) and attend appts or at the very least meet the resident at the appt.

I've NEVER seen a facility send a staff member to dialysis appts.

[CoffeemateCNA]

We give families the option to transport the resident themselves or to use our own transport service. We have a small van and a driver that comes in and drives people as needed (it's all scheduled in advance so he knows when to come in) for a small fee. Usually he will accompany them on the visit.

On occasion, families like for CNAs to attend. When that happens, the facility puts up a sign that so-and-so has a doctor's appointment on such-and-such date and that volunteers can let the staffing coordinator know that they are interested. If a CNA accompanies them, the facility charges the family on their next bill and pays the CNA their regular hourly wage for the time spent at the visit.

It's extremely odd that the activities director is "supposed" to be the one to accompany residents at your facility (RANDOM!!). If they are letting an activities director and aide go, why not a dietary aide or housekeeper or receptionist or maintenance worker?? Weird.

[Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN]

They want someone who has CNA certification go with them so that they can give any hands on care that they might need while they are gone. That's why a housekeeper, etc. can't go. However, they want to certify those people too for situations like this.

I guess with the director, they are considering this an activity?

There are a few that do go on their own. I don't know why they are special but whatever. I'm in a smaller town and they use the transit system to go back and forth. We're about 20 minutes from Tulsa. I have no idea who pays for the ride.

The CNAs that do go get paid for it. Sometimes they don't get back until 6 pm and the shift ends at 2. I would think they would call people from weekend doubles to go since they don't get Baylor pay. They could make up some hours without "working". I guess I could suggest that too.

Some of the things around here are just weird. I won't get into all of that now though...

Thank you both for your input. I really needed some advice on this. I'll be talking to my DON and ADON tomorrow.

[yousoldtheworld]

CNAs tend to get pulled at our facility, too. It is supposed to be activities that goes, or if they can't, it's supposed to be a volunteer (one who is not working that day). However, they're cracking down on overtime and our activities department is kind of a joke, so they've been pulling aides from the floor. It's ridiculous. I feel your frustration!

[Dorali, BSN, LPN, RN]

YouSoldTheWorld--Do you work at my facility? Ha ha!

The activites have consisted of games like "name that smell" and the weekly "Wal-Mart Shopping" where she goes around asking the residents what they need from Wal-Mart. Like they really know that they're out of briefs and shampoo. I believe the previous director did take a few residents with her, but this girl is rediculous! I could go on a rant about her!

Anyway, I'm glad you know what this is like. Thanks for saying so!

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

We hire a wheelchair van and the attendant helps them, I guess. They never get out of the chair. If the person is ambulatory AND they're a handful, then they ask around for a CNA who isn't working that day to go.

[Daisy_08, BSN, RN]

really?!!!

i have never seen anything like that where i work. it is all the families responsibility. a doctor comes on occasion and i have had to take residence to the office. and the doc does visits at the hospital. but no one has ever left with a resident.

i would hate that, its hard enough to get the staff that you have working, and then to be sending them away.

do you get over time if your shift is done at two and you’re with them until six? what if you have a life, can you leave?

[yousoldtheworld]

You do get paid for going with them, so you would get overtime if it put you over 40 hours. THat's why they have stopped asking people to go on their days off - they don't want to pay the overtime. You can't leave, if you go with them you have to stay with them until they're back.

[topher-67]

We have a transportation "team" consisting of two CNA's who's sole purpose is transporting residents to and from Doctors, Dentists, Dialysis, Labs, etc. The facility has it's own wheelchair van by the way.

[KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN]

My facility is pretty big so the GNA's in the department I am in (home health) are used to accompany the residents to appointments. We get paid for however long we are there @ the appointment, the time it takes to get there,etc.. That way none of the aides on the floor are pulled to go with them. Makes more sense.

At my other job, the family members take them to their appointments.

[fuzzywuzzy, CNA]

Sometimes family members will take our residents too. I hate that because you have to have 2 CNAs leave the floor and put the person in the car. Meanwhile you're standing around waiting while the family member putters around forever. When you finally get back up to the floor it's chaos.