Do Agencies have copies of Educational materials?

Specialties Home Health

Published

Specializes in MS Home Health.

Only one company I worked for had a nice educational program. Everything I have ever had has been created by myself or other people in educational roles or clinical supervisors. I only talk to my scheduler about schedule issues. I think anything else pertinent to patient confidential information needs to go through the clinical supervisor. Do you have one there or is she out seeing patients or something? Does she have a cell phone. Don't feel bad about calling as that is why that person is there.

I have downloaded a ton of stuff on the net......

renerian

Specializes in MS Home Health.

I am working from home today on several ed and QI projects so inbetween that I will look for some information and links. What you have not met the Director of Nursing? That is really odd. Call and say you need her number to meet her and set up a time to do so? I have seen companies leave that role unfilled to save money which is way to scarey.

Let me know what they say when you call them? Ask for her contact numbers.

renerian

Specializes in pedi, pedi psych,dd, school ,home health.

Renerian offers excellent advice. Your clincal manager should be working with you before scheduling your clients....did they have you do a skills checklist?? I know the agency I worked for had an online "university" that had modules on those subjects..and more. check to see if yours offers anything like that.

Specializes in MS Home Health.

Okay here is one issue I am concerned over you training about. As a supervisor that person is required to sign off your skills check list and provide education to you should you not know how to do those things and document the training. If you did not sign off as competent on the traq and vent stuff and are doing it is a conflict. 1. you are not trained but 2. you are doing it? Do you see what I am saying? Does that make sense. I personally would never have a nurse working under me without meeting her, looking over her skills list and such.

Did you ask your super about this?

renerian

Specializes in MS Home Health.

That is a good start.

renerian

Specializes in Home Health.

Dasuper,

I get a lot of great info from the manufacturers in the web. So, if you want info on Shiley trach's and trach care, go to their web site, e-mail them or call and ask if there is a video tape for the patient (you don't have to say it's for you, but you may wish to use it for other patient's too.) They may also have a nice booklet for you/pt.

I have gotten all kinds of things for free, like belly bags for suprapubic tubes for a lady who had such severe scoliosis she couldn't seem to get a leg bag that fit her properly, I have gotten tons of free ostomy samples, even education packets where I can practice using the bag on a cardboard cut-out, but kind of embarrassing to get a HUGE red post-card about fecal incontinence in the mail, lol TG the mailman knows I am a nurse!

Most times I just google whatever I need and print out my own info for pt's. My agency doesn't agree with it, because they feel we should give out consistent info, but if they don't have anything made for pt's, what do they expect?? I usually keep a copy of whatever I give the pt's in the travel chart for nurses too.

Also, for best practice, always check http://www.nih.gov and http://www.cdc.gov

I agree with Ren, you need to have contact with your supervisor, something is fishy in that situation!!

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Don't quite understand why OP removed posts as questions asked were good ones. Some agencies are in such disaray or flying by the seats of their pants that nurses new to homecare need to be aware all agencies are not the same and what one SHOULD EXPECT during orientation.

Orientation to the agency: policies and procedures, paperwork should be seperate from orientation to a shift care clients homecare. If a nurse is new to homecare, needs additional training in vent/trach care, agency should be willing to provide needed orientation, don't place the nurse with vent dependent patient until training received or not hire the nurse outright. If choosing the not hire option, I'd be very leery of agency as most good agencies are willing to invest in employees as a way to retain good staff.....homcare RN/LPN's especialy today are hard to recruit. Not all nurses are cut out for this specialty.....just as you don't want me being a L+D RN as only have nursing school training--20+ years ago.

All of our educational material and clinical proficiencies were handled by our nurse educator. Their was a policy and procedures book (clinical) available for review also. It sounds like your agency wants you out there being productive without providing you with proper training/orientation. I would be wary of this --in order to protect your license. :o NrsKaren, I don't understand why op removed posts either!

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