Help me think this through

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I have been approached by an agency who provides residential care for persons with developmental disabilities about helping them write protocals and training manuals. Right now they have a few protocals that were written by non-medical staff members and they all see the need for better documentation. I have a LOT of experience in this area and i feel like this would tap into my particular strengths. But I don't know what i don't know.

If you were asked to write protocals and training documents, what questions would you be asking? How would you go about figuring out just compensation? This position would be paid from a grant. Obviously, I will have to have good Liability Insurance before I write the first word.

What questions should i be asking?

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

First: the correct spelling is protocol. No 'a'. Next, you have to find standards for every protocol and reference them. That way, they are not "your" words and it shows you made an effort to incorporate evidence based practice. www.guidelines.gov is one place to start. Look for professional organizations with websites. You may have to get your employer to purchase standards. www.ins1.org for instance has excellent standards on infusion care. I don't understand the compensation question. How does it fit in? Are you connecting a task to money? If that is so, you will need to talk to coders for your company to find out how codes represent the task. For instance, IV start plus 30 minutes of infusion might be charged one price, but no IV start (already there) and 60 minutes of infusion may be another charge. If part of your task is to create a checklist for the staff, you will want the checklist broken down by charges (one line for the IV start. One for 30 minutes of infusion. One for 60 minutes---). The nurse checks the correct box and your company gets reimbursed. To me, writing protocols and charging are TWO VERY DIFFERENT tasks. Hope you do not have to do both.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

Thanks for that bit of advice. I'll look at those websites. To clarify, I will be writing the protocols (see, i am a quick learner!) and making checklists for the training. What they are lacking at the moment is consistent, thorough documentation and that's what they want me to help them with. For instance, one young man has risks for falls, risks for elopement, seizures, limited communication skills, and needs assistance with all ADLs. My job would be to write protocols and provide the training for the staff who will be overseeing this young man.

The matter of compensation is simple: I'm having a hard time figuring out how to charge for my time. I've never had to come up with the numbers before. I want to be fairly compensated, but understanding that there is a limit to the grant funding.