home care phoenix from ltc ashes

[justdeda]

hi, all. just wanted to drop a note -- haven't posted in a couple of years! my last post concerned a temporary fill-in position as supervisor at a ltc facility, where the last night but one had me feeling such chilly hostility from licensed, unlicensed and managerial personnel, that, in spite of my ethic of always finishing a commitment once it was accepted, i called out for my last night's work. as it happens, i was offered a part-time position with benefits at an out-of-state facility on my very last night. this led to the world of ltc/rehab management (education, infection control, supervision) and administrative nursing (interim dns) for the next 2+ years.

i have recently returned to the happier world of agency nursing, but this time i'm a bit wiser, having seen the other side of the coin. i now do ivig therapy for home patients, with the occasional side-trip into multiple-day camp nursing, occupational health fill-in, that old standby, seasonal flu shots, and some supervisory visits.

the ivig home care route seems to work for me. the patients love and trust their nurse. there is one patient every day for a week once a month, several hours a day. there is challenge in anticipating and preventing allergic response, fluid overload, kidney involvement, and so forth. the patients are diverse, grateful, generous, and the family interaction is very different from the long-term home care patient scenario. im able to do this work in spite of a work-related cervical disc hernia which reduces my push-pull-stretch capability.

altho bennies is once again an issue, i can shop among and between local pharmacies to find those that pay best for the service rendered; and there is apparently no conflict with my regular agency agreement! i have developed relationships with pharmacists, specialty nurses, and pharmacy assistants, all super for the professional ego.

in short, there is alot of ivig out there, with more and more neurologists, pulmonologists, rheumatologists and oncologists prescribing. if you are willing to do the (brief, free) training, and to learn on the job (which agency nurses do as a matter of survival), there is money and satisfaction in this arena.

just my two cents!

justdeda