Criteria for admission

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

I've completed week #4 me thinks. It kind of just flew by me and I'm already swimming in (not drowning just yet) in mounds of paperwork. The more I learn, the more new forms I get exposed to. I've been on my own for a couple of weeks with "call me with questions" as my orientation motto from the preceptor(s). Of course I have many but when I'm driving, do not have time to write them down and out of my head they go. But I digress.

The first week I went out on my own, I learned about homebound status and how to judge that. OK. That was no problem. Now I'm learning about "the dump". Of course it's after I admitted a couple of them. It's sad. These people really need help but there's nothing I an do for them from a nursing perspective and they deserve better. Still, I'm not supposed to admit them. I hate referring to them as a "dump". They're the sick poor, unable to get what they need. Veterans are sadly the biggest segment.

I'd like to know from the experienced HH nurses how to recognize a "dump" situation. Thanks for helping me learn the ropes as I go. So many questions...

[cookie102]

some patients can be "tough ones"

i try to find a skill with every patient and can usually do that with diet, meds something

and on those difficult patients bring in the medical social worker right away and hope that helps the patient

hope that helps out