new to home health nursing

[lynndeeloo]

Hi, I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a wife and mother of 3 wonderful children, ages 6,4, and 2. I have been working in a hospital on a cardiac/resp. unit for all of my 10 yrs. in nursing. I have only been working per-diem for the last 4 yrs. I just started a new part time health department, county job 2 weeks ago. I think I am going to like it. Right now I am reading P/P manuals and OASIS manuals, etc... some boring, some very interesting. It is very different then hospital nursing. We don't have to know what kind of insurance the pt. has, how is he/she gonna pay their bills, etc...We thought there was alot of paper work in the hospital, WOW. MUCH, MUCH more in homecare. Well, I just wanted to introduce myself and ask for some tips of the trade if anyone has any. Thanks, and I am looking forward to hearing from you that do have some suggestions or comments about your field. Lynn

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Love your name. My mother used to call me Linda Lou when I was younger.

Welcome to the forum. I just started a new position myself, as a PCA/CHHA Supervisor for a non-profit agency. I am the Medicaid program Case Manager, since that program requires a nurse. It feels very much like public health, since I serve a community of disabled people who are living independently. I have been frantically cleaning up and organizing the charts, and slowly introducing myself to each new client. I still have a few to meet. Had to refer to Adult Protective Services already, another to VNA for acute pain management, a reported skin breakdown that turned out to be nothing, thank goodness, and now a nut who is not allowing the CHHA's to do their job, and he won't open the door to them either. I have left him 2 phone messages, he won't answer, I told him if he keeps refusing to allow the home Health Aides in, I am planning to D/C him. Everytime I go to see him, he's not there.

Most of the CHHA's I have met are good people. They are anxious to have inservices, and I am anxious to give them, as soon as all the client issues are under control. I am trying to get a system going here. I am very slowly getting things done. It has been a CRAZY 2 weeks. My associate, the PCA Coordinator who does all scheduling is out sick with pneumonia. None of the manuals I need to understand my job and the regs for this specific program are in the office and no one knows where they are. I just got my access card to the building b/c I pitched a hissy today. The stupid part is, it only took one 5 minute phone call for the responsible party to accomplish this.

What kind of job do you have? Most pub health nurses in my area spend their time doing well-mom-baby visits, though now I imagine they are busy with anthrax scares and flu clinics. Tell me more.