How often do you go to the office?

[devi, ADN, BSN]

I'm totally new to PDN. I was offered a job for an agency and will start training next week. There are a handful of cases in my area, but they're split among multiple offices, the closest of which is over an hour away. The cases won't be too difficult for me to get to, but having to make regular trips to one of the offices would be a big burden, time and fuel-wise.

This is something I'll need to ask my agency about, but I'll ask here, too. PDN nurses, how often do you find yourselves driving to your agency office to drop something off, pick something up, or go to a meeting or continuing education of some sort? I read something in one thread about a nurse mailing in orders. For you nurses who live far from your agency's closest office, are you given options for mailing/faxing paperwork?

[Kitiger, RN]

I mail in my paperwork. If snail mail won't get my timeslip in on time, I fax it and then mail it. We have a fax machine at home, so this is easy to do.

When the office is an hour away, I only go in for required inservices ("Yearlys"). They usually have my yearly evaluation at the same time.

[devi, ADN, BSN]

Thanks for the response, Kitiger. I'm hoping my agency works the same way. If you have to take a verbal doctor's order, does that get faxed or mailed, too?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Mailed and faxed everything when I did PDN. Like a PP, I went to the office once a year for a couple hours of annual mandated education. Wouldn't have known what my boss looked like if I saw her on the street.

[Kitiger, RN]

Thanks for the response, Kitiger. I'm hoping my agency works the same way. If you have to take a verbal doctor's order, does that get faxed or mailed, too?

I work for three (3) agencies! The first requires that we call the nursing supervisor or fax in the order, and then mail it. We may not write it on the MAR or give the drug until the supervisor gets a written order from the doctor. If we have the visit summary from the doctor's office, we can use that. In other words, it has to be written by the doctor in order for us to do it. We are not allowed to take an order off the prescription bottle.

The other two agencies require that we call the office or fax the order, and then mail it. We can then write it on the MAR and give it.

[caliotter3]

When the office was down the street and around the corner so to speak, I would visit the office regularly based upon how welcome the internal employees made me feel. Three cities over or unfriendly staff, and you never see me, just the envelope my paperwork arrives in.

[smartnurse1982]

I work for three (3) agencies! The first requires that we call the nursing supervisor or fax in the order, and then mail it. We may not write it on the MAR or give the drug until the supervisor gets a written order from the doctor. If we have the visit summary from the doctor's office, we can use that. In other words, it has to be written by the doctor in order for us to do it. We are not allowed to take an order off the prescription bottle.

The other two agencies require that we call the office or fax the order, and then mail it. We can then write it on the MAR and give it.

My agency is backwards

Even if there is a difference between the order in our MAR and the prescription label,she has us write down the order on the prescription label,and write in the MAR.

I think to myself"What if the label is wrong?"

[caliotter3]

If I have any concerns about transcribing from a prescription label, I call the pharmacy to clarify, or call the provider. If I call the provider, I just take the order from them anyway. This applies to new prescriptions. Often after many refills and changes over time, the pharmacy may not keep up with the latest info on the label. Sooner or later, someone has to make an effort to get the pharmacy to update that kind of label. What I don't like is when it says something like, "take as directed". Can't work around that very easily.

[AdobeRN]

I am PRN at my office - We can mail our notes in or drop them off, they do have a drop off box for after hours. I use the drop off box once a week to turn my notes in. I will go into our office once a year - for required training.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I pass by the office on my way to my assignment. I stop in about once a month, usually for paperwork drop off (not clinical paperwork, which is sent electronically) and inservices. I got my flu shot at the office last week.

[tina2005lpn]

Our paperwork, including daily nurse's sheets, timesheets as well as Monthy MARS are all faxed in.

[Kitiger, RN]

My agency is backwards

Even if there is a difference between the order in our MAR and the prescription label,she has us write down the order on the prescription label,and write in the MAR.

I think to myself"What if the label is wrong?"

When there is a difference between the MAR and the pharmacy label, I would check the written physician order; that should always be available.

I have found pharmacy labels to be accurate at first. However, the label is not always updated after a dose change.