Job duties align with license?

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Specializes in Group home.

Hello everyone,

I do not know where to go to get this answered. In regards to working at a company that's not familiar with nurse licensing and the responsibilities they create for me, how can I verify my license is covered with what they want me to do or what I need to make sure I don't get in trouble for missing something?

I work at a group home and they don't have much for requirements on documentation for training employees on insulin, oxygen, and what home is required by RN to train versus a regular employee who knows how. They created job responsibilities for me that are vague and state verbiage like "the RN is responsible for training staff in a home with oxygen" then tell me it does NOT have to be me as long as another knowledgeable staff can do it. Do I sign this form? Who do I contact to ask what questions to cover my license? Thank you!

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Dsmama said:

Hello everyone,

I do not know where to go to get this answered. In regards to working at a company that's not familiar with nurse licensing and the responsibilities they create for me, how can I verify my license is covered with what they want me to do or what I need to make sure I don't get in trouble for missing something?

I work at a group home and they don't have much for requirements on documentation for training employees on insulin, oxygen, and what home is required by RN to train versus a regular employee who knows how. They created job responsibilities for me that are vague and state verbiage like "the RN is responsible for training staff in a home with oxygen" then tell me it does NOT have to be me as long as another knowledgeable staff can do it. Do I sign this form? Who do I contact to ask what questions to cover my license? Thank you!

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Group homes are a bit murky with their job descriptions. I left IDH nursing because of this. Though I never had any problems with the BON.

Hppygr8ful

 

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Specializes in Psych, BH, LTC, Rehab, Detox.
Dsmama said:

Hello everyone,

I do not know where to go to get this answered. In regards to working at a company that's not familiar with nurse licensing and the responsibilities they create for me, how can I verify my license is covered with what they want me to do or what I need to make sure I don't get in trouble for missing something?

I work at a group home and they don't have much for requirements on documentation for training employees on insulin, oxygen, and what home is required by RN to train versus a regular employee who knows how. They created job responsibilities for me that are vague and state verbiage like "the RN is responsible for training staff in a home with oxygen" then tell me it does NOT have to be me as long as another knowledgeable staff can do it. Do I sign this form? Who do I contact to ask what questions to cover my license? Thank you!

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You can always get your own . I did that. But I don't foresee any problem with the BON unless something gets reported by someone. It is a bit grey though. 

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

In Home Health, and as a Community Nurses, we are licensed to educate and demonstrate any skilled process, procedure, or administration for which we have knowledge and experience, as long as there is a physician's (or other professionally licensed caregiver, e.g. NP) order.

I, too, have bad to deal with nonmedically licensed supervisors who wrote P&PS. I worked with them on the specifics or generated them myself.

Not to po-po PsychRNXXX's malpractice insurance advice, and with all due respect, I found that they will leave a nurse high & dry in order to avoid responsibility. After a liability company's refusal to support me for a decision I made back in 2000, I dropped them like a hot potato and worked the remaining 20 years of my career without insurance.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Group homes, personal care homes, assisted living environments, adult day care, and so many others are regulated by your state's healthcare facilities regulation division at the Department of Community Health. The owner of the home most likely created the P&P based upon those regulations and guidelines. You only need to follow what you know as a nurse regarding your scope of practice, FOLLOW MD/PROVIDER ORDERS, and if you find something in the group home practices that contradict any of it, report it to your administrator and discuss the need to revise any applicable section of the group home P&P as needed to maintain compliance.

You are the LICENSED person there; that's why they hired you (to manage the healthcare component of the business). You know things that the non-licensed owner/administrator doesn't. You can also go to the DCH website and download your own copy of the regulations and interpretive guidelines to make sure what you're doing is in compliance.

As for training employees, this is nothing more than training a caregiver on health maintenance and tasks prior to discharge. The only difference now is that you'll need documentation in the form of handouts, post tests, and educational videos to prove the training when the State comes in to do their visits. (I was a state nurse surveyor😉). Check with your state for specifics because rules and regulations change over the years.

I was planning on starting my own personal care home because of my experience as a surveyor, but my co-RN surveyor/potential business partner/best friend died of COVID in Winter 2020. So the plans fell by the wayside.

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