Job Interview

Good for you! Hope it goes well!

I am so jealouse, good luck girl....hope you get it? I am the lowest paid RN here, salary, and on call weekends every 5th. I am also the managed care nurse for insurance and contract people, plus when they need me to be a team player, I also am expected to help out on the unit.

I'm thinking about leaving, as I am here 50+ hours to get my job done.

I am so happy for you.

Wow, sure makes me think. My job is as you described your last one: only me for 109 beds, do everything and spend 40+ hours doing it; except that I am paid hourly and get overtime. I am burned out, and I have only been doing MDS for 5 months! Just venting too! Good luck with the new position! Kim

]kmiles: Like you read, I know the difficulties in working as the only person doing 'the job'. Many nites I brought stuff home to work on, despite my husbands complaints. I felt compelled to do the best job I could, even if I knew I was getting 'used' by the corporation that owed the place, since I was salary. Maybe you should start checking into how other facilities work & differ than yours -- and consider making a change. Good luck to you.

]

]Well, I got the job!! ]I start on Monday. ]I also talked to an acquaintance & found out her Mom works there, and she used to work there. ](she left to work for a hospice) ]She says that I'll like the new job. ]I'm looking forward to doing MDS' someplace else, and find out how the facilities & their organization, policies, etc differ.

]

Good luck! Hope it's a good fit!

Well, haven't started training for the care plan nurse job yet --- have just been working next to nurse's on the floor, to get to know the layout of the facility, get to know patient routines, staff names, where to locate things, etc.

Have spoke to one of the current care plan nurses, and find that there are several things that are different about what I used to do & be responsible for, and what they do.

For instance:

1. they do admission paperwork with new residents, get psychotropic consents signed, etc.

At the old job, someone else was responsible for that.

2. they are responsible for doing the 'balance' testing under sect. G 3.

At the old job, restorative nursing did this.

3. they do ALL care plans for the patients. But she said they don't do 'short term' care plans (such as for pneumonia, uti's, etc)

At my old job, I did care plans for medical problems/diagnoses (including short term ones), medications side effects, etc. Dietary did their own, Social services took care of behavior issue care plans, activities had their own, etc.

4. the whole mds/care plan team does not meet to review the mds & care plans.

At my old job, we did.

I start my care plan nurse training this coming Monday. I'm still interested in seeing how it goes.

***** I'm willing to hear/read all comments from others about what you do/don't do on items listed above ***** Thanks! Tara

Guess there are many ways for clinical teams to review assessment and resident findings, prioritize 4 to 6 resident issues/problems, and plan care goals and approaches with the resident.

But am totally disillusioned when disciplines "do care plans"--what does the resident do? Who is best able to tell and interpret resident care needs? My bet is on the resident or his/her daily care assistant...

Unless we act as professional clinicians, seek information from all, and demand that we and our colleagues use and share clinical knowledge and skill, we just are not professionals.