Please help-- needing information

[hollyberry678]

A friend of mine referred me to HIS friend who has a very small home care agency. They only have 10 clients right now. They have no RN (hence me). I have a job at a hospital, so this is only extra.

He stated that I would 'supervise the PCA's'. I would get 50.00 per visit, and each would last approx 1/2, or however long it took me to supervise, once per month for each client (but I have a feeling w/ car travel, extra time charting, ect it is more time and expense)

I have a feeling there is more involved, and I dont want to lose my license due to negligence. For example, on intakes, what is needed? For Care plan, what is needed? What is OAsis? Is this needed? What AM I responsible for?

I would like to give this a go, however, would like to do it safely, and I dont think the owner knows all that is involved...

thanks for any help, information you can share!

[caliotter3]

If it were only doing a half hour to one hour supervisory visit of the PCAs once per month, that would be one thing. However, there are a heck of a lot of requirements that must be met that require the full time services of at least one RN. You can't just go in and do a fraction of the job. What about updating the 485's, handling doctor's orders, handling problems, providing inservices for the PCAs, doing the nursing care plans, as well as what you have already mentioned. He needs to hire a Director of Clinical Services as well as a RN supervisor immediately. If he wants one RN to do both functions, that is probably feasible with only ten clients, but you can't do only the supervisory visits and leave out the rest.

The easiest way, I believe, to find out what you need to do in this position, would be to go to an established agency and ask the Director of Clinical Services to let you get some info on all of this on your own time. Perhaps your new boss could see that you get paid for this and the people you ask to help you out, would be willing to let you shadow their jobs out of the goodness of their hearts. We all have to learn somewhere and sometime. Try this. All anybody can do is to tell you no. Good luck.

[wonderbee, BSN, RN]

I think your friend would be doing you no favors and is cutting corners from the get go. Not that the money isn't right. In my opinion, it is if you throw in mileage reimbursement too. You're not oriented to home health. Would a HH nurse be let loose in a hospital without orientation even for limited patient interaction?