KP RN

What a dilemma, Curly! My husband is a retired podiatrist. He says that E.coli infections like you describe are not that uncommon. Perhaps when you took a shower in your own home, the water ran down your own body and into the ingrown toenail?? It's a lot more palatable when you realize it might be your own E.coli, eh??? Good luck!!

Calcium alginates are quite effective in absorbing tons of drainage and keeping the periwound skin reasonable dry and healthy. Good luck!

Our agency does not require case conferences, per se. However, we do document interdisciplinary communication at least every fourteen days. Our skilled nursing visit notes have a line which is for IDC, we simply write the name and the discipline of the person we communicated and what was discussed.

My best friend's husband and children have severe allergies to pet dander and hair. They have purchased two Shar-Pei's, you know, the wrinkly faced big babies?? I am happy to tell you the family has no problems with allergies or shedding, and these two dogs are so good with children!! Try a shar=pei!!

My spelling pet peeves are the incorrect use of: your and you're to, two, and too there, their, they're, and the use of GOOD instead of WELL. OK, I feel better now...

Hi Brenda. I do private pay home care visits. I advertise in the local newspaper. Sometimes I get referrals right from the doctors themselves. The population which I am targetting are elderly people with chronic conditions who need some help, but aren't yet ready to live in an assistive living facility. Many have children who are either out of town or unavailable. These patients aren't required to be homebound, nor do they need to have a skilled need because they are paying privately. I send bills out monthly. Have not had any problems collecting. My census varies, and I am pursuing my business "on the side" and working for other home care agencies on a regular basis. I do not attempt to "recruit" any of my agency patients for my own business for ethical reasons. Good luck!!

Why is it that US SMART people always wear glasses (or contacts?)

I was not aware that any nursing programs require 20/20 vision. I began wearing glasses at the age of 4 for near sighted vision. I now wear contacts (had been a coke bottle bottom girl til I was 16!!). My vision is only 20/30 or 20/40. Good enough to get a drivers license, good enough to practice as an RN. Good luck to you!!

Oh my, Karbyr, May I assume that you were being paid hourly, as opposed to per visit?? Glad you got out of there!!

WOW!! My daily productivity is 5.7 visits. We do have a policy which requires us to call the pt the evening before our visit to inform them of our appt. time. This has never been a problem. If I get stuck at one patient's house and I get behind, I just call those patients by cell and notify them that I'm running late. I would absolutely REFUSE to do HCA visits on a regular basis. Likle Hoolie says, I've done them every now and again, but I certainly wouldn't be giving showers routinely. I have a question though. Is this really Medicare fraud?? Seems to me that with PPS, the agency is paid one fee for the entire case. I didn't think agencies were still billing for, say, 12 RN visits, 8 PT visits and 18 home care aide visits??? It sounds like your agency is taking advantage of you. Karbyr, I'm shocked that your agency doesn't want you to be in a pts home for more than 25 minutes!! OMG! How can you possibly do everything you need to do in such a short period of time?? My average visit is probably 45-50 minutes--and that's an easy uncomplicated one!! I learn something new every day!!

Ah! The good ol' days!! I used to do 4-10s at a large university hospital. If I remember correctly, days was 7a-530p; evenings were 2p-1230a; and nights was 10p-830a. That was the greatest method of scheduling!! The overlap time gave us the extra hands to be able to finish paperwork, chart, get everyone turned, etc... Boy, did I love that job!!

I'm an RN in home health, and I have the opportunity to speak with many MA's over the phone regarding my patients. As in all fields, there are good MA's and bad MA's. Those who are formally educated can be quite helpful. I think most of the nurses on the BB would agree with me, the biggest problem exists when MA's call themselves "nurses". Only an LPN or an RN can legally address themselves as "nurses". MA's should be proud of their accomplishments, and call themselves medical assistants instead of nurses.

Organic chemistry-- After 20 years as a nurse, I've never had a situation in which I had to explain the clinical significance of benzene rings, valences, or carbon bonds...

OB/GYN, There is a thread in Nursing Entrepreneurs started by "AestheticRN" which may be of interest to you. Aesthetic trains nurses around the country in botox injections among other things. I think the thread in entitled Indepent Nusing. Check it out...

I always wear gloves whenever I might be in contact with blood or body fluids. I remember, back in the early 1980s, getting my a-s reamed at work for wearing gloves when cleaning up a patient's poop. Back then, us nurses were told to NEVER wear gloves when cleaning up someone cause it can hurt their feelings!!