seattledeb

Vitamin D3, 5000 iu qd-after testing my level and finding it 7. (best 50-80) Lots of fresh veg and fruit, I can get 2 or 3 in a morning smoothie. Vitamin C and echinachea if I start to feel anything.

I used to work for Prov Hospice and while the nurses I worked with were mostly a very talented and caring team, the management structure was extremely dischordant, unsupportive of each other or of the care providers. With a recent IT implementation, the parent org chose to make sweeping changes in the organization that included breaking up care teams and laying off a large number of social workers. Every nurse I have spoken to since, even those that tried to be optimistic, was demoralized and frustrated.

I work for a nonprofit, part of a larger religious nonprofit. The downside is that being under senior services-which is traditionally low paid, I think we are way underpaid. Hospice should be advanced home health and pay for the years of general nursing experience you come with. But the plus is that the focus is on compassionate care, for the most part. We would not turn down a patient with financial needs, we have resources to help those in dire need of basic comforts. Our nurses are not pushed to meet financial goals. Now, they are overworked because we are too short staffed, too short staffed because we are not paid well enough to attract the experience we need, but there are measures being taken to address those things. At least I feel that there is interest in improving our org and fundamentally many good people. We are currently changing leadership and I am hoping that they hire an outsider with strong leadership skills to both corral some of the internal management issues and better advocate for us. Also, our org has huge hiring bonuses that can always be shared, so if looking in the NW, contact me!:wink2:

I like it because I think it is the way all healthcare should be-on the patient's terms, schedule, their needs and not dictated by a system or insurance company. I started in NICU, often triage at births and now I triage in hospice. They seem very similiar, some deaths-with family and friends coaching, laughing, supporting, feel a lot like births, like a transition to a new phase in life.

Well, you do often get the rest of the anticholinergic effect with atropine-rapid heart rate,agitation. Which I mainly mention to families so that they don't over use it, I would certainly prefer those side effects than those of suctioning-every non-hospice nurse involved with a hospice patient wants to suction because we think we need to do something. I am going to tatoo "No suction" on myself! Personally, I would also rather skip the atropine unless I am in distress, too.

I went into home health years ago and loved the autonomy, tired a bit eventually of the paperwork. When I first did it 10 years ago I got a little bored and wanted more tech work in infusion, but these days (24 years nurse) I am loving my new hospice job. Much, much more autonomy, respect, and support from your peers.

I loved being labeled with "Advanced Maternal Age" at 39 when I had better overall health at that time than many 25 year olds. Even worse "Senior or Aged Primipara"!

several of the lnc's in my area have chosen to become a pllc and i am also looking at this route. an llc does offer some limited protection of personal assets which is the difference between that and an s-corp. and changing later from s-corp to llc is more money and complication, so i am choosing this route up front. of course, i have yet to meet with my tax attorney on this with my own questions, but getting all the forms and questions prepared beforhand. go to your state government business licensing website to find your guidelines, here is the wa state definition: "a professional service corporation or pllc is intended for doctors, lawyers, dentists, architects, and other professionals who must have a license to engage in their work. some professions are required to form professional service corporations if they are going to provide services through a corporation. we suggest that you review rcw 18.100.050, rcw 25.15.045 for pllc's as well as the licensing rules governing your profession. it is a very good idea to consult with legal counsel. " http://www.secstate.wa.gov/corps/faq.aspx