purpledaisies

This is my first winter in home care, and so far I have worked in 5 snowstorms this winter. Luckily I have a small SUV. But the worst was New Year's Eve...1'20" to go 12 miles on main roads. But I'd still rather be doing home care than the hospital/ICU. I don't miss it!:smiletea:

One of my co-workers just did this... You have to sit for the State teacher's exam. HTH

Congrats!! You'll love it! I'm so glad I made the switch a few months ago. I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. Good luck!

There's nothing like a good poop joke!!! Here's mine: blow out - when the BM is so large and forceful that it blows out the top of the diaper and out both legs:bugeyes:

Those were hilarious! The only funny one I have gotten so far is my pt that has a wound vac...her daughter called me and said that her mom's dressing was "hissing".:chuckle It had been put on by a nurse not very experienced in wound vacs and she didn't get a good seal.

In my agency, 24 hrs/wk case manages 18-22 pts. You do not have to have a BSN to case manage, but you do have to be an RN. A typical 8 hr day for me is seeing 6-7 pts, but that changes depending on admissions (SOC), resumptions (ROC), recerts and d/c. SOC & ROC count as 2 pts...so I could do 4 revisits and a ROC in an 8 hr day. I like 24 hrs because on my days off, I can pick up per visit (like per diem) when I want, and there is no set amount I would have to see...I could pick up 1 pt if I wanted. Ask them how many pts you would be expected to see in an 8hr day, what the mileage reimbursement is, how many pts you are expected to case manage, and what their per visit rates are. HTH:twocents:

We have a Utilization Review dept that does all of the insurance stuff for us, and our QA nurses deal with the coding if we have questions. I have asked the QA nurse to help me with a code when doing an SOC. HTH:nurse:

For 24 hrs/wk we see 6-7pts in an 8 hr day (SOC=2, ROC=2, recerts=1), and we case manage 18-22 pts. HTH:nurse:

i've given thorazine for hiccups too, but only im. it works great though!

I'm hourly (24hrs) but also pick up per visit at the per visit rate occasionally on my days off.

I left CSurg ICU for home care, but it was kind of inevitable. I had a pretty bad orthopedic injury last year that prevented me from staying in critical care. But I love home care! The families and patients are so appreciative and happy! And I don't have to deal with the residents with the god-complex!

We have to use the company provided bag for our supplies, but I really like it. We also have a needlebox holder bag on the side that velcros on. We keep the "clean" supplies in the center pocket, and everything else in the 2 outer. There is a slip in on the front for the antibacterial hand gel. In my car I keep an LL Bean tote with my reference notebook (phone numbers, wound care formulary, extra pens, etc.) and a pad of paper; my lab bag, and a tote with wound care back up supplies. Hope that helps.

The only time I have a 15" visit is when it is just VS, LS, and maybe a weight on a stable pt. Otherwise, my visits are usually 20-30" long.

1. My company gave me a bag full of supplies, a bin of supplies, and a file box to keep in my car for forms, etc. If I need to restock my bag/bin, I call and order it (and charge the patient if necessary - like giving them some dressing supplies) and it gets delivered to the office. Our office has our lab draw supplies, syringes, gloves, etc. in the office so we just refill that stuff right from the office. 2. I started on orientation in May, and by the sounds of it, will be done going with a preceptor in about 2 weeks. But my agency tailors the orientation to the employee's experience (I have 11 years of hospital experience) and how fast they pick it up. Hope that helps!

I'm in the process of applying for a New Hampshire license because the agency I work for requires it since part of the territory they cover is in NH and there maybe a chance we could get sent there. My original and current license is in Mass, but I had to pay $45 for NH fingerprints and FBI criminal check (must be done in Concord NH), $30 to NURSYS to prove I have a Mass license (which they could check on the Board of Nsg's website for free), $120 to apply for the license, and I had to complete 30 CEUs before I even applied.