glennmatthew

Hello all. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and offer any guidance. My fiance' and I are in what seems to be a bad situation pertaining to the care of her mother. Long story short, we are looking for a place (SNF?) where she can receive dialysis as well as trach care. Her mother had an MI and went in for an emergency cath. During this, she required intubation. The process of weaning her from the trach is now prolonged due to paralyzed vocal cords (apparently). She's breathing on her own rather well now, but due to the vocal cord issue, she may need to keep the trach. At least that's what is being conveyed to us. The facility she's in now was to specifically deal with getting rid of the ventilator assistance and trach. Now that it seems we're at an impasse, they are ready to ship her out to get PT and get her back on her feet. The only problem is that we're told the closest place to offer dialysis & trach care is 1.5 hours away. We're in Pgh. I've been trying to locate resources on the net with little luck. Since it's Sat, I can't call to speak with the case manager. To top it off, my father-in-law-to-be really has a special way of dealing with individuals (his way or the highway approach to interpersonal communications). So, I've been on this board for some time as a student and now graduate nurse. And I thought I'd throw out a line to see if anyone bites. Here's some specific ?'s: 1) Am I correct in assuming that if we don't want her to go to the facility they suggested, we can refuse and she can stay where she's at until a bed opens up at a closer facility? 2) Can anyone point me in the direction of searching for rehab facilities that offer dialysis and trach care? Thank you again for any input. glennmatthew

I see that you have spent time in Ottumwa. I would enjoy hearing about your experience there. I've been visiting Ottumwa since I was a child visiting family. I'm currently a nursing student and I know I have a ways to go before I can even think about traveling. But I could see Ottumwa being a place I would put in my travels. I totally want to pursue what you are currently doing....living in an RV and traveling the country. Thanks for sharing!! -glenn

I see that you have spent time in Ottumwa. I would enjoy hearing about your experience there. I've been visiting Ottumwa since I was a child visiting family. I'm currently a nursing student and I know I have a ways to go before I can even think about traveling. But I could see Ottumwa being a place I would put in my travels. I totally want to pursue what you are currently doing....living in an RV and traveling the country. Thanks for sharing!! -glenn

I ended up choosing CCAC Allegheny campus. When it came down to it, my decision was based on conversations/opinions I gathered over the months as to the quality of the programs as well as the over all cost. We just discussed this yesterday in clinical. Apparently there is some disparity between the different campuses at CCAC as far as what's covered in the first semester. In general though, most everyone I spoke with indicated that CCAC's program is excellent and the new nurses coming out of CCAC are much more prepared than some others. With that information there was no way I could rationally spend $10,000 more for an education that I never heard much positive feedback on. Good luck!

I'm seeking opinions/advice as to which program I should go with. Granted....I'm sure the $ will be significantly less at CCAC......I really want to choose the right school. I'm 37, no kids, and will be working weekends to focus on school throughout the week. Any advice or input is greatly appreciated. Glenn