metalRN

Thanks for the replies. Kate, that's quite a job description and is not what is happening in my agency. Thanks for the info!

Hello all, In our office we have an LVN who is the Clinical Manager. I'm working on revamping some things in this agency, and I was just wondering: does your agency have a clinical manager and what exactly does he/she do? I appreciate any help you very knowledgable people can give me. :) Thanks!

I don't blame you for that. I used to work at a prison, and this one inmate had swastikas and other "white power" type things tattooed on him. Several of the other nurses saw these and immediately did not care to help him (he was having difficulty breathing). However, although I don't agree with that philosophy, my job is to provide health care to this man, which I did. No more, no less. However, if he had started spouting off about being proud of it, I may not have been so quick to provide him some relief. So I completely understand your refusal to take care of this proud nazi.

It's sad to say, but it is typical of "religious" people to wonder how in the world anyone could be offended by the OP question, and imply that those of us without a belief in any god still have some kind of faith. How can you say that an atheist is going to pray before going into work? Pray to what? I believe that prayer works for people, only because it gives them the strength to handle what comes their way. I believe that strength comes from within. If believing that some guiding force is out there helping you gets you through the day, fine. But don't assume that everyone feels the same way. I get through my life with a belief in MYSELF and my abilities. No atheist in this thread has said that it's NOT ok for a patient to pray. I myself said I will gladly hold a patient's hand while they pray. I will gladly get them what they need to feel better, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual comfort. But assuming things about a patient's faith and saying things like "God bless you" when you don't have a clue what the patient believes, well, it is offensive.

This would seem to imply that an atheist would "appear to not believe in anything." Most of my patients talk to me about their beliefs, always assuming that I believe the same way. I think many of my patients would be shocked to find out I don't believe in their god, because I don't act the way many think a stereotypical atheist will act. Just because we don't believe in your god or your religion, doesn't mean we go through life not believing or caring about anything. It's not that I don't believe in anything. I believe that people should be treated with respect. I believe everyone has the right to their own beliefs. I believe that if each one of us will do our part to make the world a better place, even if it is just one patient at a time, we will all be much better off. I believe in doing what I can to help people in the here and now, not trying to behave a certain way to get some reward in the future. I care for people because it is the right thing to do. The bottom line is: there are atheists who treat patients badly, and there are "religious" people who treat patients badly. And there are atheists and "religious" people who treat people with respect and compassion. Faith has nothing to do with it. It's all about the individual. Funny story... I used to take care of a 95 year old woman who was a Jehovah's Witness. She once told one of the other nurses that I was "a good religious woman." She assumed I had some kind of faith because I cared for her and treated her with compassion. I wasn't going to tell her any different, because it was not about ME, it was about HER. If that thought gave her comfort, I'm not going to take it away from her. :)

I think there is no reason to incorporate YOUR faith into your job as a nurse. What matters is the patient's faith and beliefs and respecting them. I am an atheist. I have respect for everyone's beliefs. If a patient wants me to pray with them, I will gladly hold their hand while they pray. I am here to do whatever I can to help the patient's WHOLE health, including spiritual health. I feel no need to push my "faith" or lack of onto anyone. I work with a nurse who pushes her faith on everyone. She once told a patient who is a Jehovah's Witness, "God bless you." Now, from what I know of this religion, their god is Jehovah, not "God". I had one JW patient who was adamant about "it's not God, it's Jehovah!" So, whether this particular patient was offended, I can't say. But it is not that nurse's place to say that to the patient anyhow. If your faith helps you to be caring and kind, awesome. For me, I treat everyone with respect and a non-judgmental attitude. I don't need any kind of faith to help me do that.

You know, the OP asked a question and many replies have been non-helpful and rude. It's a valid question, and there's no need to reply in that manner. I felt the same when I was in school. I didn't WANT to work 12 hour shifts, but I knew it was a big possibility. Luckily, I got a job in a clinic 8:30-5:30 M-F, worked there happily for 3 years, and now I'm working with home health (after finishing my RN). Also M-F, 8-5, but I do go on call about every 5-6 weeks for a week at a time. The pay is not as good as jobs with the longer hours, but it is worth it to me. My husband works long hours, and one of us needs to be there for our kids. These kind of jobs are out there, but be prepared for a job with the long shifts, at least to start with.

Medicare regulations state a sup visit must be done every 14 days, so who does these visits? Another RN? I feel for you with 65 patients... I usually have a caseload of 25-30 patients that I'm case manager for, and that gets difficult with all the sups (HHA and wounds), recerts and admissions.

The patient is out of town for an MD appointment. He is most definitely homebound, has dialysis 3x per week, and is an amputee. So if a sup visit is due, but pt is out of town for MD appt, then what?

Hello, I work at a small rural home health agency. For patients with aides, the RN usually sees the patient every other week for a supervisory visit. My question is, what if the sup visit is due, and the patient is out of town? What are the Medicare guidelines? Do you get the visit as soon as the patient returns, even though it is past the 14 days? How does your agency handle this? Thanks!