erika.RN

Hi all, I am a clinical preceptor for the junior level. I am teaching med-surg clinicals and trying to figure out the best clinical paperwork/assignments for my students for post clinical. I am hoping to explore new care plan options. I would love to see what you all are using and what your requirements are. Currently I expect a care plan with a patho, 2 nursing dx care plan and SBAR report. Anyone willing to share? If email would be easier, please let me know. Thanks for your help!

I have a love/hate relationship with my job. I have a young toddler & a baby on the way & I am scared about how I will balance it all. I think most of the nurses at my agency feel the way I do. It is hard with a family & some personalities are just not made for the job. You must be disciplined and focused on getting your charting done right away or it will haunt you into the wee hours...weekends are dampened knowing there is charting waiting for me. Corrections come back to haunt you & the kicker there is...we are paid by visit, so all that time charting in your free time is literally...for free. I also wouldn't count in pts not wanting seen on holidays, some people have no family & to them-it is just another day. As you can tell, I personally struggle making it work for my family, but I also cover a large area and usually put at least 1100 miles on my car a pay period. I have been doing it for 15 months now & while I am still here, it isn't because I necessarily want to be. You may love it. I think it goes either way. I will say flexibility and pay is awesome! Good luck!

Hello! I am looking for advice from Moms who work 12's. I have a young child (18 mos) at home & one on the way. Right now I work home health & work 4-5 days a week, but stay up very late charting on weekends & several weeknights. It has really cut into my free time with my husband who works 70-90 hrs a week (self employed). I had a job interview for a less acute med-surg type floor for more long term pts & the original job was for part time. However they have offered me full time days. I am concerned my days will be so long and I will miss my kids more, but then I also know 4 days off would be really, really great also. Hoping to hear from other young moms with advice or wise moms who have been there done that. My shift would be 7a-730p w/1/2 hr commute & they have a wonderful daycare on site, my husband would pick the kids up at 5, & watch them weekends I was scheduled.

I have beem doing HH for a year now & already I feel burnt to a crisp. The corrections are horrendous/petty & all I can think when doing them is, "I am not getting paid for this." SOC/ROC's and anything OASIS makes me want to scream. I get sick of daily wound pts & their non-compliance. It really irritates me. However, I also wonder if I am doing any good with just teaching. I have a young child (18 months) & another on the way. My day starts at 8 am. I drive 150 miles a day & get back around 4-4:30. I then have so much charting to do.. I pick little one up at daycare. DH gets home at 5:30-6, we do supper & he does bath. We get little one to bed & then we go our separate ways so I can chart until 11 pm. He cleans up kitchen & goes to bed around 10, he gets up & leaves at 4:30 so I don't see him in a.m. he sometimes works 90+ hrs a week...so its been very wearing. It really is wearing on me. I explained to my supervisor that I am unsure I will be able to do this job with 2 kids under 2 & asked to go part time. She said unless another PT nurse goes full time I can't. Is this everyone's norm? I am not naturally an organized person and don't do well without structure. Maybe my personality just isn't right for HH? Maybe my family situation isn't right? Any advice or help?? I had an interview on a skilled nursing unit (long term care is my passion) for 3/12's. I am not sure what to do now, just to add fuel to the fire...ugh hate decisions & being burnt out.

I am confused...are you in home health or nursing home setting?

Our agency supplies everything. I ended up using my own bag & stethescope.

So you got fired because the pt was still in the hosp so you could not do a SOC? Did the pt get discharged on Sunday? Maybe they felt you should have followed up? Otherwise, I don't think that's really grounds to fire...

Same thing...except I am on call this weekend and was also on Friday. I hace 6 OASIS Start of Cares to catch up on. I hate this part of the job. I NEVER have a day "off"but where I don't have to worry about anything.

This really just blows my mind. You don't take your own supplies to work with you at the hospital...so why is this any different. They don't have a supply room of stuff? Dressings, lab supplies, tapes, bandages, etc.?? Have you asked? Sorry you're having such a rough time...home health is nerve wracking enough when you are out there by yourself, especially as a newbie.

Uhh lab supplies, staple remover kits, everything should be supplied by your agency /hospital you work for. You are never required to pay for these things out of pocket. Also...don't just take a pt's word on things. Make sure you have a doctors order before you remove those staples.

I have good luck applying aquacel AG cut to size on stasis ulcers when they are very wet. Calmoseptine to peri-wound if they are really draining. If they get necrotic santyl helps debride. I wouldn't say stasis ulcers are impossible, just time consuming & the dressings should be changed daily.

I disagree about tje experience. I was a LTC LPN for 5 years and was a RN in a clinic for a year ajd went into HH. I am still learning, but what burse isn't every day? I love my job and flexibility it offers. :)

I really like it. My agency allows us to set our own hours, we are paid per visit. Ot works wonderfully for me as I am not a morning person & my daughter who is 10 months old doesn't have to be woken up at 6 in the morning to go to daycare. We get up and go at our own pace. The charting will be overwhelming at first. I still feel swamped at times, but I have been doing this for 4 months now & am getting alot faster recently. I love that I can chart when I am at home after the baby is in bed. The biggest challenge for me has been prioritizing my work. It was so easy for me to get all my visits done & go pick up my daughter, but then I was up all hours trying to catch up. So if I am out doing visits & get home at 2, I will chart for 2 hours & then pick up little one. The flexibility will keep me here for years. Especially when my kids are in school and have activities.

I interviewed with a home health job at our local hospital. It's work from home, set your own hours, & pay per visit. On call every 6-8th weekend and on call once a month for the night. The system is all on Ipads and when you are on call on the weekend so are 3 other nurses to help you. They cover 5 counties and try to make your patients where you live to cut down on driving time. I live in the fairly rural area/farming community. There are some rough areas, but for the most part I would feel safe. On top of it the hospital has a superb daycare (which I desperately need) and they will pay off my $30k in student loans bedside it's where I went to school at...sounds perfect to me!! My question is how do you deal with working in people's homes? Some nurses I work with now are really trying to scare me out of this. Saying "you won't believe the disgust and filth people live in!" And "you are better off staying here" I hate my office/clinic job and am BORED to tears, but will the homes really scare me off? It's not like I never thought of that before, and I am just letting people get to me... Any advice for a new nurse in Home Care??

At least go to the interview!! I found out I was pregnant shortly after starting a clinic job (which I usually loathe) and ended up staying there for the duration of my pregnancy for insurance reasons only...I am still there, they were good to me for my maternity leave. So there are things to consider when baby is on the way, but going to an interview doesn't mean you have to take it.