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In our agency we mandate that an Agreement to Treat (or as others may call it a consent to treat form) be completed and signed prior to putting hands on the patient. We have recently had some discussion among the ranks regarding this. Some are sayin...

"When you are working as a HHA, you are not working "below your license." Part of your training as a nurse is to assist patients with ADLs and personal care needs definitely within your scope of practice. Instead of feeling insulted, try looking at w...

The following was shared with me today and tugged at my heartstrings. It made me stop and consider. When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home, it was believed he had nothing left of any value. Later when the nurses were goi...

The following was shared with me today and tugged at my heartstrings. It made me stop and consider. When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home, it was believed he had nothing left of any value. Later when the nurses were going ...

This is a tough question to answer. Having done home care for over 20 years, and still loving it I think I would say; 1. Never think you are suppose to have all the answers. There is always something to learn. Don't be afraid to say I don...

"Oh that's Sadie....she's the new top dog on the unit."

Care of a vac is a routine part of patient/caregiver education at the START. Before we consider accepting a patient for service, we ask if there is a caregiver available AND willing to be taught the vac. If there isn't we do not accept the patient....

My agency provides the flu shot to any of our home health patients that want to receive it. This is a reimburseable procedure by Medicare. As Medicare is federal, there is no reason the patient cannot receive it in the home. I am only clear with m...

I am finding a number of our therapy groups whom we contract with for supplemental support are evaluating the patient's O2 sats as a part of their routine vitals. This has not been a policy of our agency to do so I am constantly telling them they ne...

Thanks all for your input. We have raised the same questions Linda1208rn did on mulitple occasions, hence why we have not gone this route as yet. I read notes and see where the patient's sats have dropped following a therapy session, but no documen...

Kate love your wish list. I have found it amazing the number of applicants who come into the office and seem to have all the right answers to interview questions......yet are the total opposite when hired. Not everyone are good test takers.....so I...

In my agency there is an area on the visit note where the nurse can document communication with the MD.....(MD name, what the issue was, outcome of the conversation) for something found that visit. If the MD was not available at the time of this cal...

Another thing I do for the staff in the way of a "mini in-service" is to send out a weekly flier regarding a topic. An example is clarifying the data items for the OASIS assessment. (I am in home care) The flier is titled, "So That's What That Mea...

Being a well seasoned......or as my colleagues would call me, ancient, home care nurse, I agree with the above quote.....but only to a point. As a new nurse, you will find yourself working autonomously......and with some very sick people. All the "...

Our agency uses the Protime 3. It is approved by the FDA and has literature to support its accuracy. I am one who does not always take things at face value and have compared venipuncture results with the Protime results and found them to be right o...

Thanks for the info. Both of the recommended sites are great!! My staff will be so pleased.:yelclap:

The form Kyasi is using is the standard CMS form. Our agency has this form as a part of a software program, so typing up the 485 is a matter of filling in the blank. (I can remember the days Florence and I were out there working and all 485s were h...

I gave found the RN Pocket Guide, WebMD, and the Merck Manual all quite helpful when I downloaded them to my iPhone. I am a perfectionist so I also made sure I downloaded Dictionary.

Our nurses must have bags that are washable or of a material that can be washed down. They must have a barrier between the bag and what object the bag is being placed on. This barrier can be something as simple as paper towel. The nurse must wash ...

Best of luck to you in your new venture. You will be missed on this site....so I am pleased to see you will pop in every now and then. I enjoyed reading your posts and have learned much from you. I have just one request......save a padded room for ...

That looks like quite a comprehensive orientation. Very good! I am assuming that within your four day nursing orientation they will discuss Medicare guidelines, documentation, patient assessment, cultural diversities, safety etc. Good luck on your...

Our agency policy is all paperwork must be turned in within 48 hours. It is true that the OASIS guidelines states the clinician must complete the OASIS data within five days of the SOC date, however, with the new PPS an agency would be nuts waiting ...

Our PTA's are an invaluable resource for us. They work directly with the PT in providing hands on care to our patients. The PT develops the plan of care and oversees the progress the patient is making. This oversight is conducted through conferen...

oh my gosh! your type of orientation brings back memories of my own orientation to home care.....and that was 27 years ago! there was no oasis....no hhabn notices.....no pps. 485's were hand written. it was tough then coming into home care and no...

I have completed orienting staff to the new case mix model, and focused on the two OASIS questions (M0110 and M0826). My agency has looked at setting up our system to do what some of the other writers here are going to do.......get the therapists ou...