neri1981

Hi everyone, I am a relatively new telephonic case manager for worker's comp and I'm 3 months into the position so I'm still learning a ton. I'm working towards my BSN and it's that wonderful capstone project time. The project assignment is to identify a measurable, patient outcomes-centered, quality improvement practice problem in our practice setting and to propose an evidence-based plan to address the problem. Being so new to this field, it is hard to identify a lot of possible topics and it is hard to do a literature search with no focus and nothing to help narrow the search. My initial thought is that the patients/injured workers/claimants need more timely care and waiting for adjuster authorization can at times delay much needed treatment. I was wondering if any of the more experienced worker's comp case managers out there could help provide some topic ideas? I'm not looking for help writing this paper, just some ideas on what you feel are possible patient-centered quality improvement practice problems that you've identified in your time on the job. Just looking for some help with a research direction! I'd appreciate any ideas! Thanks!

I'd like your opinions. I'm in my first semester so we're doing med-surg clinical. I've been an LNA for 2 years on a med-surg unit so I'm pretty comfortable in that environment. The other day the professor wanted to observe our bedside assessments and we are required to write a narrative based on our assessment findings. Sort of as if we were charting it in the computer. She observed mine and had positive things to say and told me to go write my narrative so she could read and correct it before post conference. I answered a few call bells and during a lull I went in the back room with another student to write my narrative. I was back there for maybe 15 minutes and was finishing up when the professor came in and said call bells were crazy and scolded us for sitting there. I understand the importance of helping to answer bells and I have no problem doing that. However, I also feel like there are plenty of staff to help answer bells and I'm spending a lot of money to be there to learn nursing and be a student. With the insane amount of work we have to get done I feel like if I spent all my time in clinicals answeing lights and basically being an aide, I'm not able to focus on my school assignments and get done what I need to in the time I have on the unit. We are supposed to be off the floor at a certain time for post conference but we always run late and our post conference time is shortened because she keeps making us answer call bells. We always leave late. What is your take on this? I have no problem helping answer bells but I feel that my nursing assignments should come first, since I'm there to learn and I cant do that when I'm being told to stop what I'm doing and rush around as an aide all night. I feel that spending a little time reading the chart, writing a narrative, and interviewing my patient should be allowed. The rest of the time I'm more than happy to answer bells.