Time between patients (and other advice you can give to a newbie)

[tinderbox]

Hi,

I'm new to HH, been working for almost 3 months now, and am still learning how to juggle everything that needs to be done as a HH nurse/case manager in an 8-hr time frame. I keep hearing that the learning curve takes 6 months to a year for a total newbie, but lately I have been getting frustrated because it seems like work is taking over my life. I don't want to go back to hospital nursing at all, but I do miss being able to leave work behind when my shift is over.

Another thing I'm curious about- how much time do you usually give yourself in between patients? I've been reading A Day in the Life of a HH nurse and seems like many people are able to see 6 patients, drop off labs, and finish charting by 4 or 5 ! How do you do it?

[caliotter3]

You have to plan your day. Use a map to plan your visits and be very careful to not let chit chat turn visits into longer time periods than you have planned. Most nurses try to do a lot of their charting in the car because there are no disturbances.

[KateRN1]

A lot depends on the area you're covering. If you're in a rural area with a lot of driving between patients, there's nothing you can do except cluster them as much as possible. It's a lot easier if you have multiple patients in one location (such as an ALF, ILF, senior apartment bldg) or a minimum of driving between patients and if your lab is close.

The best advice I can ever give is to do your charting in the home as much as possible. That *is* part of your visit and should be treated as such, not dragged home with you as you try to remember all the details. If you're unable to do it in the home, do it in the car around the corner from the pt if you have to, and don't "clock out" of your visit until you're done (or pretty close to it).

Also, make sure that you have everything you need before you set out for the day. If you know you have labs to draw, make sure you have all the tubes and venipuncture supplies before leaving your home or office. Make sure you have extras of everything, including paperwork, batteries, pens, pencils, whatever else you use.

Make sure you have directions to each home, if you don't already have a GPS. If you don't have a GPS, consider getting one and writing it off on your taxes as a work expense if you itemize.

If you're an RN, make sure that you really understand OASIS and document appropriately.

Other tips and tricks can be found in this forum as well.