I've started with an agency recently to do private duty. I was mislead from the beginning. I was lead to believe that I would have peds cases and was put on an adult case. I'm very uncomfortable with this. To add to that its a complex case. I had/have my hesitations but desperately need work (haven't worked in months). I've been trying hard to make it work and to learn what I can.
I've done private duty for years and I have seen roaches before and other unsanitary conditions. This is no shocker to me at all. So I arrive at this patients home to find that it is in the ghetto of the ghetto. The majority of the homes around this place are condemned. I still decided to give it a chance and not judge the book by its cover. What I discovered was a home infested with roaches. The family keeps the windows open year round and doesn't run the heat. Even the window in the patients room is open. The high temp has been in the 30's. My assumption is that they can't afford the heat. I addressed the roach problem with the agency and they claim they have discussed it with the family. I have to watch for roaches constantly to avoid having one crawl on me. The family is very sweet. They don't have much of an education and I see an opportunity to do lots of teaching. But I don't think I can work in this environment. The thought if it being that cold in the home and having to give the patient a bath is disturbing...so are the roaches I have to keep from crawling on the patient.
I desperately need the paycheck as being out of work has left me almost completely broke. I don't feel comfortable with the complexity of the case, but I can learn. I'm comfortable with very complex peds cases. I just lack the experience with adults. So I do feel capable of learning what I need to know. I'm not comfortable with the roaches or the freezing cold home. I can't work in that kind of environment. The agency doesn't have any other cases available. I'm not impressed with the agency at this point. They have mislead me and the training has been poor. The orientation for the company pushed safe driving and made us watch a video about it. I won't be driving any patients. I have had 1 ticket in 17 years of driving and don't need to be told how to drive! But they never taught how to do paperwork in orientation. I would think the paperwork would be more important to learn than safe driving since I won't be using my car for work purposes. Its obvious the DON wants a warm body with a license...but this warm (when not on the case) body has a brain in it!! There isn't much work around here and it took me months to find this job. Any options? I'm already back to looking for other jobs in case anything else comes up. But until then?
Make sure you keep the referring MD informed before you make any moves.
I had a patient last year whose home and self was covered in her feces, her cat's feces, it was all over. After speaking with the patient it was evident that she was unable to take care of herself due to a mental condition. I placed a call and spoke with the MD and reported the conditions, and he elected to have her picked up by an ambulance squad and admitted to the hospital, and after several days of inpatient testing she was sent to a long term psych facility.
moonjumper
11 Posts
Make sure you keep the referring MD informed before you make any moves.
I had a patient last year whose home and self was covered in her feces, her cat's feces, it was all over. After speaking with the patient it was evident that she was unable to take care of herself due to a mental condition. I placed a call and spoke with the MD and reported the conditions, and he elected to have her picked up by an ambulance squad and admitted to the hospital, and after several days of inpatient testing she was sent to a long term psych facility.
That's just my
moonjumper