How home care nursing shifts are determined
After talking about how PHS determines nursing schedules and what we are currently doing (and not doing) in our new model, the third and final installment of frequently asked questions regarding our home care nursing service is here, with answers related to shifts and training for our staff.
Moving forward, we will continue to evolve this model of home care and will provide you with regular updates, but please never hesitate to ask questions – we always want you to feel confident and knowledgeable about your child’s care. Our Director of Nursing, Karletta Crawford, can be reached by calling our main line at 651-642-1825.
My nurse says they will do extra shifts, but you won’t allow it – why?
Our nurses are very accommodating to meet the needs of your child, and due to our culture, are reluctant to say “no” to working extra shifts. While we still pay overtime for emergency situations, we have very tight controls authorizing overtime.
Regarding your identified priority shifts, we make every effort to accommodate, but we cannot guarantee nursing coverage.
Will you let me decide on the number of training shifts I feel is needed for my child?
We’ve had to change the patient-specific training process for our field staff. We no longer guarantee a specific number of training shifts.
Experienced home care nurses may only require one patient-specific training shift in your home because they have working knowledge and experience with assessing medically-complex children, equipment troubleshooting, and have above-average nursing skills.
Novice nurses will receive patient-specific training according to our assessment/observation of their skills and experience, and based on feedback from the trainers. We reserve the right to determine the number of training shifts based on the competency demonstrated by the nurse.
If you are not comfortable with a nurse in your home, we will reassign them and work to replace them with no guarantee of how long it will take. Because of the nursing shortage, we are asking you to explore identifying backup caregivers and/or PCA services. We understand the need for home care nurses, but we cannot guarantee complete nursing coverage.
Originally published: August 16, 2016