Dear Cassandra, Why is American Home Health so hung up on little things like clinical notes? Almost every week someone from the office contacts me about my clinical notes. I go to work and take care of my client. Sometimes I don’t have time to write the nursing notes. Sometimes the supervisor says she can’t […]
Dear Cassandra, Several times a week I call the office, or I receive a call from the office. Sometimes the scheduler is offering a case to me or confirming or canceling a shift. Sometimes I need to speak with the supervisor about a clinical issue. Sometimes I have an HR or payroll question. What can […]
Dear Cassandra, My car was low on gas, and I didn’t have time to go to the gas station on my way to work. I took my purse with the $40.00 of cash with me into the client’s home. At the end of my shift, I discovered that the cash was missing. How can I […]
Dear Cassandra, Sometimes I don’t feel like going to work. Maybe the Cubs and White Sox are playing. Maybe I stayed up late watching a movie, and I’m tired. Maybe I just don’t want to go to work. Why should I? —Wants to Stay Home in Chicago Dear Wants to Stay Home, Why should you […]
Dear Cassandra, What do “Me at the Zoo,” “Guitar,” “The Bus Uncle,” and “Charlie Bit My Finger” have in common? How does this apply to nursing? —The Riddler in Romeoville Dear Riddler, Welcome, Riddler. We remember how you were always presenting riddles or questions to the Caped Crusader in the Batman series. You asked, “How […]
Dear Cassandra, A business magazine recently had an article about “soft skills.” The article listed the following ten qualities that make someone a good employee: (1) having a strong work ethic, (2) a positive attitude, (3) good communication skills, (4) time management abilities, (5) problem solving skills, (6) acting as a team player, (7) self […]
Dear Cassandra: Sometimes I think about the awesome duty of being responsible for the life of my client. So many things can go wrong. Private duty nurses face ventilators which malfunction, gang members in the neighborhood, the danger of carbon monoxide build-up in the home, gas leaks, rotting floors, runaway wheelchairs, school bus accidents, and […]
Dear Cassandra, A month ago I received an e-mail from Human Resources asking me to fax a copy of my current nursing license. Two weeks later HR left a message on my voice mail reminding me to fax the copy of the license. Yesterday I received a letter telling me that my personnel file is […]
Dear Cassandra: Why did the company switch to using Clockworks instead of timesheets? Why do we have to call in from the parent’s phone rather than using our cell phone? Why do we have to submit copies of our nursing license and both sides of the CPR card? Just Asking in Aurora ************************************************************************ Dear Just […]
Dear Cassandra, My supervisor is distressed because I am frequently “running late” to work. Sometimes I am fifteen minutes late. Sometimes I am an hour late for my shift. My supervisor even gave me a Written Warning. I always call the office to report that I am running late. What does it matter? What can […]