Thank you for your comments....I am very blessed to work in a public, not for
profit, hospital rehab and have the ability to have time to focus on quality
and not just quantity.....I agree with the male issue but I do think that with
the number of male nurses and nursing assistants growing every day that it is
gradually becoming less of an issue....but I agree with working with other
staff or an assistant if it is...just like I would tell a female staff member
to do with a male if that was uncomfortable for the patient...
Thanks again...
Linda
Linda Stovall, OTR/L
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Program Manager
Memorial Hospital at Gulfport
Comprehensive Medical Rehabilitation Program
228-867-4179
228-867-5357 (fax)
228-883-8443 (beeper)
A CARF (Three-Year) Accreditation was awarded to MHG for the following
programs:
Inpatient Rehab - Adults, Adolescents, and Children
Inpatient Rehab- Stroke Specialty
>>> "Brent Cheyne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 9/10/2008 4:08 PM >>>
Dear Linda and the OTList,
I agree with your comments about therapist reluctance to work and consult with
nursing about adaptations for showers i.e. to make them more safe and
functionally independent. This kind of collaboration should occur and yes often
the OT's want to stick to the gym and get done what they can down in the rehab
area. So I feel your pain. When a patient is deemed too low level to take a
shower it should be followed with a plan to make that possible as soon as
possible and then put it into place...but don't avoid the matter all together
and just focus on "strengthening".
I admire all OT managers and teamates that actually concerned these quality of
care and functional outcomes and I know that it takes a lot of leadership and
energy to shape and mold the practices of the staff toward optimal
occupation-based tasks. I regret that, my experience, managers are often more
exclusively concerned about the number minutes your spent with the patient for
the optimal RUGS category, and whether you filled out all the required
paperwork for reinbursement.
So THANK YOU for focusing on these types of matters, this is the kind of
emphasis that we need to refocus our professional behavior.
P.S. As a male OT I sometimes have trouble with patient showers....people
prefer a female to be present...which sometimes means I ask a female colleague
to switch patients or I do work with the CNA so that they know to how to
structure the shower for optimal participation or sometimes I do delay
addressing showers with the patient until I know that they would only need
distant supervision and set-up to perform the task thus preserving their
privacy and modesty...this also requires a lot of rapport building with certain
patients. As I male I have a unique challenge in practice but I try not to use
it as an excuse for avoiding needed intervention.
Thanks again
Brnet Cheyne OTR/L
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