I was fulfilling the RN Case Manager role for my initial contract at Jacobs Medical Center (JMC) in La Jolla, San Diego as a float. Being a float requires a wide medical skill set. One must be able to shift gears dependent upon specific patient care needs and discharge planning requirements specific for each unit.
The JMC float units included Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU), Cardiology and Med-Surg to name a few. I was assigned to work whichever unit was short-staffed for the particular work-day. I would not know which unit I was covering until I parked Blue Velvet in the JMC parking garage every morning. Once she was in park, work cell phone was flipped on to check the schedule for the day. It was a mystery, but I enjoyed finding out where I would be each morning. Some days I was really pleased. With others there may have been an “ugh” followed by “you got this”.
In a previous story, Bohemian Beach Bum....., I shared I was overly pleased that my contract at JMC was extended. There was a job switch agreement involved in said extension. I agreed to work 6 of the 13.5 weeks in Utilization Review (UR) or Utilization Management (UM).
Utilization management nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who work in various health care settings, such as hospitals, private practices, and insurance companies. Their primary goal is to ensure patients receive the care they need while managing costs and making the best use of available resources — without unnecessary or duplicate services. Utilization Review - American Nurses Association
Bottom line on UR is that it is chart auditing. All day long….
I had done this aspect of nursing in the past, but it had been a minute. If I’m being honest, UR has not been one of my favorite employment opportunities. However, “its not permanent so why not utilize the option to refresh this skill set. Who knows, maybe it will be something you’d like to switch to in the future.”
So in addition to moving to new temporary housing, I needed to re-acclimate myself to utilization review and how it was to be managed at JMC.
Sometimes a travel nurse is only provided with a quick two day orientation on facility processes. This go round, there were 2 UR nurses available to provide orientation for a week. They were an amazing resource! They both had been focused on UR for some time and watching them click through all the screens to identify if a patient met requirements for hospitalization so quickly was mesmerizing. Yet somewhat overwhelming for this Type A personality. I want to learn things “yesterday” and typically beat myself up a bit if I don’t. After about 2 weeks in UR, I was becoming a “speedier clicker” with chart reviews. This girl’s UR practice foundation was growing and developing.
In addition to the new role, my work schedule shifted. The colleague who required my coverage for her leave, covered Sundays to Thursdays. Therefore typical weekends transitioned to Fridays and Saturdays. That didn’t hurt my feelings.
Despite all the unanticipated changes for this San Diego contract extension, as usual, everything worked out. The highlight was moving forward with grasping UR. Going outside the employment comfort zone will improve future career opportunities. You’ve got to be familiar with the travel nurse saying by now: “and it’s temporary”, or is it?!?!
lol Susan! Are you working any longer? If so, where are you at?
You are a rock star Michelle… who knew what was underneath that NELC rep?