Today my clinical instructor called in sick. This normally would not be that big of a deal, if I were working in a NORMAL clinic with a NORMAL caseload. However, I am working in a clinic where patients are double (and sometimes triple) booked all day long with evals squeezed in tiny little time slots that are always too small. I was expected to be able to handle most of my CI's caseload on my own. Ok fine...Well, that's not so fine.
You see here in our grand state, PT students are not legally allowed to work with Medicare patients in an outpatient setting unless a PT is right there observing. PT students are also not allowed to bill for any treatments they give for any Medicare patients unless the PT guided and supervised those treatments. Well, it would just so happen that all of our morning patients except for 2 were Medicare patients, and therefore, I could not see them on my own and bill for it. Plus...one of our Medicare patients (who is so sweet and nice to work with) is a major fall risk. If she fell in the clinic and I was working with her without my CI or a licensed PT right there, I would be sure to lose my license before I even received it. NOT gonna happen. I refuse to take that risk. So I think they were mad at me that I refused to see her on my own and they ended up scheduling her with a PTA (who is licensed and CAN legally treat her on her own).
So I went through the stress of feeling like people were mad at me all morning to the stress of a double booked afternoon of NO Medicare patients, meaning that I was on my own. Luckily they called a PTA from another clinic to come over and help out and she took 3 of my patients, otherwise I seriously would have lost my mind. Then my last patient of the day ended up cancelling, and I know this sounds horrible, but I was kind of glad. I was so stressed and tired that I'm not sure I would have been able to focus for one last patient or not. I'm sure I could have done it, but I was glad for the break and the fact that I got to leave a half hour early.
I think it's pretty safe to say that I will never be applying for any jobs at Wildwood. I would never want to deal with this on a daily basis. And now, I have to go finish up working on my presentation for tomorrow. Wish me luck with that. I think my brain is too fried that I just keep avoiding it, but it really does need to get done. My goal is to get it cranked out during the commercial breaks of House and then go to bed by 9. Ha...like that will happen.
But seriously...what a way to start a long week. Blah...Tomorrow had better go better than this, especially with my presentation lasting all of lunch. Wish me luck.
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