Week 1

INTRO
Hello again everybody! Even if less people read this blog, I still enjoyed documenting my outplacement experiences last Spring just for my future reminiscing. This blog will contain info about my CFY experience as well as what it's like working for a travel company. Skip down to "Day 1: Heritage Health Care Center" if you don't care to read about how I got here.

TRAVEL COMPANIES
By the way, if you do want to travel, I highly highly recommend Sunbelt Staffing, specifically Vincent DeMauro. I've sent my resume to and made contact with almost all the travel companies that come up when you google "travel SLP". None of them compare to the quality of service provided by Sunbelt. I won't even go into detail about the trouble I went through with the others before I contacted Sunbelt. I'm specifically suggesting Vinny because he's my recruiter and go-to guy. Not only has he been sincere about getting the best for me as efficiently as possible, but also ... I get a referral bonus hehe.

One more thing, Foundation Medical Staffing (FMS) was sketchy as ever, and Reflectx Staffing was a huge disappointment. Staffing Options and Solutions (SOS) doesn't provide a lot of location options and has poor benefits. Educational Based Services (EBS) healthcare is mainly school systems even though they advertise hospitals on their website. Core Medical Group are slow to respond. Others I can't even remember what their service was like. Please please trust me. Sunbelt is honest, efficient, and sincere. I can't emphasize this enough. They are also the ONLY one that is JACHO certified, and that says something significant re: quality. ::whew:: [rant over]

The process
Ok, so after I sent my resume to Sunbelt, they called back immediately and asked for my preferences re: location, settings, preferred pay range, and start date, asked about what sets me apart from the other applicants so they can mention it to potential jobs, and had me fill out a skills checklist.
Staffing company secret: Vinny says there is a list of facilities who request travel SLPs that all staffing companies get. He said the difference between Sunbelt and others is that Sunbelt won't just wait for something to pop up - If they don't already have an opening for the area you want to work in on that list, then they will call up their existing contacts (and they are over a decade old, so they have a ton of contacts not even listed) and ask if they need an SLP. If that doesn't work, then they go through the phonebook and call every facility asking. Vinny said they usually take a week to find something for someone. Reflectx said it takes 2 months to get things set up. Argh i wont' even go into that.

Well anyway, exactly one week after that first phone call from Vinny, he called me back saying they had people searching for me all over Texas (my requested state) for every medical setting, and couldn't find one that would accept a CFY for less than a year or more. I said I didn't want anything more than 9 months, by the way. It seems they all wanted me to stay on for at least another year b/c they think taking the time to supervise a CFY they need longer committments. Vinny keeps assuring me (and I trust him wholeheartedly by now) that after I get my C's I can go anywhere I want. Man, he got back to me so fast on everything - like the day he called to tell me Texas was a no-go, he said there's a meeting coming up in the afternoon and he'd bring up my situation to the group. He actually called me back right after his meeting, and gave me more info and options! And this continued until I got to where I am now! Honestly, I'd completely lost faith in all travel companies by the end of the summer until I contacted Sunbelt!

Long story short, this job in Globe, AZ, came up on that list next day and I was called immediately, literally right after they got the email that morning. My interview was set up and I got all sorts of info about the job, and much much later that day, Reflectx Staffing called me after 1.5 months of waiting for something to happen with them saying there's an opening in Globe, AZ, and that's when I truly believed that Vinny was telling the truth about that list, and learned that Sunbelt has the best service. Hehe ok starting to sound like an advertisement or infomercial, but i just can't get over how much trouble it was for me with those other companies. No more infomercialling, I'll just state the facts and let you assume I'd be singing more praises for Sunbelt if I could.

So the phone interview was set up for a mutual time on a Friday, and I was super nervous. Vinny calmed me down saying my references checked out great, and sent me a thing about doing phone interviews. It turned out a PT called me b/c the SLP couldn't make it, and she barely asked about my experiences and spent most of the 20 minutes telling me about the position. Next week I was told I got the job and then the paperwork started hehe. Well no, first they said they were negotiating my hourly pay and my schedule for school and SNF. Vinny, as my recruiter, handles all those negotiations, for which I am super grateful b/c I probably would've settled for much less pay and longer school hours. Vinny said he told them straight out that I didn't even want to work in the school setting, and that asking me to work more in school than at the SNF would be a deal-breaker, so he got it down to 20 hrs in both settings. He also negotiated a later start date. He made sure there was gonna be someone to supervise, and make sure I got my full 9 months. *insert praises*

Hehe naive me, I thought after I signed and sent 2 forms (one was employment agreement, other was housing agreement), I'd be all set to go. Well, within a days, I got this huge packet in the mail. Let's just say I filled out and faxed at least 50 pages of: JACHO quizzes, medical documents, employment forms, insurance and tax forms, personal credential forms, voided check copy, etc etc etc. It was quite intense! Included getting my immunizations updated and a drug test. I had to get it all done within a week because I planned on a week to drive to AZ. Fortunately I started the application for temporary AZ licensure the day I was hired, versus the day I got that packet.

Vinny, the credentialing department, and the housing department of Sunbelt were all crucial to this process. I started my drive from Chicago to Globe on Monday afternoon, July 31. Details and road pix at www.xanga.com/autosmiler. One more mention: Vinny wanted me to call him when I started my drive, when I got to Globe, and after my first day of work to see what I thought and how I was doing.

Another mention: Lori (housing dept) called soon after I was hired, too, to talk about my housign prefs. I said I had no pets, it doesn't matter which floor I got, but I preferred laundry on site and secured apartment. She said they typically find a 1 bedroom furnished apartment, though I spend my own on utilities and bring my own linens & kitchenware. Hehe a week later she calls and says she'd been searchign hard all week but there just aren't a lot of options in Globe. I said I expected that cuz there's a population of 7k. Anyway, she said the ones she did find were requiring a year contract and won't accept 9 months. Besides that, none had pix on the internet and she refuses to sign me up for anything she or I can't visually approve. *insert praise* She did find a 3-bedroom house that I could rent starting September b/c someone's still living there, but I'd have to stay in Motel 6 until then (which they pay for). She also found this www.dreammanorinn.com where I am living in utopia. Seriously. She didn't have the website before, she just gave me the info and I scheduled a site visit for the day after I got to AZ. I honestly cannot believe they are paying for all of this. It's a bed & breakfast / boarding house, so literally everything is taken care of, and the owners are the nicest people I know. And I still get my monthly utilities stipend, I think. Oh yeah, I got paid for the travel to Globe. Saved hundreds on gas by driving a Prius hehehe.... *smug alert*

DAY 1 & 5: Heritage Health Care Center

This is a skilled nursing facility with 70+ beds which also includes acute, subacute, and outpatients. The outpatients are usually kids, and sometimes I will go over to the Cobre Valley Hospital to do Modified Barrium Swallow studies. There are 2 wings and a unit for those with dementia. Everyone's been sooo helpful and friendly, I've only ran into one person who was iffy but she ... no longer works here I think. The rehab team works very well together, and they are hilarious. When we went out to lunch one day for the director's bday, one guy at the table was saying to a PT next him, "Hey stop stepping on my foot... Oh wait that's my other foot". LOL!

I was told there's usually 4-6 or more on my caseload, but there were only 2 on my first day. Hehe fine with me! Good to start slowly. Fortunately I don't think I have to deal with insurance that much, but maybe that's gonna come up later. Lots of running around informing the dietician what kind of food to give to which patient, educating the nurses about how to feed the patients, and finding a time when the patient's medical chart is available to write in.

Day 2-4: Miami School District

I've got 2 speech-language pathologist aides (SLPA's) who need training and a secretary. There are over 120 children on my caseload, covering 4 schools, 1 'headstart' center for really young kids, and 1 live-in facility for 21+ y.o. with mental retardation. Finding out all this on day 1 was like jumping into the deep end of a pool with a belly flop, but slowly floating back to the surface with each passing day. Pre-school hasn't started yet, and I don't have to see anyone until after next week, so I am very grateful. I can't explain much else b/c it gets complicated, but I'll update as I undersatnd more of it myself. Deb, who is everyone's boss, will be coming down next Monday to orient me more and help me thru the processes.

Oh, did I not mention that I'm the only SLP in the SNF AND in the Miami school district? Yes, I went through this entire week on my own. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My official CFY supervisor, Amy, works out in Phoenix and she's got a CEU course to go to, while Deb went on vacation this week. =P

But that's ok, I'm oriented now, and can ask better questions. This is enough of an update for now, I think... I'll talk about some patients on my caseload later, b/c they're quite interesting. I'd also like to give props to my outplacement supervisors at UIC Hospital for allowing me so much independence. If I didn't have that one experience, I might've broken down in anxiety already.

Oh, and my future schedule will not be only M/F at SNF, b/c that means i'd have more time at the school which was not part of my contract. THey are workign to give me 4 hrs at the SNF and 4 at school on Wednesdays. I brought up this situation w/Vinny mid-week via email and asked if it had to be exactly 40 hrs each week (and other questions). Due to the time difference (he works out of Tampa, FL), we couldn't get a hold of each other via phone. So he called after his work at 7:15pm Eastern time from his own cell so that he'd catch me at 4:15 AZ time right after my work so he could answer my questions! *insert praises* He encouraged me about feeling overwhelmed saying it usually takes 2-3 weeks tops to get comfortable, and reminded me that I can always leave messages in his direct phone line and there's a 24 hour phone service as well if I have urgent things.

Please comment. I like your opinions, and I want to know what you want to know from me and my experiences.