I've had a long week so far, and I feel like it's just going to continue that way. Saturday night is the full moon. It is a well-known fact among hospital workers (and probably mos mental health workers) that full moons bring out the crazy in people. Already this week, I have had 3 psych placements. And we're still 4 days from the actual full moon! Psych placements are a problem not because you have to deal with patients who are psychotic and/or depressed and/or suicidal. The patients I can handle. It's the bureaucratic bullshit that it takes to get them placed. Getting a note from a psychiatrist that includes a full mental status exam and the 5-Axis diagnosis. Calling the insurance company, speaking to a live person, and obtaining an authorization, within 24-hours of when that psychiatry note was completed. Finding an available bed at the appropriate level of care. Arranging transportation. AND, if the patient is being involuntarily committed, getting all of this done within a reasonable timeframe so that we don't have to take the case to court and get the committment extended. [In Pennsylvania, an initial involuntary committment, called a 302, is for 72 hours. After that, you either have the patient agree to treatment (a 201) or you have to take it to court to get it extended, which is then a 303 and lasts for 5 days.]
It's time-consuming and annoying. Yesterday, I spent probably 7 hours of my day doing all of that for 2 patients. One did not get approval from the insurance company until 5pm, at which point it was too late to look for a bed. The other ended up not having any insurance after all, and we had to have him cleared for discharge to home. It is an incredibly frustrating feeling to spend 7 hours doing something, and have it all go to shit.
Anyway, in light of that, and in light of my post last week about how proud I am to be a social worker, this week's pins are all about my career.
First some funny ones. Because, really, if you can't laugh at this stuff sometimes, it'll drag you down...
And finally, this isn't about social work per se, but Jane Addams basically invented social work, so here's a nod to her...
Link up and join the pinning good times!
*all images from my Pinterest
My sister used to work at an animal shelter and totally understood the full moon concept. The animals and crazy animal lovers were all weird. Red tape blows my mind! How does anything get done? So much time is wasted on paperwork. I was a paralegal before a stay at home mom, so I know the legal end of it all. But I’m seeing a new side of it because my parents are foster parents and that process is just ridiculous!
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