First week

Not so cool. I must have patience with the process of starting up a new company. There are bound to be issues. They really should have waited another month to have me start though. There are 2 case managers working in the W-S office. Sherley, the VP comes up at least once a week to check in. I guess there is apparantly one other guy doing CBS work, but I've not met him yet. And a few other random people that have been in and out from Gastonia.

The case managers have been working since the end of August. They're still in the process of initiating contact with clients and getting Medicaid authroizations, which is a pain in the ass!! And the people in Gastonia are apparantly not being helpful all the time. It's nuts.

I guess I should first tell you what my job(s) is/are. I'm kind of doing 2 positions. I'm a CBS-I and a case manager. CBS (community based servies, I for individual as opposed to group) workers work one on one with kids at home, in school and in the community. Working on ODD behaviors, ADHD behaviors, anger management, social skills, problems with authority, etc etc etc. Like what we do at TCH, but on an individual basis. I don't know what the case load is for this part.. I guess whatever adds up to 40 hrs. Some kids only need one hour a day, some 5. They have 2 little girls picked out for me once all the authoizations and case management stuff goes thru. Then, as CM (case manager), I help out the 2 main CM's doing home visits, assessments (I can't do them, but I can go watch), observations in the classroom, setting up treatment team meetings, transporting kids/parents, and so on. Sherley (yes, the VP is a man named Sherley) told me on Monday that because of what I said in my interview, of wanting a lot of experience and hours to get licensure, he's got me in both positions. Which, I guess is why they're paying me the salary they are. One of the CM's is only making $2000 more than me. She's had experience in private practice, and is 3/4 of the way thru the licensure process, but damn. That's crazy!! So, I'm 2 people.

Well, I got to read thru a lot of manuals/handbooks etc on each of the jobs and the processes and stuff. That took me all of Monday morning. I went on some home visits with Amber, one of the CMs. I called to schools to get info on some of the kids and was left all alone on Wed & Thurs cuz they had to go to Gastonia for meetings. I had to go to observe 5 kids in school to see their behaviors. That was pretty interesting. Shady areas that most of the schools were in, but that's who they're catering too. We went to one apt complex and there were cops there, people smoking marijuana, and the mom said there have been shootings. GREAT!

Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time twiddling my thumbs, reading cosmo, or doing piddly work. I've still not got an orientation date set up. I have to go to Gastonia on Monday for one little service note training, which should be boring as hell since I know how to do it already, and have writtten like 20 so far this week from the CM point of view. Lord. Sherley was very pleased with all my paperwork and I've not had any corrections! Rock on! But, while I"m down there, I'm going to hound HR and whoever else, b/c they need to get me into their system so I can get my pay check.. they have to have demographic info and tax info and all that stuff... jesus. And, they need to either give me a cell phone or set me up with the $20 a month extra in my paycheck that I read about so I can up my plan. I've used up a bunch of my own minutes with them calling me and having to talk to a parent to find my way to her house for like 20 mins! Not cool those are my minutes. And, I've used a lot of them myself this month setting up moving shit. So, yeah, I'm going to have to open a can of whoop ass on Monday. LOL. right.

Anywho.. it's midnight and I have to wake up early to MOVE tomorrow! Ack. My first day off and I have to get up almost as early as if I were working. CRAP!