Who Drives The Bus In Your Faciltiy

[AggieTiff 0]

I am trying to see if this is something other activity directors do. In my community this responsibility is mine and it takes me out of the building several times a week. If it is a normal activity director responsibility...ok, I will deal with it in my own way....but I know that most in my area have other drivers that do this and the Activity Director only drives on Activity Outings. I know that these appts are neccessary and I am not questioning that. The question is if it is the Activity Director's responsiblity.

 

Please let me know what your experience is in this regard.

 

Thanks,

 

Tiffany

 

PS I know I asked this before but it was in a post slightly related. I would like to get more input.

[callie 0]

Hi Tiffany,

I too, have to transport my residents to and from the dr's appointments twice a week on Tuesadays and Thursdays. There may only be a few, or sometimes they may be all day long, I think it is pretty much what your community decides, as for the norm, I don't know. It is very aggravating to be out of the building this much but our staff is very good to pitch in and help out while I am absent. Hope this helps.

[jsabo 0]

Hello Everyone,

In my building we do have a driver that takes our Assisted Living residents to their appointments in the facility bus. For the Nursing Home we have a Nursing Assistant that is assigned to go with the residents and transportation by a local company. I will drive the bus for the resident outings. I am the Director of Activities. Once in a great while I am asked to take a resident to an appointment or a home eval for therapy. Hope this hepls!

[MICKI 0]

good morning, i was getting caught up in the transportation for awhile. then i went to talk to my boss and explained i was not hired to do this i looked in my job description and this was not listed. if this is to become part of my job i need a new job description and a new rate of pay. good luck michelle

[AggieTiff 0]

Thanks so much for the input. And MICKI, I like your way of thinking. I might have to do that. I already go into overtime, most of the time when I drive...and in my opinion they are paying too much for a driver in those cases...LOL. It is not the driving I mind but it is hurting our activity program. I feel silly driving to an appt and sitting there with nothing to do when I could be better serving the residents with activitites.

 

Thanks.

 

Tiffany

[stacy274 0]

:hammer:

 

Transportation is in my job description, and I am taken out of the building quite often as of late. But being the source of transportation can be a good thing when your company is downsizing and cutting hours and positions left and right. When things were running a little smoother in the past my current director would make sure that someone else took the residents to dr.s appts. right now in addition to all the appts, I am taking one resident to and from Physical Therapy three days a week. So, I do sympathyze.

 

Stacy

[phxville 0]

WOW, you guys really do alot. As far as I am concerned driving is above and beyond the call of duty for an activities director, unless you are in an extermely small facility. I am the Activities Director of a 137 bed facility and not only do I not drive anyone to appointments but I don't even drive for activity outings. We have a driver here 5 days a week and when I want to go on an outing I just clear it with her and she takes us and even stays to help out with the activities. I definately think you should talk to your boss about it Tiffany. I hope that it all works out well and that they decide to cut you a break in this area...Let us know how it turns out!

 

JANICE

[Pennie 26]

I have worked at a few different facilities as well as Consulated at several. Never has it been to AD's job to take res. to the doctors. Most places try to get the family to take them to these app't. Otherwise the Socail worker did it. At a couple of facilities they had drivers. As far as outings go the Act. staff went as well as a nurse aid for transfers as well as a nurse. I refuse to take res. out without a aide & a nurse. It only makes sense to have them on the trip. If something happened to a res. & you didn't have the appropriate staff then you are looking at a law suite!

Last but not least how do you take activites away from the res.? I mean try explaing that to state! Hope some of these can help you win the battle, you are after all trained to do activites not as a driver

[Ella 0]

I am the Rec Therapist in a 91 bed facility. We have a bus for appointments. Ultimately it is the families responsibility to get the resident to appointments but of course if they can not, we transport them as we would not deny them a doctors visit. We have two CNA's that primarily work for Social Services that take residents to appointments. On days where more drivers are needed (we also have a facility van) I have been utilized for appointments but never if it interferes with activities. We also have two other staff members that can drive for appoinments so all others are asked to drive before they come to me. As far as outings go, I don't always drive but 95% of the time attend the outings as most of our outings require 1:1 staff to resident supervision/assistance. I utilize my staff, social services CNA's, volunteers, and a nurse (if time requires meds to be given while we are out of the facility) for the outings. At best, make sure your activities are covered if you are pulled to drive for an appointment. You don't want state walking in with all your residents sitting around doing nothing because you had to drive!

[kevinm 2]

We are in the process of buying a van for our facility. I am making sure all know from admin on down that I am not a taxi service. For outings that are activity related is one thing but to spend the day away sitting in a waiting room? NO WAY!

That is what med transportation is for. Especially if they are on medicaid. We have 3-4 such transport companies in the area to do that. When they come, if a CNA is needed to ride along they assign one to do it. There is no way that that should be in the scope of practice for an Activity Director. You are a Department head. Let's see your DON or SS Dir.or any other department head spend the day sitting in that waiting room. I bet it won't happen. If it does I bet only once! If you let them take advantage of you it will continue. I have been in this situation before at another facility. I put my foot down and refused to transport residents to Dr. Appt's. They finally listend to reason and got a few others to get the license they needed to drive the van. I have no problem with the facility van being used for such things, just not me being the driver. AND they better schedule those appt's around my schedule for outings.

 

Kevin

[AggieTiff 0]

Thank you all for such valuable input and advice. I am going to be very brief as it is 8pm and I am still at work trying to get caught up on budget and other activity admin things. I was out most of the day AGAIN doing Dr runs and transporting one resident to a HAIR CUT. I question this everytime it is on the tranport schedule and am told "yes, we do this". So here I am still at work....BUT good news....I got approved for 10 hours a week for a driver. Now I have to find someone who needs a 10 hour a week job and has a CDL. But I am VERY happy for what I can get....baby steps, ya know? Also, an Aide or other staff MUST go with me for any outings. I had the best helper today that I have ever had and I told her so... She was called in special for the day to help me. It is a company policy to have another member of staff on the bus so THANK GOD I had that in writing to back me up. Thanks again and I will try to update on how everything is working out.

 

Tiffany

[Guest Guest_Carol]

There are a number of organizations that have worked very hard to raise the standard of education and qualifications for the AD, TRA and TRS in the State of Texas. These positions enhance the quality of life for their residents in providing meaningful, regularly scheduled activities. Any organization that does not appreciate the hard work and dedication of this position and chooses to instead have their valued employee drive a van or bus to appointments, an assignment someone much less qualified for much less pay can accomplish, does not deserve such an employee. I would recommend anyone who feels they are not valued for their time and experience, "get on down the road" and find another facility that will appreciate them. Believe me, there are such places.

[Guest Tinki]

Just curious how everyone's transportation program works. Fill the poll and answer these questions:

 

1. Do you have problems with your current transportation program?

 

2. Do you have residents that take advantage of the transportation program?

 

3. How often do you have to drive the bus and which days?

 

4. Does driving the bus interfere with activities?

[Ella 0]

1. Do you have problems with your current transportation program? The only problem is when appointments sometimes interfer with activity outings. Our bus was purchased through fundraising for activities. We sometimes have to schedule activities around appointments.

 

2. Do you have residents that take advantage of the transportation program? No, we always accomodate residents for appointments. Family members also help out when able.

 

3. How often do you have to drive the bus and which days? Social Services has two CNA's that drive for appointments and they often drive for activities as well as myself. I drive for activities only unless there is a real crunch for a driver for appointments and never if it interferes with scheduled in house activities.

 

4. Does driving the bus interfere with activities? No, someone else is found to drive for appointments so activiities are never cancelled for appointment needs.

[Guest Guest_kimmyh]

This has been a sore subject with me lately. We have a transportation CNA but when she calls in or takes vacation time I am stuck driving residents to doctors appts or picking them up from the hospital. Since we are in a rural area these trips on average take 3 hours, which means no activites during those times. During hurricane evacuations I clocked 80+ hours in one week evacuating residents from a separate facility. I am glad to know I am not the only one out there with this problem.

[Guest ttyler]

I am the only one who WILL drive our bus...everyone else is AFRAID of it, it's too big...good excuse, gets them out of it.

[oldsbag 0]

What bus??? I wish we had one. I am in an AL/condo facility. For appointments and such they use a town senior bus or family. For any outings, like the out to lunch bunch, country drives, museum visits I can only take 3 or 4 in my own car. I would love to take them on drives to see the Christmas lights etc. but would be there 7 nights a week, to make sure they all saw them. The company pays the extra fees to the insurance company for having me drive them, even around town. The Legion and Seniors Centre do provide bus trips to the city for dinner theatres, and special events for those that are able to go, but my everyday folks aren't able to get OUT very often. I keep hoping that family will step up, to take their folks out for a drive, but.......not very often.

[Guest Guest_Princess]

I drive the residents on the Activity Outing but they have 2 drivers to take residents to the doctors. It realy frustrates me when they want to cancel an Outing due to a Dr. Appointment since they also have a car available. A lot of the people can walk good and they still take the Big Bus for just one person even though the Gas prices are sky high right now. Ok now that I got that off my chest I feel better. This facility is part of the County we live in and so much gas gets wasted and no one says anything. If you do say something no one listens. :roll: :cry:

[fremontca 0]

Is anyone aware of a company that will teach you how to drive one of those 24 passenger buses in Bay Area of San Francisco, San Jose, Hayward area?

 

i am looking for drivers training for a 24 passenger bus....desperately need a bus license.

[Bimmylee 0]

We are "lucky" enough to have a 15 passenger bus with a lift. It is shared with another campus. It is only for Life Enrichment events. We are assisted living and independent living. If the time came, I can drive the bus and have on many occa sions when the driver was on vacation or we were in between drivers.

[salgal 0]

4 of us are licensed to drive our bus, the 2 gentlemen in Environmental Services, my assistant and myself. We alternate days, but somehow I end up doing most of the driving. Transporation is VERY limited here and I forsee the necessity of hiring a driver soon as we no longer have outside transportation for Cancer Treament patients or those going to dialysis.

[Guest Tinki]

I hated to drive the bus! Once I hit a hospital's carport when I was picking up one of my residents. I cried all day!

 

Karen

[AggieTiff 0]

We have our transportation problems worked out, I hope. I was able to hire a driver, part time. I am so happy about that. He finsihed his training and started driving on his own today. What is funny is I am the one who trained him and he has so much more experience driving buses than I. We now have 3 people who CAN drive (and our beautician but she is on meds that prevent it now). I am not getting hardly any overtime, THANK GOODNESS and am much happier with my job. I do not mind driving to activities, that is my job, but the Dr appts were getting to be too much.

 

Tiff

[AggieTiff 0]

I hated to drive the bus! Once I hit a hospital's carport when I was picking up one of my residents. I cried all day!

 

Karen

So far at this community I have only really had one incident...I, too, got stuck under a car port at a hospital / rehab place. It was embarrassing. Another time I got stuck in the ER ambulance bay....but that was not my fault. the ER was being redecorated and there was only one way in and out. I got up to the front and could not see to back up. Now the ER is redone and it is very accomodating to my needs...LOL.

 

At the last community I had a few problems.... I side swiped the UPS man. He was so mad and ran out screaming that I knocked him all over his truck and all of the packages fell on him... my boss bursted out laughing at him. All it did was scratch his truck and they got like 1500 from our insurance...and never fixed the truck, you can see where they just painted brown over it. Out bus was not hurt either. I felt bad but he made it a bigger deal than it was.

 

I was also rear ended in the smaller bus at my last community. That is a sore subject with me. they did not have worker comp and I am still in dispute about that. My lawyer is handleing it. Thank God the residents were not with me when it happened. I was hurt but if they were in teh bus it would have been very bad. This one was not my fault and the driver of the other car admitted it. Her car was totaled but she was not hurt, just shaken up and scared.

 

Tiffany

[Guest Tinki]

AggieTiff,

 

See that is why I always hated driving the bus! Just the responsiblity that goes with driving residents around is too much for me! So sorry to hear about your injury and good luck on that suit!

 

Karen