VA Mental Health Provider Venting / Problem-solving / Peer Support Thread

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Therapist4Chnge said:
I worked with all workaholics with poor work/life balance, so most people worked 10-12hr days.

I wish I had left sooner from my AMC.
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Literally...why??? Work is called "work" for a reason. Some work is more enjoyable and rewarding than others of course, but its not playing golf or being on boat, or doing whatever hobby I'm sure you enjoy more than seeing patients all day and/or writing grants and papers (that very few people will actually read) all day. Its not like we are hunting for treasure and doing Indiana Jones "fortune and glory" stuff here.

I just cannot understand get this kind of work ethic.
 
cara susanna said:
Four out of five of my patients cancelled today. I know that for a lot of people that sounds like a dream come true, but the day is going by sooooo slowly. There is only so much admin stuff I can do.
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I always have a few shows cued up on my phone for this.
 
docloufan said:
Literally...why??? Work is called "work" for a reason. Some work is more enjoyable and rewarding than others of course, but its not playing golf or being on boat, or doing whatever hobby I'm sure you enjoy more than seeing patients all day and/or writing grants and papers (that very few people will actually read) all day. Its not like we are hunting for treasure and doing Indiana Jones "fortune and glory" stuff here.

I just cannot understand get this kind of work ethic.
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Meh, I just don't enjoy doing a lot of clinical work, especially in the past couple of years. I'd much rather do legal consulting, document review, and some speaking engagements. The legal work can be stressful at times, but in a perfect world I'd do a couple/few legal cases a month and some review work when I'm in between cases. I would be retired by now if I had stayed in tech, so it's my own fault. I'm hoping in a few years to do 100% remote legal work and just fly in when I need to be deposed, testify, etc.
 
futureapppsy2 said:
Another VA, another lack of accessible bathrooms. Hoping my unit either has some or they can do an RA. I just want to be able to pee without worrying about getting trapped in there.
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How frustrating, as you shouldn't have to be the one to deal with this, but so often that is how it happens. You'd think a VA would be more mindful of accessibility, but clearly they are not, so I hope you can get this sorted to your satisfaction.
 
The VA that I did internship at was wildly inaccessible and it shocked me at the time. I worked with chronic pain and bariatric patients. It was not a good time.
 
docloufan said:
I'm sorry but this is ridiculous, obviously. The VAs lack of embracing flex time for doctors flies in the face of industry norms for which we have been moving for years. Even before COVID. I do not know any psychologist outside the VA that cant flex time... and/or have a work from home day. I just cant understand how doctors can put up with being treated like a hourly wage worker.
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I don't disagree, but me thinking that it shouldn't be a rule doesn't change it. Also, my supervisor is actually pretty good about letting us flex time, as long as it's less than an hour.
 
The requests of some folks at the VA cracks me up. Sure, let me just find you a VA psychiatrist, without an accent, that is accepting patients in rural bumblef*ck, and won't just leave or be reassigned. Right after I get you those winning lottery numbers.
 
Sanman said:
The requests of some folks at the VA cracks me up. Sure, let me just find you a VA psychiatrist, without an accent, that is accepting patients in rural bumblef*ck, and won't just leave or be reassigned. Right after I get you those winning lottery numbers.
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Most of my intakes ask “you’re not leaving anytime soon right?” Over the last few years my answers have changed from “I have no plans to leave anytime soon” (when I just started) to “None of us can say what’s going to happen” (since last year). Haven’t had anyone ask in a while, idk what I’ll say now!
 
thebalmofhurtminds said:
The VA that I did internship at was wildly inaccessible and it shocked me at the time. I worked with chronic pain and bariatric patients. It was not a good time.
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I’ve already come across multiple long hallways with either no automatic doors or (almost worse) an automatic door at one end and not the other. I’m hoping to be able to do a bathroom audit on the bathrooms by my service today. I’m so exhausted by just not peeing for & hours for the last three days of NEO because there are no accessible bathrooms in the unit. 🙁
 
futureapppsy2 said:
I’ve already come across multiple long hallways with either no automatic doors or (almost worse) an automatic door at one end and not the other. I’m hoping to be able to do a bathroom audit on the bathrooms by my service today. I’m so exhausted by just not peeing for & hours for the last three days of NEO because there are no accessible bathrooms in the unit. 🙁
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Yeah, that just sucks.
 
futureapppsy2 said:
I’ve already come across multiple long hallways with either no automatic doors or (almost worse) an automatic door at one end and not the other. I’m hoping to be able to do a bathroom audit on the bathrooms by my service today. I’m so exhausted by just not peeing for & hours for the last three days of NEO because there are no accessible bathrooms in the unit. 🙁
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That's absolutely insane. Really disappointing it's like that in more than one place. There were some side buildings with only stairs as well, it was egregious.
 
So please remind me, what happens to us during a shutdown? I know we continue working, but do we still get paid on time?
 
Psychologist1234 said:
So please remind me, what happens to us during a shutdown? I know we continue working, but do we still get paid on time?
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I was there during the last shutdown, as our budget was already allocated, there were no pay disruptions. So, theoretically, there shouldn't be unless it drags on a long time, but, with this administration, who knows?
 
WisNeuro said:
I was there during the last shutdown, as our budget was already allocated, there were no pay disruptions. So, theoretically, there shouldn't be unless it drags on a long time, but, with this administration, who knows?
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This. Technically VA is funded a year or two in advance, so the money's already been allocated, but as we've seen, that hasn't necessarily mattered a whole lot in other areas.
 
If anyone is looking for a good CEU as we get to the end of the year, I'm really liking this one: What's the Latest in Cognitive Processing Therapy? Updates in Research and Practice
 
Shiori said:
If anyone is looking for a good CEU as we get to the end of the year, I'm really liking this one: What's the Latest in Cognitive Processing Therapy? Updates in Research and Practice
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Yeah, I attended that seminar and thought it was great.
 
Shiori said:
share.google

VA staffer accused of blindly approving over 85,000 disability claims

The employee was found to have authorized about 85,300 claims — 19 times the national average, and at an 84% error rate.
share.google share.google

Between this and the veteran-related mass shootings, I think we're going to be under the microscope again.
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I was told that all violence was always radical left wing in nature and that veterans are incapable of anything bad, unless of course they're dirty leftist trans people. The VA employees probably made them do it...

/s...obviously
 
WisNeuro said:
I was told that all violence was always radical left wing in nature and that veterans are incapable of anything bad, unless of course they're dirty leftist trans people. The VA employees probably made them do it...

/s...obviously
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Veterans don't kill people...except all those times we sent them other places to kill people.
 
Shiori said:
share.google

VA staffer accused of blindly approving over 85,000 disability claims

The employee was found to have authorized about 85,300 claims — 19 times the national average, and at an 84% error rate.
share.google share.google

Between this and the veteran-related mass shootings, I think we're going to be under the microscope again.
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Nah, that was just bad Biden employees that needed to be fired. Trump and company solved this by firing a bunch of people and mandating overtime for the rest. No chance of fraud under those circumstances.
 
Sanman said:
Nah, that was just bad Biden employees that needed to be fired. Trump and company solved this by firing a bunch of people and mandating overtime for the rest. No chance of fraud under those circumstances.
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And, in no way is the farming out of DBQs to private equity contractors who are hiring people for far below market rates, to do these evals in a fraction of the time required to do competently going to make this problem worse. I mean, the private sector is always better than the public sector, right?
 
Hey guys, I need some help with a project I’m trying to write up. I have a bunch of ANOVAs and could use an example of what to present in a table, what to write in paragraph form, and maybe what to put in supplementary tables. I have “death by statistics” now and I’m a bit frazzled with how to present it all. Do you guys have any specific article examples or specific instructions you’d be willing to share? Thanks for any guidance or support you can offer!
 
Were the veterans involved in those mass shootings even enrolled in VA healthcare?
 
cara susanna said:
Almost typoed "PTSD 2/2 combat" as "PTSD 2/2 wombat." Made me laugh, at any rate
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I always love teaching students that there exists the following ICD codes:

W55.41XD: Bitten by pig, subsequent encounter
W55.42XD: Struck by pig, subsequent encounter
Trauma can come from anywhere...even subsequent times apparently lol.
 
oliversacks4thewin said:
I always love teaching students that there exists the following ICD codes:

W55.41XD: Bitten by pig, subsequent encounter
W55.42XD: Struck by pig, subsequent encounter
Trauma can come from anywhere...even subsequent times apparently lol.
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V97.33xd: Sucked into jet engine, subsequent encounter
V91.07xa: Burn due to water skis on fire
 
Sanman said:
V97.33xd: Sucked into jet engine, subsequent encounter
V91.07xa: Burn due to water skis on fire
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I love all the wild ones. I had thought about also including:
W61.62XD: Struck by a duck, subsequent encounter.

Also, can we talk about the person who made up these codes? They clearly knew what they were doing with the "XD" ending code for these absurd subsequent encounters lol.
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
WTAF?!
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So far, the proposed solution to the clinic requiring opening several heavy doors to open is essentially to functionally lock me in the clinic at the beginning of my TOD and let me out at the end (the clinic has no bathrooms internal to it).
 
cara susanna said:
Almost typoed "PTSD 2/2 combat" as "PTSD 2/2 wombat." Made me laugh, at any rate
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"PTSD 2/2 drop bear" is a real and serious problem in Australia

oliversacks4thewin said:
I love all the wild ones. I had thought about also including:
W61.62XD: Struck by a duck, subsequent encounter.

Also, can we talk about the person who made up these codes? They clearly knew what they were doing with the "XD" ending code for these absurd subsequent encounters lol.
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My favorite are the V95.43 "Spacecraft collision injuring occupant" - there has never been a spacecraft collision (as far as I'm aware) and they wouldn't merely injure involved parties...
 
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