The goal of this post is to describe how you can save time as a home health SLP by organizing the materials you carry with you into people’s homes.
Free DIRECT download: Home health SLP work bag checklist (cheat sheet). (Email subscribers get free access to all the resources in the Free Subscription Library.)
Outline:
- How mild disorganization led to a lot of wasted time.
- How I’m saving time by organizing my work bag.
- Which rolling computer case I’ve been using for four years.
- How I organize my rolling computer case.
- Why I love this rolling computer case.
How mild disorganization led to a lot of wasted time
Being somewhat disorganized was a big time-waster for me. I lost valuable time by:
- Hunting for forms or therapy materials during a session.
- Interrupting a session to run back to my car.
- Postponing a planned therapy activity because I forgot to bring something crucial.
In addition to the time spent searching for things, interrupting a session throws off the flow. I might feel a little stressed or anxious, and my patient might lose focus or be a little annoyed. We lose our momentum, and it can be hard to get back on track. I often found myself staying longer than planned to make up for “lost time.”
After one particularly bad day, I finally decided that enough was enough. I invested some time and thought into what I should carry and how I should organize my bag. I’ve found the investment well worth it!
How I’m saving time by organizing my work bag
Now I know what I have in my work bag and where to find it. During my weekly planning session, I jot down anything else I’ll need in my schedule. When I look in my schedule in the morning, I make sure I bring these other things with me.
This allows me to reach into my bag and find what I need with little or no interruption to the flow of the session. Because I have what I need with me, I can accomplish more during a session in less time.
While I do a large part of my charting during the session, I usually have five or ten minutes of writing left at the end of routine session. When the sessions flow smoothly and are productive, I feel satisfied to end the session after 45-50 minutes, and I finish the rest of the note in my car.
I find that finishing a note right after a session works best for me. Everything is fresh in my mind, and it’s easier to think about what I want to do in the following session. The time to do this has to come from somewhere, and one major way I’ve found time is to be better organized during my sessions.
I’ve been using this rolling computer case for four years
I love this rolling computer case* by Solo New York. I’ve been using this model for four years. The first bag lasted for nearly four years, with me dragging it around four to five days a week in every sort of New England weather. I finally just bought a replacement bag two months ago.
Update: The week I posted this, the bag sold out on Amazon and is now marked discontinued on Solo New York’s website. However, this rolling laptop case* by Solo New York is very similar and is less expensive on Amazon than on Solo New York’s website. The main differences seem to be the second zippered section is cut in half (only one section), and it’s a pound lighter.
*This is an Amazon affiliate link. As an Amazon associate, I may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. There is no extra charge to you, and it will help keep Eat, Speak, & Think sustainable.
Benefits of this rolling computer case
- Light-weight.
- No more carrying heavy loads.
- Leave the handle extended to hang a light jacket.
- Use the top as a small table for laptop or other objects.
- Four sections + outside pocket + inside organizational features carry a lot.
If you are a home health SLP, then you’ll understand why I listed some of the features above. If you’re just starting out or otherwise curious, some of the houses we go into don’t have convenient (or clean) places to put our things. This bag has been a life-saver for me more than once.
The only negative thing about this rolling computer case
The only negative thing I can say about this rolling computer case is that after two or three years rolling over rough terrain, the wheels got chewed up and the bag got louder and louder as I pulled it. I only really noticed it inside buildings, and it didn’t bother me enough to buy a new bag. I read on their Amazon page that they will send you new wheels if your old ones wear out.
How I organize my rolling computer case
I’m going to describe what I have in my work bag, moving from front to back.
Outside zippered pocket
I leave this pocket open so that I can quickly access the items I need when I first walk into someone’s home.
- Hand sanitizer
- Disposable barriers
I also keep my badge here when I’m not working. (A place for everything and everything in it’s place!). This way, I never forget my badge.
The first zippered section
The first zippered section has built-in spaces for pens and small office supplies, plus a large pocket. I carry:
- Two pens and pencils, a sharpie, a highlighter, a dry erase marker, and a stylus.
- Correction tape.
- A pad of sticky notes, blank index cards, business cards.
- Small scissors, a roll of tape, a stapler.
- A flashlight.
- As-needed: the microphone for LSVT LOUD, a clock with moveable hands, cash and change, flashcards, etc.
The second zippered section
The second zippered section has a built-in divider with plenty of space on either side to hold multiple folders. I have several folders containing:
- Blank copies of all the home health forms
- Forms for the mobile MBS service I often use
- The visual analog and FACES pain scales
- Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test
- Blank month-view calendar sheets
- Blank paper
- Brochures for services such as electronic pill dispenser or Lifeline services.
I only carry a few copies of each, since paper can get heavy. For the forms I use often, I may carry four to six copies. For the forms I rarely use, I carry one or two copies. I only carry one brochure for each service. I have extra copies of important forms in my car. When I use a form or hand out a brochure, I restock from home or the office.
The third zippered section
The third zippered section has a padded laptop pocket, a larger open area, and two large pockets with Velcro covers.
The padded pocket will hold a laptop up to 15.6″. My laptop is smaller and I can fit the power cord beside it.
In the larger open area I carry:
- My weekly planner.
- Patient folders.
- A folder for completed paperwork to turn in to the office.
- A folder with frequently-used patient education handouts.
Between the two large pockets with Velcro covers, I have:
- A baggie of gloves, masks, paper measuring tapes, 10ml syringes.
- Thickener packets, tongue depressors, long cotton-tipped swabs.
I use the measuring tape to measure jaw opening. I don’t assess wounds in the normal course of things. The only time I’ve used the measuring tape for wounds is if I’m reporting a fall with an injury. I don’t always measure these wounds, but it’s an option.
The 10ml syringes are for the IDDSI flow rate test. I use the long swabs to assess sensation during an oral-mechanism exam. Everything else is probably self-explanatory.
The fourth zippered section
The fourth zippered section is a large compartment intended to carry shoes and clothes for an overnight trip. It’s large enough to carry equipment for vital signs, but I carry that in a soft lunch box with a zippered section to hold cleaning supplies. I drop this bag over the handle when I’m walking.
In this compartment, I carry:
- My assessment folder
- A dry-erase board
- A magnifying glass
- 3-ounce cups for swallow evaluations
- A typing stand (when I have an LSVT LOUD patient)
- A PPE kit (gown, gloves, mask with eye shield, booties, alcohol wipes)
- A garbage bag
- Soap and paper towels
- A small bottle of water for me.
Why I love this rolling computer case
This bag carries an amazing amount of equipment and materials. My bag filled with all the essential equipment and materials listed above weighs 22 pounds. That sounds like a lot, but I carry this bag up and down stairs and lift it into and out of my car trunk every work day. I’m not young anymore, and I don’t work out nearly as much as I should. It doesn’t feel heavy to me (unless I start adding my iPad and other things).
I don’t have any shoulder or back issues, like I did when I first started home health and used a bag that I carried over one shoulder. For that alone, I’d love the rolling case. But this bag carries so much material, that I’m able to stay in the flow of a session and work efficiently and effectively which is saving me time which I use to complete routine visit documentation during the day.
Free DIRECT download: Home health SLP work bag checklist (cheat sheet). (Email subscribers get free access to all the resources in the Free Subscription Library.)
Lisa earned her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park and her M.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego.
She participated in research studies with the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the University of Maryland in the areas of aphasia, Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, and fluency disorders.
Lisa has been working as a medical speech-language pathologist since 2008. She has a strong passion for evidence-based assessment and therapy, having earned five ASHA Awards for Professional Participation in Continuing Education.
She launched EatSpeakThink.com in June 2018 to help other clinicians be more successful working in home health, as well as to provide strategies and resources to people living with problems eating, speaking, or thinking.
Thank you Lisa!!! I was feeling extremely disorganized starting out in HH. Turns out I already had a very similar bag tucked away in storage!! Our company provides us with a bag but it doesn’t fit a ton and my shoulder will take a beating plus I had 2 other bags – so this is great. Plus having the additional surface to place things on. Have you ever been shadowed by a state surveyor? Any issues? Do you use a barrier under the bag and/or as a separate work surface for other items like your vitals bag?
Hi Brenda, thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m glad my post reminded you that you had a similar bag that you could use.
I’ve never been shadowed by a state surveyor, but I did have a supervisor check out my bag and she didn’t see any problems with it.
No need for a barrier under the bag because it’s up on wheels, off the ground. I always use a barrier under my laptop, and I keep my vitals bag (lunch bag) on top of my rolling case. I set the used pulse oximeter and thermometer down on the same barrier as my laptop while I take blood pressure, then I clean the equipment before replacing in the bag.
At one point my agency had us putting a barrier down under everything, but after a state visit they revised that. I don’t use a barrier under things like my iPad, a folder, paper, or a document stand (used for LSVT LOUD).