Is anyone else working for an agency that is quickly pushing the nurse productivity to the point it is really hurting the nurses and the patients?

I am starting to wonder if every agency looks at the dollars and not the ability of nurses to service the clients and providing a decent place to work?

I feel horrible I cannot protect our nurses........

renerian

Is anyone else working for an agency that is quickly pushing the nurse productivity to the point it is really hurting the nurses and the patients?

I am starting to wonder if every agency looks at the dollars and not the ability of nurses to service the clients and providing a decent place to work?

I feel horrible I cannot protect our nurses........

renerian

I've never heard of an agency that is not for profit and if there was one they would surely have the same attitude as the for profit ones.

Nurses are expendable. They can wear us to the bone and replace us when we give up and leave.

So sad, but we are not all that important to them as individuals. There are plenty more just like us looking for greener pastures that will replace us.

Thanks for responding Dixie. I really was hoping to have more of an impact on this particular agency but it seems I am losing ground. I will keep plugging away. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

renerian

The agency that I am at does not. We are still a young agency and just newly certified and accredited early this year.

I also believe that home care isn't a get rich business, but a business that you can earn a living at if you do what is right.

SafeTman

The agency that I am at does not. We are still a young agency and just newly certified and accredited early this year.

I also believe that home care isn't a get rich business, but a business that you can earn a living at if you do what is right.

SafeTman

Unfortunately agencies all too often push the buttons as hard as they can for as long as they can then disappear. Many, many agencies are owned by mom and pop teams (or similar) They want a long term business but they also want high profits. They get the high profits and very often last 10 or more years.

It's really not hard to push your nurses into compliance with the paperwork and toss a few bones to family once in a while.

I'm sure the owners really do want excellent care for the pts, just as LTC and hosp owners want excellent care. But it's a business. Profits must be made. Period.

As complicated as the paperwork seems to be, it's a rhythm thing. Once you get the rhythm it's not terribly difficult to keep the paper moving and that's what the state requires to get/keep accredidation.

Yes that is very true on the profit side. I guess I am "old in the thoughts" people should come first........

I guess I should be quiet now.....seems like people are afraid to comment for fear of being fired. I figure if the company reads it go for it...........

LOL,

renerian

Yes that is very true on the profit side. I guess I am "old in the thoughts" people should come first........

I guess I should be quiet now.....seems like people are afraid to comment for fear of being fired. I figure if the company reads it go for it...........

LOL,

renerian

I wouldn't think anybody would get fired for understanding business. It is helpful actually.

It would be so nice to always put pt need/want first but a business like that would be out of business real fast. If we, as employees and nurses, understand this and accept it as the way it has to be, we can work around it and provide excellent care for our pts and their families.

Yes, it is what causes most of the extra stress in our job but nobody promised us a stress free atmosphere when we got into home care.

I think it is funny how so many institutional nurses think home care is "the cats meow" since we only have 1 pt at a time. LOL Never have I had only 1 pt at a time! And just to make it really interesting, my pts tend to be stretched from one end of the metro area to the other, crossing county lines and therefore having to deal with differing medicaide issues. The only thing that keeps me personnaly from crossing state lines is I won't get my license in Ky or In. That keeps me in Oh crossing only county lines, but I'm not crossing state lines!

I understand business that is for sure. Have owned my own company. I just think companies need to take patients they can truely service, not just to get numbers up.

Thanks everyone. I used to work a home health job in Toledo and crossed state lines and it was a pain.

renerian