can you make a good living........

jurico · Oct 14, 2010

Can you make a "good living" working per diem HH visits. Can you make ot with per diem?
What are the advantages and disavantages of per diem vs. full time HHC? Can you get health insur, benefits of any kind when you are per diem? I'm wondering because I am getting ready to make a change to HHC from Hospital nursing. I am worried about making enough money to live on. I have a steady income with hostpital nursing. I guess I could work at more than one HHC to pay my bills if needed. Any expert advise? Thanks a million!

ProBeeRN, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2010

most per diem gigs do not provide benefits. at my agency, per diems get paid per visit, as opposed to per hour like the full and part time staff. i've heard complaints that per diem tends to be "feast or famine"- if there's no extra work for you, too bad, you dont get visits and you dont get paid. I guess it depends. You may want to start out full or part time, get a feel for the agency, and then move over to per diem.

Timetochange08 · Oct 14, 2010

Agree with ProBeeRN. Where I work, we have about 30 nurses employed but only 3 are full time. The 3 full time have benefits and they must be fully staffed first. Then, visits go out to PRN nurses. We can pick and chose the areas we want to work in and turn down any visit they call you for. Once you accept a patient, you do all the visits and follow the patient to dishcharge. There have been times when I was doing 20-25 visits a week. Here lately, I'm averaging 7-10 and haven't done an admission in over 3 weeks! Sign up with more than one agency, that helps but your salary will vary from week to week.

caliotter3 · Oct 14, 2010

I find it easier to keep a steady income doing extended care rather than intermittent visits. Often you can get 40 hours a week with the same patient and if your agency allows overtime, you may have the opportunity to work overtime.

Luv2care0907 · Oct 20, 2010

I find it easier to keep a steady income doing extended care rather than intermittent visits. Often you can get 40 hours a week with the same patient and if your agency allows overtime, you may have the opportunity to work overtime.

I concur with this.

I wanted to share something else about the health insurance. I was told that after working a month full time, I could apply for insurance. What they failed to tell me is that I only have one month after I establish full-time to apply. So when I persued insurance, I found that I was blocked from getting it through any avenue because I didn't apply on time. I have to wait a year before I can apply again. Nobody told me that and of course, the agency would not take responsbility for this miscommunication. After all, they orient lots of people and perhaps in their recollection, they did say this. I would have remembered that, but it is my word vs. theirs. I know because it wasn't in my orientation and I specifically asked. Also, I can't afford to engage them in some heated confrontation at this point because I needed this job.

I known this litte post is now buried here. I surely would never have seen it being new or seeking solutions. :) But. . . It is important because if you have a past medical history of anything, which I did, the regular insurance companies won't take you either.

Luv2care0907 · Oct 20, 2010

One more thing, I am being paid LPN wages at this point because they are telling me that Medicaid says that an LPN can do the job I do.

Blackcat99 · Oct 21, 2010

One more thing, I am being paid LPN wages at this point because they are telling me that Medicaid says that an LPN can do the job I do.

Luv2care-Please go to the private duty section here and read the thread called "RN told she will now get LPN wages. You may find it very interesting.