New grad in HH $20/visit no mileage.... is this right?

Specialties Home Health

Published

I live in Orange,CA. Got my license on May, been on the job hunt for 3 months with no glimpse of luck! Finally got hired in HH. Which is weird because I wasn't even interviewed. I was called calling one day and I bump into this small agency. Lady said come-over we need per diem bring you credentials. So I went in and handed over resume and other credentials. They gave me papers works to sign right away, and with some assessment exam.. TO TAKE HOME. After a day or two I went back to the office to hand all the paper works back. The "care coordinator" said to wait for the call. The following 24 hrs I got call for orientation. Everything happened too fast. I was a bit overwhelmed yet happy excited that I finally got a job. So,.. about 3-4 hrs of orientation. The DON just kind of explained the charting and a little bit of stuff. (imagine how much of stuff you can cover in 3-4hrs orienting 3 new grads) They required as to follow a nurse before taking patients. So the next day I followed a nurse who was leaving. She seen 2 patients both for blood draw. I did the 2nd draw for her. Then after that.. the next day, I was by myself.

So I am perdiem and I see about 2-3 pts/day but not everyday. $20/visit NO MILEAGE. sometimes I have 3 pts for the whole week and thats about it. I drive up to 20miles for one pt. Sitting in traffic in a hot summer weather.. you have to use AC! I don't want to smell sweat when I'm taking pts VS.

There is A LOT of driving, and in the most part, its the one that pulling me down. I love the aspect of HH because I love patient teaching above all. But I am starting to loose hope about this. My first paycheck was $20 for 3 days of driving. I have daycare. I wanted to cry looking at my paycheck. I don't think it even close to reimbursing myself for the gas and mileage that I spent seeing those patients.

I've been in HH for exactly one month now. Im really hoping I could last a month more. My DON mentioned we will get $5 raise after 3 months which will make it $25/visit.

Sorry for the long post. I just had to vent somehow.

So my questions.. would any of you take $20/visit NO MILEAGE reimbursement? If you a new grad? I know that the economy is not at its best but I really feel like Im spending way too much time on this and I don't even break even with all the work I have to do. Not to mention the documentation part which is making stay up late at night trying to figure out what to write on my nurses note because I want to make sure I'm safe and I covered every detail.

From the bottom of my heart.. thank you for reading my post.

And I really appreciate some feedback.. and maybe some encouragement..

(sorry for any typo, I dont have time to proofread such long post)

Im not an original English speaker BTW

Specializes in psych and HH.

If they are not providing you with a company car, I'm quite sure they are required to pay mileage. The fact that they hired you in such a fashion along with that pay rate raises red flags. Get out of there.

I am new grad LVN in LA and was offered 25/visit, no mileage. If you are intersetedi can give you the company name.

Specializes in Geriatrics, retirement, home care..

Run! That pay is unacceptable and you need to keep looking.. Best of luck to you :)

Specializes in L&D and Home Health.

Absolutely not! There are literally thousands of HH agencies around. You are not qualified after one day for the independence it takes to be a HH nurse. Our new hires MUST complete a 6 week training period with both RN and LPN, no matter which license they have. The documentation in HH is VERY different from that of any ohter because of the independence. Medicare has very stringent guidelines. What they have done to you is illegal, no matter the state or license you carry. Agree with above statement of checking about prior experience. Our state requires 1 year in a clinical setting prior to Home Health. There are also several skills that Medicare will not allow an LPN to do in the Home Health setting regardless of certification. The HH agency could be fined for this, but YOU may lose your license for not doing things properly. There are some WONDERFUL and reputable HH companies out there. I would check into this further. You can also call you state board of nursing and they can help.

Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

First, what kind of agency is this? If this is a Medicare agency and you are doing Medicare visits, then the pay is way too low, no matter where you are. Plus, you should be doing more than blood draws as phlebotomy is not a covered skill for Medicare visits. If these are insurance visits that only require a quick assessment and a lab draw, then $20 is probably all you're going to find anywhere. You do not have to accept visits that are outside of the distance you're willing to drive. And you can claim mileage on your taxes, be sure to keep a log.

I'm not trying to be mean, but the idea that you didn't know to check the expiration date on the blood tube is a good indication that you are not ready to be a home health nurse due to lack of experience. (And they need to have a better handle on their supplies. Whoever does their stock should be removing expired tubes before the nurses can get them.)

Please keep looking for a job that will provide you with a good foundation for future practice, you deserve it.

Our LVNs make $20 a visit but with mileage.

When nurses are thrown into the field with little or no orientation, as they typically are in home health, they tend to get a bit thrown off and their thinking and decision making skills are sometimes affected. Its very stressful starting a new job even WITH proper training.

The specimen vial is a little thing, but you obviously see how a bad working condition can befuddle you. Home health is fairly easy nursing for the most part, but if you don't pay close attention and stay on your toes, things can come out of left field that you didn't expect but should have.

Specializes in Cardiovascular Stepdown.

Hi, I am in a state where the pay is far less than in CA. I get $35 / visit, no car allowance. Like you, actually worse than you, I got tossed out there with little preparation. I am an RN, but I got no orientation, no training, not even one day to shadow someone. I called the office and asked questions every single day for the first few weeks.

One difference, I get at least 20 visits a week, so it makes up for the gas. You don't seem confident in your situation. You are not making enough to cover child care, so it seems like you need a job that can promise more money and support.

Seriously as a new LPN, or RN, I do NOT think that you should have accepted this position, despite your need to be employed. First of all, you need a good backing of med-surg nursing under your belt before you are autonomous. You are jeopardizing your license and patient outcomes are likely to be poor, like in the case already sited. Working home health is grand if you are equipt with the knowledge and insights which come with experience. Some may argue this point, but I believe that patients suffer in this case. You are out there in their home and are the eyes, ears, and their lifeline to health. Are you prepared to tackle that, when something simple like not knowing to use a blood collection tube if it had expired, didn't occur to you? I don't mean to be harsh, but just because you have an RN after your name, don't let the agency take unfair advantage of you because they are DESPERATE.

Whoa there! Definitely harsh. The expired tube thing could happen to anyone, even a very experienced RN. It's not as though she will be working in a vacuum. Help is but a phone call away.

I just accepted a position with a home health agency in San Bernadino county. I'm an LVN with limited experience. I will be making $25/visit plus 50 cents per mile. I will have about 10 pts a day. I would find another agency if I were you!

Specializes in Med-Surg.

I agree with other posters. That rate does seem low, especially given your location. The company I work for pays 50$ per visit for RN's, and 50 cents per mile for anything not connecting to your home. I would keep sending out resumes to find better work. As a new grad, you really need to be focusing your attention on the new grad positions, much better for learning and gaining experience.

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