Tired HH nurse

Specialties Home Health

Published

Hi everyone , please share your thoughts about this. I love HH and have been doing it 13 years. I did pt care, management,QA, now back in the field. I feel like I have achieved nothing and wasted a lot of time and money too. I got my BSN almost 5 years ago but seems like noone in HH needs it. I have new grads working alongside with me making almost same money. Management is worse than ever, and I have to fight for one lousy week off. Understand that I worked for several HH companies. They are all the same. Plus this is a very dirty business, enormous paper work requirements, and they correct my oasis answers for me! I am so mad and upset I don't know what to do. I don't think I can do hospital nursing though. I tried and couldn't. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Specializes in CCM, PHN.

I tried HH for 3 months and quit. I worked 7 days a week, all day and evening, didn't get paid mileage and had to buy all my own gear and supplies. This is in Los Angeles and it was brutal on my car. Getting anywhere here takes an hour or more. I was appalled at the Medicare scamming I saw going on and the sheer unprofessionalism. Never again.

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I am so glad I found this post! I took a temporary prn hh job and I've been struggling. I love going into the home and doing my thing, but my issue is making the appointments. People don't answer the phone, aren't where they are supposed to be at the scheduled appointment time, then call the agency and lie. In a few short months I've determined that this isn't the job for me, yet I made a commitment until the end of March and I'll stay with it. Reading about all your strife makes me realize I don't want to delve deeper into this aspect of nursing at all. I think when March comes and if I'm offered an opportunity to stay on I will politely decline and look for greener pastures. Thanks for sharing!

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I have been in hh for 5 yrs. Management is awful. Our road nurses are great. We work our a@@$# off. We are written up for anything & everything. The management has our passwords to our computers therefore can change our charting at anytime if they want. Our don is not even a RN. I have never been so miserable in my life. Interviewing for other jobs, on call is horrible, there are 6 RNs in the office that are busy planning parties for the office, shopping on line, finding ways for the road nurses to miserable. I HATE HH!

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I am so sorry for you in the situation.

Good luck in your job search!

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I have been in home care for 15 years. I used to love it, but all these responses sound very familiar. I've worked as case manager and clinical supervisor until I just couldn't do it anymore. I ended up quitting my job with the CHAA, and getting a job with the VA in their home care dept. I love homecare again! It's so less stressful, the worst part of my job now is all the driving.

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I too am tired of HH. That's all I do is paperwork! Calls all day long.... Even calls and text messages on weekends.. I didn't know we were doctors..

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Specializes in Home Health, MS, Oncology, Case Manageme.

This shouldn't be happening unless you are on call. Don't blame HH. Find another agency to work for!

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Specializes in LTC.

I worked for 2 different agencies and ended up working 7 days a week for both. I gave up after 2 years.

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Specializes in Home Health, MS, Oncology, Case Manageme.
I worked for 2 different agencies and ended up working 7 days a week for both. I gave up after 2 years.

This is what I did to avoid the 24/7 job. I learned this (after a few years) from watching experienced nurses do it.

1. Work for a larger agency that has a firm "on call" schedule.

2. Never give out your phone number. The only number a patient should have is the one on the home folder.

3. At SOC, explain to the patient how the afterhours phone system works, and what days you are usually off. Explain that you do not answer the phone when you are off and they are not to leave a message. They need to call the number on the folder.

4. When its your day off, weekends or nights. Do not answer the phone. Shut it off. I also had a message on this phone giving them the correct number to call.

5. Learn to say "no". Sorry I can't work this day, weekend, night etc...

Anyone else have ideas?

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Home Health is the only business I know of that expects their nurses to do the job of 3 people and only get paid for 40 hours, AND actually get away with it. You won't find nurses doing this anywhere else. Why is this and how did we let it happen?

The thing that gets me is that home health owners constantly whine and complain that they aren't making any money, but that just isn't true...they are still making a killing. I've seen the billing statements that medicare mails to the patients homes and some of them are outrageous amounts....most of them on patients who are being seen only once or twice a week by a nurse and 10 to 15 Physical therapy visits.

They can MORE than afford to pay their nurses for the actual hours that they work.

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