Undecided on which path to take.....

[lpnga]

Hi, I am currently enrolled in an RN program in North Georgia. I am undecided on where I want to work. I have just applied to get my BSN through the bridge and was accepted. It will not take long at all. I am interested in going back after that for the CRNA and I know they want you to work in ICU for a year. I am really interested in doing this now but want to have the time for my children. They are 1 and 2 and all this school will cut into my family. I want to wait until they get a little older and then go back when they are not so much depending on me. What is your BSN really good for? Is it just for if you want to be a manager or can you do that with your ADN? My main question is: I am very interested in the Home Health. I was wondering what is the pay? I know that some places in Chattanooga, TN are paying $50 per visit. How many cases do you see a week? How does milage work? Do you get two checks? How does on call work? Do you get paid for Phone, pager, etc....Do you use laptop? I would like to here from people all over but please also someone in the surrounding areas of Chattanooga, Thanks for the help..

[KP RN]

My agency pays for my cell phone, $.36 cents per mile, $34.-$39. per routine visit, double for an admission or recert or resumption, a visit and a half rate for each on-call visit, and we take call once evening every two weeks. We do 5-6 visits per day. Rotate once every third weekend. One summer holiday/one winter holiday is required. I get a paycheck to compensate me for my visits, as well as an expense check to pay my mileage, tolls, or any parking costs (darn, they don't pay me for speeding tickets though!!)

I worked in a large teaching hospital for ten years before making the switch to home care 6 years ago.

I have my ADN, and don't find the BSN to be a necessary prerequisite for home health or community health. Home care does require extensive experience, because you're on your own, and really need to respond to a wide variety of illnesses, symptoms, treatments, etc.

I find home care to be the most enjoyable and satisfying arena in nursing.

Best of luck to you!!

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I made 50 for an admission (2 to 3 hours time). 34 cents per mile. 30 for a routine visit. 5 to 8 per day. 7 county coverage area. Spent more time in my car than on patient care. I burned through 5 new cars in 11 years putting over 30,000 miles per year on my cars. $125 per week on call. It was not uncommon for me to work 6 weeks without a day off due to short staffing. Went out alot at night being on call. No reimbursement for cell phones.

renerian

[Traveler]

I am in a rural area NE of Chatt. and SE of Knoxville. $50 per visit sounds a little high. I wonder what the neighborhood is like? I am prn and get $20 per visit during the week (this includes iv's and regular visits also) $23.75 for weekend scheduled visits and a little more for emergency visits. $65 for admissions anytime. .26 per mile and hourly rate for travel time in excess of 30 mins between patients.

Some days I make in excess of $40/hour and some I do good to make $10. It all works out though. The thing I love the best is that most of the paperwork can be done at home. My children are 7 and 10 and I often start my admission paperwok when they go to bed. I like this because I rarely am actually gone for 8 hours a day but often spend 4 hours at home on paperwork.

On call is $10 on weeknights and $20 on weekend per day.

I get no reimbursement for cell phone or long distance calls from home which I make frequently as most of our docs are out of area. It's worth it too me though to not be cooped up in a building all day long and getting to feel like I make a difference.

Ann