Unhappy, employee mistreatment etc, Fed-Up!

Specialties Home Health

Published

Hello,

So to try my best to make my situation brief, I have been working for a home health agency for several months as a new grad. I have gained great experience and learned a lot. But from Day 1 I knew this company was disorganized, and it is. I am salarly paid and there was never a set minimum or productivity level, though when hired I was told 5-6 per day. now this is being pushed further to 7 minimum, now 8.. and on going with no consideration for recert, ROC, SOC (ex ill be seeing 8 pts sun one is a ROC for a pt i have never met). Basically, they push us to our max and were salary so we get nothing extra.

SO lots of vists, on top of hours a driving makes it impossible to do paperwork on time, even with the addition of computers which I love bc I do mostly all visists in the house. However, when we first switched to electronic it was a MESS. Scheduling was done incorrectly, many days my comp schedule was nothing as it should be and the visits werent opened to me by staff until way later...when I had a whole new day/week of work i cant back track to old days! A few of us full time employees fell far behind, and we notified our case managers and admin about these issues along the way. Some nurses quit abrutly during this time and they begged me to take ROC/SOC that i told them i would have absoltely no time for.

Result: this week despite my emails and many offers attempts to help resolve or even sit in the office to complete this work, they told me they were holding pay checks two days notice for those with any missing notes, for any reason, no exception. Which is illegal (of course I contacted the state for help). I put up quite a fight, and eventually got my pay check d/t fact that I am working this weekend and was unwilling to work without last weeks pay of course. After months of managing my heavy caseload as best I can and feeling overworked, I now feel absolutely disrespected. Im in a competitive job area, even experienced nurses here find it hard to find work. I want to leave immediately (after handing in paperwork on time of course, i do know that is my responsibility just want to be given reaslistic expectations.) I am upset, i feel stuck, and insecure in my job knowing they will continue to do this despite my ongoing efforts to ask for help and to please decrease my caseload!!!! I am so upset to be behind on paperwork, I never was like this before and it does not make me feel good but its out of my control im doing my best and sacrificing a lot of time for little compensation.

Just looking for thought, advice on this situation, or maybe I just really needed to vent and find someone who can relate and doesnt think I am crazy, so I appreciate anyone who read this crazy message!! Thanks!!!

sparker39475

3 Posts

Specializes in psychiatric, home health.

ummm, I wish I could say it gets better, but the fact is that every where they are cutting staff and pushing more patients on whoever is left. Home health is no different. I understand the long drives, seeing patients you don't know and the unreasonable expectations of charting. You could look at it this way, YOU HAVE A JOB! they are getting hard to come by.

It takes several years to become efficient in the home both with charting and patient care. If anyone says that it doesn't then they are missing something.

Home health is a rewarding nursing opportunity. You get the chance to meet the patient in their environment. This gives you worlds of insight that the clinic or hospital nurse never gets. You can sit and chat, learn about them, their lives, their families. You get to meet their families and see how they are treated. Open your mind and enjoy your patients. Share your stories and they will share theirs. Consider this part of the compensation for the long tedious hours. I have learned more history from my patients than I ever did in school. I have meet wonderful people and some crabby ones too.

Soon, when you learn exactly what you are looking for when you enter the home and greet the patient, you will be able to do a full family assessment, full patient assessment, identify the current problem, teach them on their primary diagnosis, medication and diet all during a pleasant conversation with them. Your goal is GREAT patient care. If the patients perception after you leave is that they were well taken care of, educated and that you were all about them, then you can relax and chart. I found that a simple "How are you?" brings about 75 % of your assessment!!!!

I work from normals, that is I start charting the minute I walk in the house. Depending on what program your agency uses, it is easy enough to get the "junk" out of the way while they are answering the "how are you" question. Then, they have identified their problem. Go to that system and chart the abnormals. There are some specific questions that you will have to ask such as when was your last bowel movement and such. But during your conversation with the patient you can slip in your teaching and further assessment. Take their vitals, do your wound care, call the doc and your done!

I tell the nurses that I train that my nursing visits are somewhat of a social call. I have been made fun of for saying that but I don't care. I never changed my way of doing things. Besides, the patients like it that way.

After being with my company for nearly 10 years, I wouldn't go anywhere else. Yes, I think the ER would be exciting. But I love the coziness of home health.

Good luck!!! Take a deep breath, and have fun. You may never have had the chance to meet all of these wonderful interesting people if you hadn't chosen home health.:yes:

ctrn3478

22 Posts

ummm, I wish I could say it gets better, but the fact is that every where they are cutting staff and pushing more patients on whoever is left. Home health is no different. I understand the long drives, seeing patients you don't know and the unreasonable expectations of charting. You could look at it this way, YOU HAVE A JOB! they are getting hard to come by.

It takes several years to become efficient in the home both with charting and patient care. If anyone says that it doesn't then they are missing something.

Home health is a rewarding nursing opportunity. You get the chance to meet the patient in their environment. This gives you worlds of insight that the clinic or hospital nurse never gets. You can sit and chat, learn about them, their lives, their families. You get to meet their families and see how they are treated. Open your mind and enjoy your patients. Share your stories and they will share theirs. Consider this part of the compensation for the long tedious hours. I have learned more history from my patients than I ever did in school. I have meet wonderful people and some crabby ones too.

Soon, when you learn exactly what you are looking for when you enter the home and greet the patient, you will be able to do a full family assessment, full patient assessment, identify the current problem, teach them on their primary diagnosis, medication and diet all during a pleasant conversation with them. Your goal is GREAT patient care. If the patients perception after you leave is that they were well taken care of, educated and that you were all about them, then you can relax and chart. I found that a simple "How are you?" brings about 75 % of your assessment!!!!

I work from normals, that is I start charting the minute I walk in the house. Depending on what program your agency uses, it is easy enough to get the "junk" out of the way while they are answering the "how are you" question. Then, they have identified their problem. Go to that system and chart the abnormals. There are some specific questions that you will have to ask such as when was your last bowel movement and such. But during your conversation with the patient you can slip in your teaching and further assessment. Take their vitals, do your wound care, call the doc and your done!

I tell the nurses that I train that my nursing visits are somewhat of a social call. I have been made fun of for saying that but I don't care. I never changed my way of doing things. Besides, the patients like it that way.

After being with my company for nearly 10 years, I wouldn't go anywhere else. Yes, I think the ER would be exciting. But I love the coziness of home health.

Good luck!!! Take a deep breath, and have fun. You may never have had the chance to meet all of these wonderful interesting people if you hadn't chosen home health.:yes:

Thank you for your response!!! I do feeel very much on the same page with you about home health, I don't feel like ever I could work somewhere and get the same level of patient and family appreciation. I have worked here for a year have improved SO much as a nurse and with documentation. However, my concern here does not lie with home health but mostly this particular agency. I am so offended they truly wanted to hold back my paycheck. We are having a lot of trouble here but I along with many other nurses know it is not going to get better here, its been this way for 5+ years and declining. I almost feel its a liability for me to be working here. Prior to this weeks events i was telling myself the same thing, I am stuggling but I am SO thankful for just having a job. But now what is a job worth if they are going to force me into and impossible work load and then not pay me for not completing in on time.... then what is the point of working here at all if they continue threaten my pay? I may have started as a new grad but the people alongside me in this issue have many years in nursing and home health and are in the same spot...its extremely depressing and stressful for me to think I worked 50 something hour week couldnt finish some work, and each work willl now have to stress as to whether i will get my earned pay i need for my loans, rent, basic living expenses : ( I have also tried other home health and considered but am beginning to get worried about my car...

Specializes in General Med/Surg.
ummm, I wish I could say it gets better, but the fact is that every where they are cutting staff and pushing more patients on whoever is left. Home health is no different. I understand the long drives, seeing patients you don't know and the unreasonable expectations of charting. You could look at it this way, YOU HAVE A JOB! they are getting hard to come by.

It takes several years to become efficient in the home both with charting and patient care. If anyone says that it doesn't then they are missing something.

Home health is a rewarding nursing opportunity. You get the chance to meet the patient in their environment. This gives you worlds of insight that the clinic or hospital nurse never gets. You can sit and chat, learn about them, their lives, their families. You get to meet their families and see how they are treated. Open your mind and enjoy your patients. Share your stories and they will share theirs. Consider this part of the compensation for the long tedious hours. I have learned more history from my patients than I ever did in school. I have meet wonderful people and some crabby ones too.

Soon, when you learn exactly what you are looking for when you enter the home and greet the patient, you will be able to do a full family assessment, full patient assessment, identify the current problem, teach them on their primary diagnosis, medication and diet all during a pleasant conversation with them. Your goal is GREAT patient care. If the patients perception after you leave is that they were well taken care of, educated and that you were all about them, then you can relax and chart. I found that a simple "How are you?" brings about 75 % of your assessment!!!!

I work from normals, that is I start charting the minute I walk in the house. Depending on what program your agency uses, it is easy enough to get the "junk" out of the way while they are answering the "how are you" question. Then, they have identified their problem. Go to that system and chart the abnormals. There are some specific questions that you will have to ask such as when was your last bowel movement and such. But during your conversation with the patient you can slip in your teaching and further assessment. Take their vitals, do your wound care, call the doc and your done!

I tell the nurses that I train that my nursing visits are somewhat of a social call. I have been made fun of for saying that but I don't care. I never changed my way of doing things. Besides, the patients like it that way.

After being with my company for nearly 10 years, I wouldn't go anywhere else. Yes, I think the ER would be exciting. But I love the coziness of home health.

Good luck!!! Take a deep breath, and have fun. You may never have had the chance to meet all of these wonderful interesting people if you hadn't chosen home health.:yes:

Sparker,

That is an incredibly good synopsis of a home health nurses work and it sounds like you enjoy it and are good at it. This specialty can be really rewarding and it's always been my favorite. However the last stint I did I was in a really toxic work environment and was putting massive, I mean massive, amounts of miles on my car. I had to give it up. There are pros/cons to everything.

caliotter3

38,333 Posts

Funny I should come across this thread after a particularly depressing shift.

Um, yeah Id be unhappy too Has your situation improved at all ? What state are you employed in ?

Holisticlifern

37 Posts

Im fairly new to home health but I've been a nurse for 6 years. If I were you I would start applying for other jobs. You are not being treated as a professional or even a person for that matter. It sounds like you are handling the situation well as you can and still provide excellent care. You don't want the stress to get to a point where it starts to affect your patient care or your time away from work. I know you mentioned its a competitive job market in your area, but you are in a position to complete. I think working in home health and learning how to manage patients in the field all on your own speaks volumes especially as a new nurses nd handling the load that you have...

keep up the good work, stay encouraged and please don't be afraid to apply and consider other jobs.

toomuchbaloney

12,662 Posts

Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

Home Health agencies are becoming famous for abusing their nursing staff.

Just like battered women in abusive sexual relationships, too many nurses feel that they have no other options.

Examine closely what is healthiest for you and then choose a course of action that serves YOU best.

+ Add a Comment