Late minute calls for private duty work

Specialties Private Duty

Published

One of the private duty nursing agencies that I work with always waits until the last minute to call me in for work. For example, On Wed morning I was in his office and I asked if I could work with a certain patient on Friday night and was told "no". He said "I will call you later today and will let you know if Sat is available". He never called back. On Thursday my other agency called and offered me work. I called him back and left a phone message saying I needed to know right away if Sat night was available or not. He never returned my call so I signed up with the other agency. On Friday night I received a phone call from him at 8pm-(the actual shift was 7pm to 7am) asking if I could work Friday night with the patient I requested last Wed!!!!! He seems to always wait until the actual day to be worked and then he calls me at the very last minute on that very same day.:mad:

What is wrong with this guy?:uhoh3: Does anyone else have this problem?

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There is an easy way to cure an individual of this habit, but you more than likely will face retaliation, so think about whether you want to even remain with that agency.

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Thanks caliotter3.;) I guess I will just have to keep reminding him over and over that I work with whatever agency calls me up first period. This is a small private nursing agency and he is the owner. You would think he would have much better sense. He seems to think that everyone should just be content to sit by their phones and "hope" that they get called in to work at the very "last minute." It's a shame. I really like that particular patient and he only lives 5 minutes away from me. Thank God my other agency has sense enough to plan ahead.

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I know what it is like from the other side and it sucks for the parents too. I had this conversation about two years ago for about 6 weeks before the agency got tired of hearing me and gave me this nurse.

Agency: Nurse A is not available this weekend (she is my every other weekend night nurse).

Me: Can Nurse B come. We love her. My son loves her. She is a wonderful nurse. I can sleep comfortably when she is here.

Agency: No. Nurse B has another patient.

Me: Nurse B's patient has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and has no discharge date (I know other patient's mommy).

Agency: No. We will try to get you someone to cover.

This went on all week. Guess who showed up Friday night? Nurse B! When did they call? 45 minutes before the shift started. After 6 weeks, we had Nurse B for every weekend! If they hadn't called her at the last minute, she would have had almost no hours that week. I can't imagine having to rely on scheduling like this. How are you supposed to pay your rent/mortgage if you never know if/when you will work?

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I know what it is like from the other side and it sucks for the parents too. I had this conversation about two years ago for about 6 weeks before the agency got tired of hearing me and gave me this nurse.

Agency: Nurse A is not available this weekend (she is my every other weekend night nurse).

Me: Can Nurse B come. We love her. My son loves her. She is a wonderful nurse. I can sleep comfortably when she is here.

Agency: No. Nurse B has another patient.

Me: Nurse B's patient has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and has no discharge date (I know other patient's mommy).

Agency: No. We will try to get you someone to cover.

This went on all week. Guess who showed up Friday night? Nurse B! When did they call? 45 minutes before the shift started. After 6 weeks, we had Nurse B for every weekend! If they hadn't called her at the last minute, she would have had almost no hours that week. I can't imagine having to rely on scheduling like this. How are you supposed to pay your rent/mortgage if you never know if/when you will work?

I am thing that most if not all HH agencies are like this I had to deal this my self I knew 4 weeks ahead of time that I would need an ade and a nurse for x number of days .

call one place and i spent the next 4 weeks getting the run around . I was told the day before I had needed someone that i would not olney have to self pay because the paperwork was not done BUT I had to call another agency ? I called agency B with 6 hours before I was to go to the hospital and told no problem . fast ford 2 days and I can a call from the nurse who is driving to my house telll me it will cost me twice what they told me on the phone and I had to tell her just to turn around and go home .

I did end up with an ade at lest and they called her 30mins before she came ??

three weeks later I get a call from the insurance nurse case mag. telling me thay have it approved and she can have someone at my house tomorrow :confused: ""thanks but it's a little late now:rolleyes:"

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Yeah my agency always does this.. Calling me 5 min before they want me to cover a shift! So now when myself and other nurses need off we tell mom, and mom talks to the other nurses during their shifts. When someone can cover.. she calls and tells the agency about the switch. The agency gets furious because it shouldn't be up to mom and it's the agency's job to do it! But they always wait until last minute even if its a request off with lots of notice. If I don't know at least a day ahead, I usually have plans, ya know? Though like you said ventmommy it sucks for parents too! Im Close with my family so if I know no one else can cover and if moms had a busy week I usually end up covering so she doesn't have to stay up all night and can get some rest!

I know what it is like from the other side and it sucks for the parents too. I had this conversation about two years ago for about 6 weeks before the agency got tired of hearing me and gave me this nurse.

Agency: Nurse A is not available this weekend (she is my every other weekend night nurse).

Me: Can Nurse B come. We love her. My son loves her. She is a wonderful nurse. I can sleep comfortably when she is here.

Agency: No. Nurse B has another patient.

Me: Nurse B's patient has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and has no discharge date (I know other patient's mommy).

Agency: No. We will try to get you someone to cover.

This went on all week. Guess who showed up Friday night? Nurse B! When did they call? 45 minutes before the shift started. After 6 weeks, we had Nurse B for every weekend! If they hadn't called her at the last minute, she would have had almost no hours that week. I can't imagine having to rely on scheduling like this. How are you supposed to pay your rent/mortgage if you never know if/when you will work?

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Thanks ventmommy,Trekfan and philliesFan26. I am sorry to hear that parents too have go to go thru the stress and frustration of this "Wait until the very last minute" nonsense. And then to hear about the hassles of having to have the nurses pre-approved by the insurance company.What a nightmare! So it sounds like I am not alone. It sounds like there are plenty of other nursing agencies just as incompetent as the one I have. :mad:

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Rehab, Burn, dialys.

This is certainly not what families need to be going through. I am starting my first HH private duty position next month with agency that does mostly peds. I have noticed about every 3 months they are begging for staff. Give me a schedule and I will work it and not call in if I am dead.

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