Advice on home health practices

[tmcolema]

Hello to all you wonderful home health nurses!! I have been an LPN in HHC for 5 years now and I know how hard you all work. I need some advice on the practices of my current agency.

As a HHC nurse I really love the ability to have independance and flexibility in the workplace. It really does offset the cons of HHC for me, however, I feel increasingly undervalued as a clinician. I understand that HHC is a business like any other but shouldn't employees be valued for the hardwork that they do? The nurses in my agency, including myself, routinely work very long hours. A typical day for me starts around 7:30am and ends around 8pm at night. Patient care is usually done around 5pm, but the paperwork involved can be daunting. I have accepted that this is just part of homecare, but beacuase of recent changes Im feeling maybe the sacrifice is simply not worth it. I have a question for you guys.

1. All the nurses in my agency rotate weekends which is perfectly reasonable to me. We generally rotate in every 4 weeks. I was recently advised by my employer that since I was an LPN, on my weekends I would be required to work a 7 day stretch so that they could avoid paying me overtime. Now I should mention that I am a pay pay per visit employee like all other clinicians. All other clinicians are scheduled with one day off before their weekend and one day off after their weekend. When I questioned my employer why the policy was different for LPN's I was told that even tho I was pay per visit, I was considered an hourly employee so I would be required to work 7 days straight. I have no problem with hard work, I have been a nurse for 15 years, but 7 days straight with 12-14 hour days? What do you guys think about this practice? Should I just suck it up, or do you think I have a real grievance? Can employees be required to work a 7 day work week?

[caliotter3]

They are planning to do this to you but not to the other nurses? I would take the hint and go where I am better appreciated. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever why the LPN needs to be treated differently than the other licensed nurses in this matter and everyone knows it.

[caliotter3]

As for being required to work a seven day week, look this up on your Labor Board's website or call them and ask. My state's labor board addresses length of the work week.

[Budzmom]

I am hearing "call labor Board" or Board of registered nursing n my head. I don't think they can make you do this!

[KateRN1]

No one can "make" you do anything. You can either do it or not, and accept the consequences of your actions. You can inform your employer that you will not work 14 days straight and that you will expect to be off just as the other nurses are off. However, you must be prepared to accept the consequences if they choose not to continue your employment. You always have options, they just aren't always the options that you'd like. If you are in a "right to work" state, you may not have any recourse through the state labor board and the board of nursing generally doesn't regulate such matters. You might have a civil lawsuit after the fact, but that doesn't help much now. Just be sure to be absolutely professional in all your dealings. Ask for their decision to deny you the usual days off in writing. That may be enough to get them to back off. Best wishes.