Am I Being Unreasonable?

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I got a new job working with an agency that provides in home nursing care for clients. I have gone to part-time with a hospice job as I felt I was burning out. This new agency is part time also. The main office for the company is in another state, and there is no local boss, so far as I know. They have regional managers, but I don't know who they are, either. Anyway, first assignment they give me is a dangerous client who has threatened several nurses, even with firearms. I have heard of this guy, and I am NOT going into that house. So, I call the staffer to change assignments. No one answers. I leave a message on the voice mail. I also send an e-mail to the staffer. The message on the staffer's voice mail is "You have to talk to a live person if you're calling off a shift" and proceeds to tell you to call a number and dial 0. For some reason, when you call you get an error message that tells you it's an invalid code, it cuts you off and you can't get through. Go figure. (Fairly convenient for the company, though...wow I'm so paranoid at times...) anyway, so I call the night before to make sure it got through. I actually GET a live person after hours who proceeds to be REALLY obnoxious about the whole thing, and says that it's too late to call off, and the staffer is on vacation, so my message of course wouldn't have gone through. Gee, I should have known that when I'm 500 miles away from the office? I stated that I had been informed that the patient in question was dangerous, and I was not going in there as I did not feel safe.

So, I called off my first shift with the company AND peeved someone who is a higher up. But I'm a bit irritated with the whole thing. The staffer I did talk to KNEW who I was talking about and voiced that she KNEW he'd been in trouble before for threatening staff. Then there's the whole phone thing and no information available as to who bosses are and who we go to to voice concerns. I really want to bag it, but my husband thinks I should give it a try with another patient. I hate to burn bridges, but I don't feel good about working with this company. Am I being unreasonable? The pay is good, but so far I am less than impressed. At least with my other job I get to be abused by people I can actually SEE in person.....

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Specializes in multispecialty ICU, SICU including CV.

Your instincts are right. Bag it. No nursing supervision within 500 miles and a problem patient to try to deal with? That's crap. That's probably why that dude is staffed by that agency in the first place -- he's probably gone through EVERY LOCAL AGENCY out there. Just get out. You'll find something better.

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I have never worked for an agency where there was not at least initial conditional acceptance of an assignment by the person to do the work. In other words, they don't assign you without discussing it with you first, either for fill in or for a possible permanent assignment. Look at it this way. What if you are in a home and require to speak to a nursing supervisor about your patient? You won't be able to get hold of one on a phone? Bad set up. Find another agency.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

if they are going to that length to protect identities what will you do if an incident actually occurs?

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For a long time I have not known the names of the supervisors at my agency, but I know that I could request that information any time I need it. Sounds as if this agency truly does not want any of their employees to know what is going on. It looks bad when the clients find out that you don't know who the supervisors are.

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Unreasonable? HeII no! And if your hubby doesn't understand this, you need to bag him too! :)

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Unreasonable? HeII no! And if your hubby doesn't understand this, you need to bag him too! :)

Nah, he's a genuine keeper! He's not being unreasonable about it at all, he's just 'suggesting' that I don't burn bridges as it's a small town and there are not tons of nursing opportunities, but I can go back full time with my hospice job, so maybe that's the best course of action now......you guys give the best advice and I am really appreciative!

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I got a new job working with an agency that provides in home nursing care for clients. I have gone to part-time with a hospice job as I felt I was burning out. This new agency is part time also. The main office for the company is in another state, and there is no local boss, so far as I know. They have regional managers, but I don't know who they are, either. Anyway, first assignment they give me is a dangerous client who has threatened several nurses, even with firearms. I have heard of this guy, and I am NOT going into that house. So, I call the staffer to change assignments. No one answers. I leave a message on the voice mail. I also send an e-mail to the staffer. The message on the staffer's voice mail is "You have to talk to a live person if you're calling off a shift" and proceeds to tell you to call a number and dial 0. For some reason, when you call you get an error message that tells you it's an invalid code, it cuts you off and you can't get through. Go figure. (Fairly convenient for the company, though...wow I'm so paranoid at times...) anyway, so I call the night before to make sure it got through. I actually GET a live person after hours who proceeds to be REALLY obnoxious about the whole thing, and says that it's too late to call off, and the staffer is on vacation, so my message of course wouldn't have gone through. Gee, I should have known that when I'm 500 miles away from the office? I stated that I had been informed that the patient in question was dangerous, and I was not going in there as I did not feel safe.

So, I called off my first shift with the company AND peeved someone who is a higher up. But I'm a bit irritated with the whole thing. The staffer I did talk to KNEW who I was talking about and voiced that she KNEW he'd been in trouble before for threatening staff. Then there's the whole phone thing and no information available as to who bosses are and who we go to to voice concerns. I really want to bag it, but my husband thinks I should give it a try with another patient. I hate to burn bridges, but I don't feel good about working with this company. Am I being unreasonable? The pay is good, but so far I am less than impressed. At least with my other job I get to be abused by people I can actually SEE in person.....

I'd walk. Further more, without even having worked a single shift, I wouldn't put it on my resume either. It wasn't a fit- don't look back. If it ever comes up (unlikely!) you can say "yes, I was going to work for them, but never actually did" which isn't a lie. If they press, simply say you found out that they didn't have any local supervisors and that was outside of your comfort zone. (also true!) just my :twocents:

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Nah, he's a genuine keeper! He's not being unreasonable about it at all, he's just 'suggesting' that I don't burn bridges as it's a small town and there are not tons of nursing opportunities, but I can go back full time with my hospice job, so maybe that's the best course of action now......you guys give the best advice and I am really appreciative!

Good, cuz good ones are hard to come by. :D You shouldn't burn bridges in general, but there are exceptions to every rule.

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Specializes in Peds Homecare.

I have never heard of an agency that didn't have a local contact. Red flag #1. Also some agencies will continue to send nurses to problem patients/families. I love my agency but they went through every nurse in our office before they realized the Mother of a peds patient was trouble. She was buddies with the case manager( case was from another agency). The mother must have wanted Florence herself, she was never satisfied for more than 3 weeks. How did you apply for this job? Did you not have an interview? I would look for a reputable agency that has an office in the area.

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Specializes in Clinicals in Med-Surg., OB, CCU, ICU.

LOL... Where did you interview for this company? You should have known that there would be this kind of issue. My goodness!:yeah:

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Specializes in Quality Nurse Specialist, Health Coach.

run...run far away!:chair:

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