Am I being taken advantage of?

[micheley335]

Hello! I have no idea if I am posting this in the appropriate place and if not, my apologies! I need some opinions/support. I'm new to the nursing community as I will be starting lvn school soon but I am no stranger to the world of caregiving. I'm a medical assistant currently which was IMO a waste of time but anyway I now work for a woman who has hired me to care for her mother. I've worked in nursing homes, for home health agencies, you name it. But now that I work independently for these folks I'm having a hard time setting boundaries! I make 400 weekly which comes out to 10 an hour... Doesn't sound so bad. Now subtract the 15% that I have to pay in taxes.... My client requires help toileting, showering, I administer her meds, check BP 2x daily and BS 1x daily. "Light housekeeping was also in the initial job description. But where do I draw the line? I'm sweeping, mopping the whole house, cleaning all bathrooms and now even organizing her daughters ridiculous yarn collection! (I'm not kidding, I counted just now 84. Large storage bins full. She also has lately been asking me to care for her pets which includes 2 cat litter boxes! The responsibilities seem to keep piling up as does my frustration. I could go on and on but I suppose the lack of understanding from others close to me has me frustrated and I need SOMEONE to understand that I'm a healthcare professional! I may not be a nurse, yet but I'm still very educated and experienced!

[notsurewhattodo]

Yes, you are being taken advantage of, whether it is intentional or not. It would have been ideal to have had your agreed-upon duties written down and both of you sign it at the beginning of hire. Do you have in writing what the two of you initially agreed upon? Some people will take a mile if you give an inch. You may need to just sit down with her and let her know that you are now being asked to do much more than you initially agreed to do, and perhaps you two can agree upon which tasks you are willing to do and put it into writing. Ideally you will want to define "light housekeeping" with a list of agreed-upon tasks, otherwise it's open to anyone's interpretation.

[turningred15]

I agree with the above and would also add that you should sit down with the client and family. Inform them that if you are doing these other supportive care tasks you will need to be compensated an additional sum weekly.

[caliotter3]

You are only being taken advantage of if you allow this to continue without speaking up.

[BabaLouRN]

give her a list of tasks, each with a dollar amt. Let her check off accordingly. May not want to spend another 3.00 for the cat box.