Hi, as a newly appointed moderator, I want to live this forum up a bit. I just resigned my position as a HH supervisor, to go back to the field.
I have been a nurse 20 years, 17 in critical care, mostly cardiac critical care, and the last 2.5 years in HH, or asthma disease management , which I also had to leave because I hated to be in a cube farm all day.
I still love HH, even though PPS is the pits, even though the OASIS would make good kindling for a massive bonfire, and even with all the rest of the paperwork, it is the most rewarding nursing I have ever done!!
PS, I went back to my former VNA who is now paying $30/hr, yes, you read that right, to work 3 out of 4 weekends. Since weekends work well for me, it's a good deal.
Let's hear from all the HH nurses out there. Out of all those registered members, there's got to be plenty of us on this BB!!
WOW, too bad the clunker program didn't last long. It pays to downsize. You also must look at comfort and features you can't live without. I recently bought a new/used car and when I tried to go down on the car size for the mileage I stayed with a similar car. We (HH staff) spend too much time in our cars, you have to love your car. When I looked at smaller cars like the Ford Fusion-it just didn't have the perks my Pontiac had and definitely not the comfortable seats. Some people can forego one for the other, shop smart. :wlcmggrp:
Congratulations! Most HH companies do not hire new grads, but I say go for it if you know that is what you want to do! I started in HH as a new grad 2 yrs ago & it has worked out just fine. DON'T be discouraged by more experienced nurses who say you need to work in a hospital first. I learned more by being out on my own and having to rely on my own instincts. I would suggest finding a positive , experienced coworker who doesn't mind answering your "stupid" questions. That helped me gain a ton of knowledge in those first few months.
As bad as most areas of the country need nurses.. If this is what you want to do then apply. I had a nursing student ride along one day and she really wants to do HH. She was the best student to take out, good luck!
I was recently recruited for a HH position. The audacity of this company is this :I applied, was hired, went through physical, drug screen , background check (fingerprinting) and orientation and never got a case. That was 6 months ago. Now I am called for a field nurse position full time covering from West to East and North and South . The pay $60,000 for "experienced HH nurses". I am expected to do 30 visits per week, Oasis admits, recerts, discharges and on call . On call cannot triage and must go to client even if an hour or more drive at 2am. Mileage is $.42 per mile. Oasis paperwork must be in within 24 hours. One field nurse would handle all clients. Talk about insanity! All documentation is hand written as there are no laptops. Focus is to prevent hospital admits/readmits on very frail elderly with multiple chronic co-morbidities.I am currently a home health RN and have been in and out of home care for over 12 years. I love it and cannot be confined in an institutional setting. I chose to decline the FT offer for the time being and am doing per diem for them. I may take them up on their offer in a few months as they are relocating near me.
I started doing HH in L.A., working for 5 different HH agencies, per diem in 1992. It was fascinating, dangerous (due to areas covered), and certainly challenging. Of course the paperwork for each agency differed somewhat, and OASIS is OASIS.
The only problem was that per diem nurses tend to get cast off cases from case managers, usually because the location was inconvenient, dangerous (projects), and communication difficult. I did see a baby near Disneyland, who was from Viet Nam (no translator), so all communication was with smiles, frowns, and hands. He had a congenital heart disease, post surgical and seemingly had good recuperative ability. They had him in a hammock, which is the norm for their culture, and kept him resting quietly. I've shared that technique with many other parents (much more simple than the expensive accoutrement in our society), and it works.
Don't count on the agency relocating. I've been told that several times, without it happening. The agency that disappointed you may have lost a contract for many of their cases, hence their silence after hiring you.
I've worked for more than one agency that has told me that I would be "so busy" with per diem visits once hired, only to have the same thing happen. But then when you take work on a p.t or f.t basis they really load you down with visits. Many RNs at my current hha complain about doing visits 11-12 hrs, when being paid only for 8 hrs, and also doing paperwork on the weekends, and late at night (without pay).
Also, I meant to mention that when working as a per diem in the past, I noticed that agencies would give me visits that were time consuming, or ones that required opening/oasis, and then discharge in 2 visits. I did not really have the experience with being passed the cases in dangerous areas as much.
Hi everyone...I have been in hh for 5 years and I really love it, everything but the paperwork that is. And the director and clinical manager I work for could not begin to do the job that us field nurses do or put up with mess at times that we have to put up with. I wonder where they get these people anyway wow!!!! I love the rapport I have with my patients and family and it is very rewarding work. But it is true, I am one of those people who is salaried for 8 hrs day and work 12 a day and it really sucks. And then in recent weeks I have had 8 soc in 5 days and when the clinical manager said I haven't turned my paperwork in I told her how much she had given me and she said well that's the way it is sometimes WHATEVER!!! So now I have committed myself to only doing paperwork after 5pm 2 days a week. and btw we have 4 rn's and 1 lpn who work for our agency and only 1 of those nurses had 1 soc all week and the others had none, so how fair is that. I say take them out of their positions and put someone who has worked in the field before in that position, someone who actually knows how difficult it can be.
Please be fair to the nurses with whom you work in your agency and all of us out here, and insist that your agency follow labor laws, which are quite specific about 40 hour weeks, overttime, breaks, etc.
You're right about those iun the office being obtuse about the time it takes for paperwork. At this popinmt, it would be appropriate to tell the clinical Director and manager that you must be paid for doing paperwork (and get the other 3 nurses to back you up. They may already have set their boundaries regarding that, which may be why you're getting all the SOCs....... Being proactive inspires respect, and we HH nurses have been letting these agencies literally and figuratively get away with murder too long!
I know that sticking one's neck out is extremely risky, but it's the only way you can save yourself and your colleagues. Look at the other HH thread called, "home health nursing - working all the time. HH agencies are profit making enterprises that consistently ignore labor laws, as nurses in the field aren't observed all the time, as those in facilities are. There is software for OASIS, but most agencies say its too expensive (sure, as long as nurses will work without poay to get it done.
Remember that your agency needs you, more than you need them. They have contracts with insurance companies, other agencies, etc. to get the referred work done; and if you don't do it, who will? :loveya:
Please be fair to the nurses with whom you work in your agency and all of us out here, and insist that your agency follow labor laws, which are quite specific about 40 hour weeks, overttime, breaks, etc.
You're right about those iun the office being obtuse about the time it takes for paperwork. At this popinmt, it would be appropriate to tell the clinical Director and manager that you must be paid for doing paperwork (and get the other 3 nurses to back you up. They may already have set their boundaries regarding that, which may be why you're getting all the SOCs....... Being proactive inspires respect, and we HH nurses have been letting these agencies literally and figuratively get away with murder too long!
I know that sticking one's neck out is extremely risky, but it's the only way you can save yourself and your colleagues. Look at the other HH thread called, "home health nursing - working all the time. HH agencies are profit making enterprises that consistently ignore labor laws, as nurses in the field aren't observed all the time, as those in facilities are. There is software for OASIS, but most agencies say its too expensive (sure, as long as nurses will work without poay to get it done.
Remember that your agency needs you, more than you need them. They have contracts with insurance companies, other agencies, etc. to get the referred work done; and if you don't do it, who will? :loveya:
You know you are right and I have stepped up and addressed the issue of working so much even above and beyond what I'm paid for and I get told that I am salaried and I have to do it. And we do have a oasis program but ours is not what they thought it was, with what we got we still have to fill out the paper oasis as well as the computer one, I refused to do it along with the other nurses so none of us use the computer version now. I am the bold one of all the other nurses and they will agree with me on stuff then back peddle first chance they get and they have been here longer than me. it ridiculous!!! when I have or one of the other nurses in particular approached the director about being paid for paperwork they tell us too that we are salaried and its part of the job however, she and I consistently see 6 pts a day and drive over 100 miles a day so when is there time and they just don't care.:angryfire
you know you are right and i have stepped up and addressed the issue of working so much even above and beyond what i'm paid for and i get told that i am salaried and i have to do it.
there are labor laws prohibiting workers from being told that they must work more than 40 hours / week, without additional (punitive) compensation being given. a call to the board of labor in your state should promote an investigation of labor practices there.
it would be best to do that soon, when you have the support (although it's been waffled) of the other nurses with whom you work. if you and they become polarized, it will seem as if you're the only unsatisfied employee there. having worked there longer, they've put up with unfair labor practices longer, and may be more wed to that situation.
and we do have a oasis program but ours is not what they thought it was, with what we got we still have to fill out the paper oasis as well as the computer one, i refused to do it along with the other nurses so none of us use the computer version now.
initially computer programs for oasis were less user friendly, and their product isn't required by the federal government (as is the written one). so agencies have taken the road of least resistence, as yours has. it's my hope that the drive for going paperless will pave the way for the software program to be made by those who require it; and that the smaller notebook will accompany nurses into the home, where they can complete the oasis with their assessment and not have to manually repeat the pages' headings,and other repetitive stuff.
i am the bold one of all the other nurses and they will agree with me on stuff then back peddle first chance they get and they have been here longer than me. it ridiculous!!! when i have or one of the other nurses in particular approached the director about being paid for paperwork they tell us too that we are salaried and its part of the job however, she and i consistently see 6 pts a day and drive over 100 miles a day so when is there time and they just don't care.:angryfire
that's when the job descriptioin you were given at hire comes in handy....... i'm sure that it doesn't state that records are done gratis!
stacey685
8 Posts
WOW, too bad the clunker program didn't last long. It pays to downsize. You also must look at comfort and features you can't live without. I recently bought a new/used car and when I tried to go down on the car size for the mileage I stayed with a similar car. We (HH staff) spend too much time in our cars, you have to love your car. When I looked at smaller cars like the Ford Fusion-it just didn't have the perks my Pontiac had and definitely not the comfortable seats. Some people can forego one for the other, shop smart. :wlcmggrp:
Welcome to Homecare!