Calling all HH Nurses, roll call

[hoolahan]

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!!

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Oh Patti, ditto on that redundant moronic OASIS!!!

[cjk01]

Hi all! I am a home care nurse in So. Cal. for the past 5 years and I have to admit I am fed up with it! When I first started the job couldn't be beat; 6 pts per day, no OASIS, nice atmosphere to work in (for the most part). Boy, things have rea

I am tired of seeing 7 pts everyday, filling out those OASIS forms, and driving like a maniac. I do find that the job has it's rewards but I am seriously thinking of trying something new. Maybe I need a vacation!?

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

cjk, I feel your pain. Certainly try something new. That in and of itself will seem like a vacation. I left and went back several times, but I still find that for my personal life, as aggravating as this job can be, and I have been FT this time around, it makes a hige diff in the burnout factor, it still works best for me and my family. Though I admit, I am currently exploring other options. I will probably start seriously looking in September, but I am being super-selective. Sometimes leaving and doing something else is the only way to find out you really like what you did before!

Right now at my agency, we are losing nurses left and right. I haven't had to see more than 6, or 6 visits, for the last few months. They have been sort of kissing our butts, and I have to admit, it's nice for a change. They really can't affords to lose another nurse!

[CardioTrans, BSN, RN]

Hi there.......... I have done home health off and on for the past 11 yrs......... nothing can compare to it. Granted that it has its pains........ but nothing compared to a hospital.

The OASIS is a pain.......lol PPS is a pain....... but the benefits of actually being able to help the patients is all worth it. I have worked in the hospital all in critical care, but I always go back to home health. Granted we dont have someone to call to help with the IV that we cant get or to hold the leg so we can dress the foot, but thats what makes home health interesting........ you grow with your skills and become highly innovative.......lol

Wouldnt trade my experiences in home health for anything.

[LoisJean]

Hi, CardioTrans! Welcome Aboard. The saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention", was first said, I'm certain, by Home Health Care Nurses! Speaking of necessity, all you guys and gals: has anyone ever come up with a way to control the 100 feet of O2 line that my patients keep tripping over? Some of them have so much footage of it that they could go 5 miles and still have enough left to fly a kite with. I'm thinking of some kind of 'winder-upper' like the automatic clothes line type thing.

Peace

Lois Jean

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

OOhhh, LOis, maybe you could design and patent something...great idea!! How about for now a tubing purse or backpack? Why the heck do they need so much?? I think our standard is 40 ft, and even in big houses that's enough to go up and down steps, etc... It's a wonder they even get any O2 thru there! LOL!

Welcome Cardiotrans, our backgrounds sound very similar, I did ICU x 17 yrs, 13 of those in a CT SICU. Welcome and post often.

[Jay-Jay, RN]

Seven patients a day?? Hmm. right now that would be a nice, easy day for me!!

I just talked to a nurse who resigned from our company. She's making $33 an hour in the hospital as a surgical nurse. When she goes home at night, she can forget about her job. I'm making $20 an hour, and have paperwork and phone calls to look forward to when the day's over. Staff retention is the pits, due to low wages, etc., and we are so short staffed it isn't funny. I was sick last week for 2 days, and there was ONE nurse covering the whole district. She saw 16 patients!!

Weekend nurses are covering both days and evenings, which means 10 to 12 visits a day is fairly routine. That's manageable for one day, if you don't have anything unexpected happen. But the next day, you're dragging your a** due to fatigue.

I love community nursing, but there is hardly a day goes by that I don't think of quitting....

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Hi there. I have been in home health for 11 years! Yes OASIS does make good fire material!

I am going back to the hospital after putting between 500 to 800 miles per week on my car. I was paid per visit but not for office or drive time. I would work 60 to 70 hours and be paid for 30 to 35 as I spent so much time in my car. I have alot of skills to refresh but hey the pay is great and weekends are fine with me......heheh I have five kids so hubby can watch them.......

renerian

[luvbeinganurse]

Hi! I've been a home health nurse for 2 1/2 years. The first agency I worked for was okay, but the pay was terrible. You got paid $23 for doing one admission (Oasis), $30 if you had it done in 24 hours. Of course, that doesn't add up to much if you spend 3 or more hours doing it! We didn't get paid for travel time or mileage. I finally realized that I could make more doing the pullup window at Wendy's, so I started looking for another agency.

Now I am doing home care through a department of a local hospital, and it's going MUCH better! I was asked if I would like to do the Medicare side or the private side. I chose private because no one else would do it, and I think it's the best thing that ever happened to me! No more Oasis, for one thing. I get paid mileage and travel time, no quotas on how many visits I have to do each week. I do scheduling, marketing, admissions, a large variety of things. AND I work Monday through Friday 8-4:30. No weekends! To me, this was a gift that was dropped right into my lap - I couldn't be happier.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Iluvbeinganurse,,,,wow 23 for OASIS really stinks. I am meeting with another agency tomarrow to see what they can offer. I just can't keep putting between 500 to 800 miles per week on my car. I love the job just can't afford three to four tanks of gas per week. I drive an SUV.......................................

Thanks for responding...................renerian

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Sounds like a nice job hoolahan.......congrats.

[LoisJean]

Hey, I'm really getting serious about that g&%$d@$! O2 tubing, you guys. Just today I visited a client who had her left wrist casted--I asked her what happened and she said she tripped over the oxygen line that had twisted around her walker. She said she got up from her couch, grabbed on to her walker to go to the bathroom and didn't realize the tubing had twisted. She took three steps and BAM, down she went.

I'm telling you, Hoolihan, if someone came up with an idea for tubing control in the home, he/she could quit work and live off the millions of $$ in patent royalities!

Really! Who in tarnation needs that much tubing??!!?

And another thing, while I'm at it, that's beginning to irk me big time.....a client of mine who is an elderly gentleman, single and alone will be going through a lung biopsy in two days. (I am certain that all of you know that that is not a pleasant procedure at all). He will get a ride to the hospital out-patient department from the woman who cleans his apartment-she works for a community service agency which provides cleaning services; however, since medicaid will only pay for the one ride through this agency, he will have to find another way to get back home. So I asked him how he was going to get back home and he said he'd have to call a taxi. I told him that I didn't suspect he would feel much like calling a taxi when he got through with that procedure; he said, "Well, I don't have much choice, do I?"

Why can't hospitals provide some kind of transportation services for folks like him? Am I off base here? I've had other clients tell me that after going to the ER per ambulance, they had to call a taxi to take them home when the ER discharged them--no matter what time of the day or night and no matter how old they are or what condition they're in.

But, what the hey! They won't have to worry about a ride to their own funeral, will they! How silly of me to concern myself whilst they still live!

Sorry, guys-but I feel a bit better now.

Peace-

Lois Jean