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!!
Lois, transportation is one of the biggest needs at the hospital I work for. You would be amazed at how many calls we get for transportation from older folks, and although we do have a contract with a taxi company for very good discounts, most folks are not interested in that. Our hospital will not let us transport or consider making it a part of our program because of liability. We could probably really have a great business just with providing transportation, but it's never going to happen. I wonder how other agencies get around liability when they provide transportation.
Hi, Luvbeinganurse: Thanks for the response. Having had the experience of going to the ER per ambulance, being kept in ER for umteen hours and given this or that only to be discharged home per a taxi cab driver is, in my opinion, the lowest form of indecency perpetrated by any hospital/ED that has the unmitigated audacity to charge the fees that they do. Folks who are taken out in the middle of the night, who have no family nearby and no one who they can call upon, often don't have even the fare to pay a cab.
And, if I were a cab driver there is no way I would pick up a fare who had just been discharged from emergency--no way would I want that liability if the person went sour on me on the trip home.
As for my gentleman who was having the lung biopsy: I called a social worker friend of mine who lives in the next county and pled my case to her-- she was good enough to pull a few strings and managed to find a "kind lady" who volunteered her time to stay with him and take him home afterward...
Know what? If I ran my business the way the hospital here does, I would be charged with neglect, my license would be suspended and I'd be digging dirt for a living. Something is just not right with this--not at all.
Know what I'm going to do? I'm going to check into this patient transport thing. I just might want to look into adding this service onto my business. And you are right! It could be an answer for, especially, our senior citizens and a profitable venture at the same time.
I'm a hh nurse case manager for VNA. I love doing home health and have been doing it full time for 3 years. They pay 25 per hour but I don't have to do weekends and only 2 holidays per year. We use laptop computers for documentation. We are given the time we need to finish our oasis which i do in the comfort of my own home. We have to do between 4 to 5 patients per day. which ends up being 23 pateints per week. Yes, a lot of paperwork. at least half of my job if not more is paperwork on laptop, making calls, scheduling, planning and corresponding with other health care professionals on my patients behalf, etc... I get to do this in an office in my own home with my dogs sleeping at my feet and coffee at my side. Who could want a better job. My job keeps me very busy and I've learned so much. I've worked in ICU for years and thought hh care would be simple and not much to learn. Boy was I wrong. I've learned just as much as a hh nurse as i did a icu nurse. My specialties are pediatrics, ob, iv therapy and managed care.
Guess what? OUr productivity is 30 per week. Every other week on call. Working every day on call. Only paid per visit so we are not paid for drive time, phone time or paperwork time and we still do the paper trail OASIS. it is a nightmare. My hourly rate is between 9 to 11 per hour. I have been doing it for 11 years and am going back to the hospital as I work 60 to 70 hours a week. $15 per day on call. WE cover 7 counties. How big is your service area Cheryl?
I've been a psych RN for six years, all in the hospital setting. I start working in the home health psych program in two weeks. I'm both excited and nervous. Can anyone give some helpful hints to a "newbie"?
Be careful and go with your instinct. I have been robbed three times for someone wanting my nurse bag and had a psyc patient pull a loaded gun on me. You have to remember you are on their turf so it is way different than being on your turf in a facility or something. Go with your gut.
Did you have your car stolen???????Holy smokes......and I thought the gun and drugies looking for needles in my bag was bad?????? tell us what happened!!!
It wasn't me. It was a home health aide I knew. Of course, since you have to carry your own insurance, she was on her own. She decided it all wasn't worth it and went to work in LTC. She said she wasn't surprised and was just glad that she didn't get hurt in the process.
Specializes in ambulatory, home care, telem, med/surg.
Home health care is a great job! Having just switched from 20 yrs hospital nursing, the biggest adjustment was the paperwork. Most of my patients so far have been really rewarding for me to provide care to. I did have a frightening experience with a patient who was mentally unstable but needed home care services for CAD, DM, Liver disease. While I was doing the OASIS assessment, he became frustrated with his phone(he wasn't giving me his full attention due to his mental incapacity) and called 911- they sent the cruisers and an EMT squad to investigate the patient because he was well known to them. Their first question to me was "What are you doing here alone- this man is dangerous" Then they asked him for all of his weapons (several guns and various swords/knives) and told me to leave with them and not return alone. I told them no problem- Has anyone got any advice for those newbies in the field?
The safety factor should have been determined before you were sent out alone to make this visit.
Sounds like Divine Intervention that the patient dialed "911" and they responded.
Remember that you do not have to accept an assisgnment in which you do not feel safe. Shame on the individual for making the referral to your agency if they knew that a visit might be risky.
I told them no problem- Has anyone got any advice for those newbies in the field?
luvbeinganurse
37 Posts
Lois, transportation is one of the biggest needs at the hospital I work for. You would be amazed at how many calls we get for transportation from older folks, and although we do have a contract with a taxi company for very good discounts, most folks are not interested in that. Our hospital will not let us transport or consider making it a part of our program because of liability. We could probably really have a great business just with providing transportation, but it's never going to happen. I wonder how other agencies get around liability when they provide transportation.