charting!!!! I am about to leave home health...

Published

so I have given this field a year...I LOVE LOVE LOVE the work with the patients...I LOVE the feeling of one to one nursing! You can actually make a difference...so different than the hospital where i worked for 8 years..however...I SIMPLY CANNOT STAND CHARTING every day into every night when i get home...I have tried everything and there seems to be no way around this...I don't know what to do and feel like my only option is to go back to the hospital and get beat up again....:( any thoughts out there..??

Specializes in care manager, peds, PDN.
caliotter3 said:

Have you considered trying extended care home health....

This may also be called Private Duty Nursing (PDN) - which is exactly like caliotter3 said - usually a set shift length of 6-8-10-12 hr with the client in their home.
You still drive to to & from the client's home, but you're not zipping all over from case-to-case multiple times a day and there's usually some downtime throughout the shift to ensure charting gets done

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Hi fellow nurse, I am about to transition to home health from hospice and I was wondering if aome of you have experience with EPIC or Kinser (Wellsky). I heard Oasis documentation is quite extensive. Are the other software better??

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I have a lot of issues with HH. I quit a year ago but I miss the pt care. Plus, the industry is so terrible that my 11 years of experience don't seem to be worth much in any other health care field.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

I am considering going back into HH nursing.  I hate charting too, but at my hospital I have become a FAST PRO at EPIC charting.  I have learned where I need to cut corners, charting wise, and that's what I do.  That I think is key, NOT charting every little thing.  Less is more IMO.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
jnb1740 said:

I am considering going back into HH nursing.  I hate charting too, but at my hospital I have become a FAST PRO at EPIC charting.  I have learned where I need to cut corners, charting wise, and that's what I do.  That I think is key, NOT charting every little thing.  Less is more IMO.

Epic allows for that but OASIS documentation does not, you can't move from one area of it to another unless the previous questions have been addressed. If the patient doesn't have a lot of meds or comorbities, no wounds, no IV's - you probably could get an admission done in 1 1/2 hrs. with the care plans etc included but most nurses who have not works HH for several years, take much longer - regardless of how fast they are - because the actual documentation system sets the pace. And it sucks.

Like others have said, I would never work HH again. It is absolutely not worth it except to those nurses who know they were born to be a HH health nurse and have stuck w/it for decades.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

I am considering going back into HH nursing.  I hate charting too, but at my hospital I have become a FAST PRO at EPIC charting.  I have learned where I need to cut corners, charting wise, and that's what I do.  That I think is key, NOT charting every little thing.  Less is more IMO.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

I left skilled home health agency in 2018 due to spouse illness. Medicare required OASIS admission was 93 screens in Home Care Home Base EMR--had to answer questions, rare skip pattern that we QA RN's had to review and send alert for corrections so feel all your Admit RN's pain.  Average 2+ hours for admit charting time. EPIC rarely used in home health.

Working now in home care agency doing caregiver supervisory visit: takes me 20 min in and out to do Sup visit, Competency assessment, Employee eval and TB screen on paper.  Schedule on my timeline too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I easily spend 10-15+ hours weekly above and beyond my 40 hours a week charting at home. And it's ridiculous. Is causing severe depression because I'm literally working all the time. And I feel like some things wrong with me, like I'm not a good nurse. I stay up charting until 10:00 or 11:00 p.m., then I'm up at 4or 5 in the morning trying to chart again.

I do chart some stuff in the home. But it's quite impossible to do it all in home.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health Care (LHCSA).

Hello all I'm new here.  I've been in home care for 12 years.  I think its misleading to use a general term such as "home care" and then say that there is too much charting involved in "home care".  There are various types of jobs within home care.  Currently I'm doing a job where the documentation is easy.  I am able to get everything done in the patient's home.  It all depends on what state you are in and what type of specific job you are doing within in home care.

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in RN Integrative Health Sciences.
linuxRN said:

Hello all I'm new here.  I've been in home care for 12 years.  I think its misleading to use a general term such as "home care" and then say that there is too much charting involved in "home care".  There are various types of jobs within home care.  Currently I'm doing a job where the documentation is easy.  I am able to get everything done in the patient's home.  It all depends on what state you are in and what type of specific job you are doing within in home care.

What kind of home are you doing and where? I was just offered a home health job and they want me to go full time rather than part time because they will be precepting me after a career gap and they want a return on investment in me. I've had a 10 year gap since I was last in active patient care. I did further my degree (2 actually) in the off time, but I was hoping to join back part time and not jump full in. I understand their ask since they say they'll put the time in with me, but OASIS truly does sound like a nightmare and I'm already freaking out over what may have changed in the patient care realm, so I'll be slower out the gate. I am freaking out because I do not want to stay in home health indefinitely and keep seeing people state it isn't transferrable. Wondering if I should go into the hospital instead? The days may be long madness but at least it would likely be 3 12's and then no charting to follow me home. 

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am sorry to read of he many postings of nurses that chose to leave HH

I was a home health nurse - specially was psych. It was very rewarding. The one on one focus afford the patient and I the opportunity to make meaningful mental health improvements.

BUT - I left in 2022 because of my cancer.

Charting - on call is a very heavy price to pay - but my only help in this matter was to action items:

      1. Give each client 1 hour - this included travel to, the visit and charting.

      2. Say no - when you can - to additional work request from home office

did this work - some times - I do miss the patients but I do not miss the poor QOL

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

Nurse Bulldog, when you said that you give each client 1 hour (including travel to, the visit, and charting), I assume that you are talking about re-visits, correct?  Were you being paid fee-for-visit or salary with X amount of patients you were supposed to see each day?  For that 1 hour, what was the breakdown, 1/3 travel, 1/3 visit, 1/3 charting?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion