Do home health (visiting) nurses usually work on holidays?

caliotter3 · Sep 25, 2011

I do extended care. Always work on normal work days unless there is some reason for the family to cancel the shift. As for intermittent visits, if it were me, and I wanted a holiday off, I would arrange those visits either the day before or the day after the holiday. If it is a visit that can't be rescheduled, then that is the way it goes, unless you can arrange for another nurse to take the visit.

RNMom2010 · Sep 25, 2011

We do not work holidays.

Isabelle49 · Sep 25, 2011

Holidays on call are rotated through the field staff.

twokidsmom,rn · Sep 25, 2011

We have a on call but I have worked holidays. If a wound needs to be changed it does not matter what day of the week or if it is a holiday. Also IF a patient gets discharged from the hospital the day before a holiday then a SOC needs to be done. But we all take turns on working a holiday. Fourth of July was horrible for me.

lsvalliant · Sep 25, 2011

We have a on call but I have worked holidays. If a wound needs to be changed does not matter what day of the week or if it is a holiday. Also IF a patient gets discharged from the hospital the day before a holiday then a SOC needs to be done. But we all take turns on working a holiday. Fourth of July was horrible for me.

I would think so. Patients who need care or admits obviously would be seen on a holiday. I was just curious if it's an on call nurse who takes all the patients or if it's common to only see the patients who absolutly cant wait and reschedule the rest so at least you would have a light day.

KateRN1 · Sep 26, 2011

We have an RN who is on call for administrative needs with access to get into the office for supplies, fax, etc. Then we have field staff who volunteer to work in the field for the holiday for wounds, SOCs, ROCs, etc. I have done both without too much issue either way.

Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN · Sep 28, 2011

The pts must be seen. If a holiday falls on a visit day sometimes the family will request "no visit" or we can adjust our schedule to see those pts the day before or the day after the holiday. We have an oncall nurse who will make any emergency visits.

SkaterGurl · Sep 28, 2011

It depends on the agency and the type of visitations. For the home health agency I worked for, the nurses worked holidays, weekends, snow, sleet, etc. They stayed home if the roads were closed due to a state of emergency-that was the only reason for not going out.

vinsonmm · Sep 29, 2011

I am a LVN working as a home health nurse. I love my job. I hope you love it too. I worked in a clinic for 10 years before this and had all holidays and weekends off. Now I work one weekend a month and most holidays. Its a diferent type of life. I don't have children at home any longer so it works for me. Holidays tend to be quiet and not many visits are made because patients are with family and don't want to be seen.

HalfmoonMaggieRN · Sep 29, 2011

It depends upon the agency and its caseload, the availability of per diem and/or "volunteer" nurses, and the contract (if there is one) stipulations. In my experience, patients and/or families are asked well ahead of time if a visit will be needed (There may be a family member who is available on a holiday to do the wound care, for example because the holiday may not be a work day.). I've also seen the ordering practitioners called for orders to change the frequency of care on only the holiday, though I've never felt completely comfortable with that practice, especially for Medicare patients (for utilization reasons). A family member or the patient may be competent to provide an alternative procedure one time only, for example a simplified dressing. After per diem staff is scheduled and full/part-time nurses are asked if they want to work on the holiday, the number of visits is compared with the nurses available, who will likely be able to provide care to a larger number of patients since assessments/teaching that might usually be done on that day can be scheduled by the case managing/primary nurse for another day that week. In scheduling visits, per diem and volunteer nurses would be loaded with visits before "mandated" staff are assigned, and mandated staff often (in my experience usually) are able to be "on-call" after those visits are made. So, my answer is that if you are a full-time RN you will probably be obligated to work some holidays (Some contracts or policies may contain the perk of fewer holidays [i've even seen an agency contract requiring nurses with over ten years' service to work only one holiday a year.]. The number though, will likely be fewer than you would be required to work in a health care facility, since little of the care there is discretionary, and your day may be lighter and/or shorter.