Do all hospice nurses work 50 to 60 hours a week?

westieluv · Oct 1, 2010

I recently began working in hospice too, and it seems to be the same way with our company. For example, if you are a full-time on-call nurse, you are expected to be scheduled for 60 hrs./week, between doing visits and doing triage. I have never worked anywhere where 60 hrs. is considered full-time! Even though our nurses do triage from home and spend a lot of their scheduled on-call visit hours at home waiting for the phone to ring, they are still on call or on triage duty and can't do anything else because they might be needed to go on a visit or advise someone over the phone, so even though they're home, the time isn't really theirs. In that circumstance, 60 hrs. is a ridiculous requirement, as far as I'm concerned. And even though ours is a relatively nice company to work for, there is still a large turnover of nursing staff, probably because of the ridiculous time requirements that they put on the nurses who have families or otherwise have a life outside of their jobs.

Sorry I can't help you with your question about hospice companies in LA, but I happen to be on the opposite side of the country from you.

AtlantaRN, RN · Oct 1, 2010

pretty much, unless you are the weekend on call nurse, then it is hit or miss, you may work 20 hrs (but i still can't really sleep because i can't take my sleep meds because someone may call through the night), and you may be out 80 hrs in a 4 day period....but yes, monday through friday nurses always work 50-60 hrs, if not more...but at least they get overtime.....

Leda1st · Oct 2, 2010

monday through friday nurses always work 50-60 hrs, if not more...but at least they get overtime.....

:lol2: (I'm laughing so I don't cry.) Not at our agency - we are all salaried. I think if we were paid hourly (and thus paid overtime), it would be a great thing - not because we would "rake in the cash", but because I think that mgmt/admin would be motivated to actually hire enough people to handle the census and make caseloads reasonable. As it stands right now, ALL of us (RN's, SW's, CP's) are overworked and behind, but since we are salary, mgmt/admin doesn't really seem to care. There is going to be a mass exodus soon at my company of not just nurses but SW's as well because of the multiple issues there. Do I hope that mgmt/admin will get a clue and start treating their staff better? Yes. Do I really think that will happen? No. To quote another poster, they will just hire "another body with a license." Makes me very, very sad for the patients and families.

tencat · Oct 2, 2010

Once in a while I work a 50+ hour week, but not usually. I'm hourly, so management frowns upon over time. They tried to talk me into salary at one point, and I threatened to quit over it, so they haven't mentioned it again. Salary=Abuse Me, Please.....You have to be firm and set some limits for yourself because management will walk all over you if you let them. I always smile politely and say, "I'd love to do it....but I can't, sorry." If I CAN do some extra (like pick up call for a few hours while on-call nurse is busy) I will, but my family comes first. I'm not spending 60+ hours a week working. Good way to burn out, and I'd really like to stay with hospice for a while.

AtlantaRN, RN · Oct 11, 2010

This is the reason I went to weekend call. I was a m-f day shift case manager for 3 yrs. First company i worked hospice was for 2 years-and they flat burned me out. Present company, i worked for 1 yr day shift and it was trending to burnout. Between IDT, and taking call one night during the week, and covering backup call for the oncall weekend nurse, i was 50-60+/week. So, when weekend call became available, i took it. It's hit or miss, but at least I have backup and i'm OFF monday 8a-friday 5p-and no idt.

I can work extra m-f if i want. its' $50/visit, $75 an "extended visit"(longer than 45 minutes, and $100 for an admission. Frankly, I'd rather do a bunch of visits than an admission because it takes less time (an admit with all paperwork and careplan can take 4+hrs).

momorn · Nov 20, 2010

No more 50 to 60 hours a week for me!! I'm weekend on call now. Thank you AtlantaRN for your insiration! I have a life now! I don't know how other nurses feel but I need a balance between nursing and a creative life. I love nursing it fills that need in me to be good for something and to give to others but I also need time to write stories and songs and do art and bring beauty into the world in that way as well. Does anyone else feel this way?

allnurses Guide · Nov 20, 2010

That's good news momorn! :)

I work for a hospice in a rural community - we have 4 patients right now. I see patients on Monday and the other nurse (our manager) sees them on Thursday. We share call time. Every other weekend, etc.

I just took another part-time job with the school district because my part-time status at hospice didn't offer medical bene's. So, I work T,W,Th for a total of 24 hours as the district nurse.

A few years ago, I used to work 60+ hours a week doing ER/L&D/Med-surg at our little hospital. I too burned out - and then had a baby in my 40's. I wanted to spend time with him, as I did my older children when they were little so I opted out of a hospital job. And the peace I feel since then is awesome. :redpinkhe

I didn't become a nurse until my youngest, at that time, was in 2nd grade. I waited until the kids were in school so I wasn't away from them.

My mind CAN wrap around the hours some of you hospice nurses are working though - I was the only RN for 4 months and was on call 24/7 while my co-worker underwent cancer treatment. So, again, good for you for changing to weekends.

steph