Family refuses to meet in person

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So I was contacted from my agency about a new case they could have coming on. I agreed to the potential hours and they set up a meet and greet. The baby can't come home until all 40 nursing hours are filled. The day before the meet and greet the family cancelled on me and wanted to reschedule via zoom. I attended the zoom, waited in the waiting room, and no one else showed up. I contacted the agency and they tried to reschedule and now Mom will only "meet" on a voice call.

I was really pushing for an in person, in home meet and greet. I told the agency I didn't feel comfortable with agreeing to a case with just a phone call. I want to meet in person and see the work environment. The agency responded that the family can not meet in person, at all, because "their child is in the hospital".... Uhm yeah I understand that, but the parents can't ever leave to meet me? They never leave? Just seemed off because they apparently have other children and jobs, but couldn't stop by home to meet me for 10 minutes. The hospital is 15 minutes away. No one from the agency ever visited the house either.

IDK just put a strange feeling in my stomach that something at home is very off or that they're hiding something. The house is in a potentially bad neighborhood and I feel like I'm being left in the dark to walk into complete unknown. Is it smart to pass on this case? Anyone encountered I know the agency potentially will shun me for turning away a new case and causing them to lose the case.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

I'm with you. Something just doesn't sound right. Maybe everything IS really OK, but  too many options are being bypassed. WHY?

Rule of thumb - when you get that weird feeling, follow it.

The agency has survived without you before; it'll get by. 

And welcome to AN.

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The agency never went out to the house? Red flag! I know agency management has gotten really lax about leaving the office since Covid, as in they never leave and just do everything via phone or zoom, but they should at least be ensuring a safe place for their nurses. Agencies across the board are definitely giving too much leeway to families to just make the rules and do whatever since Covid hit. I'd not only leave the case, but that agency. Sorry, personal safety in my book always comes before lining a staffing agencies pocket.

In regards to the parents, Peds units usually have 24 hour visitation, but that being said, there's absolutely no reason one of the parents couldn't meet you at home especially if the kid is currently stable enough to be discharged. Two red flags here. They're potentially refusing to leave the baby with the trained peds staff at a childrens hospital, that flags to me that they could possibly be very difficult to work with OR they don't trust others and will do all the work at home while you just sit there all day. Second flag, they're potentially hiding something at home/lifestyle OR don't even have a permanent home and just want to be discharged and disappear into the night if the baby is super low acuity (sounds crazy but it actually happen at my agency recently). 

Quick story. About ten years ago the agency I was with called me about a new case. They couldn't give much info, you know except the baby was adorable and the family was great (they use this for everyone btw). The claimed they couldn't give me the address until the night before I went out to work a 12 hours shift. Same story, family was busy, couldn't meet, schedules never matched. I thought no biggie and just went. It was literally a roach infested crack house, no joke. I worked my 12 and never went back. The baby was adorable, but I never relaxed a muscle there once for 12 hours.

Now, I want addresses before I ever go out. I'll Google street view before I even go to a meet and greet. Nothing is worse than being dropped in an uncomfortable or potentially dangerous situation. The family AND the house are both imo as equally as important as who the patient is in home care and I need to know what I'll be walking into.

 

 

 

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
On 10/16/2021 at 9:28 AM, jsilva89 said:

The agency never went out to the house? Red flag! I know agency management has gotten really lax about leaving the office since Covid, as in they never leave and just do everything via phone or zoom, but they should at least be ensuring a safe place for their nurses. Agencies across the board are definitely giving too much leeway to families to just make the rules and do whatever since Covid hit. I'd not only leave the case, but that agency. Sorry, personal safety in my book always comes before lining a staffing agencies pocket.

In regards to the parents, Peds units usually have 24 hour visitation, but that being said, there's absolutely no reason one of the parents couldn't meet you at home especially if the kid is currently stable enough to be discharged. Two red flags here. They're potentially refusing to leave the baby with the trained peds staff at a childrens hospital, that flags to me that they could possibly be very difficult to work with OR they don't trust others and will do all the work at home while you just sit there all day. Second flag, they're potentially hiding something at home/lifestyle OR don't even have a permanent home and just want to be discharged and disappear into the night if the baby is super low acuity (sounds crazy but it actually happen at my agency recently). 

The agency may have gone to the house; OP only said that she, personally, hadn't been able to go out.

I agree that the fact that the family won't leave the hospital to do a meet & greet is a red flag. It does look like the family is not able to trust the nurses.

On a side note, I didn't start doing meet & greets until 20 or 25 years ago. 'Back in the day', we simply went out to the home. Of course, the supervising nurse had already checked everything out. And that included having a landline phone, adequate electrical outlets, utilities, all the necessary medical equipment, etc..

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Specializes in Home Health, PDN, LTC, subacute.

Once upon a time, I had a supervisor that retired who I trusted to go out and do the work of setting up everything and making sure the household was safe. But now, I don’t have that same level of trust in the agency. So go with your gut. 

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing, Pediatrics.

If they can't give you an inch, why should you give them a mile?

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Specializes in Med Surg.

Not to be contrary,but why would you do a meet and greet without the baby there?

I have never done that before. What would be the point? I need to see the patient. 

Everything else could line up(nice home,nice parents,) but if I am unfamiliar with a vent or gtube the child has,the case is a bust.

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