home based triage pay???

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I think I have found and read all the posts about triage pay. But none of them have helped me. I am an RN and work from home for a home health and hospice agency in the northwest. We've experienced a lot of great changes in our agency over the past year but the changes have caused the Triage work to become more demanding. I'm trying to find out if our pay is high, low, or average. I work from home and need to be close by my office during my working hours but (except for Saturdays 8-8 and Sundays 8-8) I don't get a continuous flow of calls. I work 7on/7off with my hours being from 1630 - 0800 m-th and Fri 1630- Mon 0800. The triage person also covers any holidays the office is closed (like this coming Good Friday). I average about 40 hours per week and 80 calls during a regular "on-week" with an average of 50 calls over Sat/Sun. One person mentioned they worked for hospice and worked 7on/7off but didn't explain how they are paid. Does any other triage nurse work hours like this? If so how are you paid? Salary? Hourly? Per call? other? We're paid salary for 40/week and our hourly pay is about the same as nursing home RN pay. Any info would be appreciated. :bow:

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I just started a work from home triage job. I make $14 an hour. I thought with the low pay, it would be easy and not stressful. This weekend was my first on my own here at home. It was crazy! My voice mail got all backed up and some patient had to wait for 45 min! I was stuck for 8 solid hours in my chair and man was I ever STIFF when my shift was over!

But then after my shift was over, there was 2 hours of logging and charting (which I don't get paid for). My boss said it'll slow down after cold and flu season ends.

Compared to ICU its the berries, but for the $$$ I just thought it would be less stressful!

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Than you so much for your input. I can totally relate to your stiffness! :bugeyes: I put on my headset, prop my feet, and make sure I'm sitting with good back support before I start my Saturday. And you only get paid for the time on the phone and not for time charting or sitting close by the phone waiting for calls? Bummer. Wow. Like you said, though, it is a lot less stressful than ICU plus you get to be home. :) Thanks again.

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I found several posts from RNorBust. She pretty much works the same schedule I work. If anyone else works from home for home health and/or hospice please tell us about your work schedule and pay system. Thanks.

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I earn $27 per hour base pay with bonuses and weekend differential, and we log in from start to finish... always on the clock.....

Linda/CMAS, BS, RN

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BizNurse, during your working hours are you pretty much taking one call after another when you're on the clock? With my job, I'm "working" for a total of 125.5 hours during my on week but I only actually put in around 44 hours of active work - either on the phone or charting. The rest of the time I'm standing by. I'm getting the impression that most Triage nurses are working solid from the time they clock in. Can you clarify for me? This will help me. Thanks.

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Specializes in LTC, Disease Management, smoking Cessati.

I do telephone triage and I make 30$ and hour, but I am on and in ready to take calls as they come in. Another wards for my 9 hour shift, 10p-7:30am I am "on the clock" and getting paid. I get paid for 40 hours per week. Please note I have been with the same company (insurance) for the last 8 years. When I started out I made around 19-20 $ per hour. I also do weekends and holidays, we get shift differential, but no weekend diff. We do get holiday pay, as the nurse line is the only department working 24/7. Oh I work the Midnight hours from home.

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Thank you for your input Ruthiegal. The more I think about it, the more difficult it is for me to continue on with my pay. I get paid for 40 hours per 2 week pay period and I put in an average of 40 hours during that pay period. However, I'm standing by, close to my computer and phone for the other 85.5 hours of my pay period and I don't get any compensation for it. Nor do I get compensated for working holidays, weekends, lost sleep during the night calls. It's not like I clock in and clock back out. I'm on-call for 125.5 hours during my on week. I LOVE it that this job allows me to be home with my son, yet on the flip side, I hate being stuck at home for an entire weekend plus 5 evenings from 1630 on and not getting compensated for that. I miss out on dinners, movies, church, family gatherings, outings with family friends and I don't get a penny for it. I worked Memorial Day, Good Friday, Easter, Labor Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and now I'm working 4th of July and the Friday before the 4th because our new company gives the M-F crew the day off before/after the holiday if it falls on the weekend. And I don't get a penny for any of it. I don't get PTO, Insurance benifits. Nada! Just 40 hours/2 week pay period and actually, so far this year, I'm averaging slightly over 40 hours of "active" work. Am I wrong to feel like I'm being taken for granted?

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Hi luvmyhubby, I do telephone triage work from home, the call center I work for is run 24/7. I work for a medical center my pay is hourly and in line with other nurses in the system, I have been with my company for 16 years, my base pay is $31 an hour and I get shift diff for afternoons (I work 4p to 2a 4 days a week). If I work on the weekend I get weekend premium and we are also paid the standard holidays New Years, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. If I work on a holiday I am paid time and a half, also time and a half for OT. We are on the clock at the start of our shift until the end (we clock in via the cumputer) and we take calls as they come. I average about 100 calls a week (a day shift 6a to 4p or 8a to 6p nurse averages about 150 to 175 calls a week), but we do other things too such as afterhours admissions, disease management (we have assigned clients that we follow), follow-up calls to patients we have sent to the ED or to see a doctor within 24 hours. We do computer based charting and our calls are randomly recorded. We do not take call or work weekends we have weekend cadre staff in place. We have standard lunch breaks etc.... My situation my not be the normal for remote telephone triage since I work for a large medical center. Hope this helps you though.

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I can't imagine doing what you're doing and not getting reimbursed for my time, whether or not I'm taking calls the entire time. Your time is valuable and should be compensated for.

I work for a call center, so I clock in and out and am tied to the computer/phone the entire shift. I make roughly $27/hr plus $4/hr shift diff for evenings/weekends, which is what I mostly work.

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Specializes in ER, Psych, Telephone Triage.

I work telephone triage out of my home. Been working in this company for 10 years, union job approx $50/hr and $2.50 shift diff. Part time 32hrs week and every other weekend off.

Where ever you work make sure it is a union hospital or don't waste your time!

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I'm ready for a job change - after three meetings with a company representative I am no further along in my wage debate than I was before we started. Bottom line, they have agreed to give us a 2% raise (after we have an empoyee review) which equals to an increase of a whopping $20.00 extra per each 2 week pay period and we "might" get a "bonus" (which I've been told is a gift card) after we fill out special paperwork for the holiday's and extra days we work.

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