Home health or hospital?

[callmecrazyRN]

This summer it will be (6) years as a nurse: 1 year experience on medsurg, 2 years experience for psych, and 3 years experience in home health. I still do part time in the hospital while I do home health.

I've noticed that every 2-3 years I get a little stir crazy and find myself wanting to start a new job or something different. I guess I like a challenge?

With the hospital I've weighed the pros and cons:

+12-hour shifts

+days off during the week

+when you leave work, you don't take work home with you

+Working with others; teamwork

+Almost something new everyday

-Working with others; lack of teamwork

-Understaffed

-Dealing with policies that do not make any f'n sense

-The pay usually is terrible

-12 hour shifts

-Having to go to meetings ALL THE TIME

With home health I've weighed the pros and cons

+Make your own schedule, usually

+Better pay. The pay is pretty awesome

+Paid per mileage

+Sometimes easy patients; in and out visits

+Paid for being on call, which is usually easy

-Having to use your own car

-Having to use your personal phone

-Patients not having any boundaries and calling you in the middle of the night on your personal phone. They'll leave a message and will not listen to your voicemail that says "Do not leave a message if you are a patient."

-Being on call

-Having to drive 1,300 miles every two weeks and seeing 70 (minimum) every 2 weeks

-Having to get in touch with MDs for orders or having to inform them of events.

-Family calls you constantly instead of your case manager

Looking at this list, I see I have a lot of negatives for HH. I've recently applied to the VA medsurg. Any advice? Dream job is to eventually do quality assurance or do something with policies.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

I work in home health. I've never given clients my personal phone number. Android phones are cheap, so you could have a dedicated work phone that is turned off when you're not on duty.

[caliotter3]

I work in home health. I've never given clients my personal phone number. Android phones are cheap, so you could have a dedicated work phone that is turned off when you're not on duty.

Many of us have learned the hard way not to give out our numbers. And for those jobs where a phone is provided, it is off when not on duty or on call.

[Archerlpvn, LPN, LVN]

Get a "burner" phone lol. Cheap phone dedicated for work. Idk what company would make you drive that much every two weeks... that's awful.

[Pianoplaya94]

Huh the terrible payment for working in hospitals sort of surprises me. Where I live, hospital nurses are usually paid extremely well and RNs can easily make over 100k a year.

But that's a lot of driving they make you do with your own car. My mom (not a nurse) also drives a lot (8 hours each way) but her company provides her with a car. I'm surprised your company doesn't do that.

[callmecrazyRN]

I've asked that we be given assigned zip codes. My case managers continue to ignore my request. They've now told me "Email your other field nurses and see if they want to be assigned zip codes, too." I drive the most out of all the other nurses.

If I got another phone I would be paying for two phones, plus gas, plus maintenance on my car. We're paid 40 cents a mile. Per check I am paid $400-500 a check because all that I drive.

[callmecrazyRN]

Huh the terrible payment for working in hospitals sort of surprises me. Where I live, hospital nurses are usually paid extremely well and RNs can easily make over 100k a year.

Where the heck do YOU work?! A local non-profit hospital here pays $21-$22/hr with differential on weekends and nights as a newbie. The best part is two years ago this hospital gave their nurses a raise for the first time in 4 years, and only because so many of us were leaving.

[Pianoplaya94]

Where the heck do YOU work?! A local non-profit hospital here pays $21-$22/hr with differential on weekends and nights as a newbie. The best part is two years ago this hospital gave their nurses a raise for the first time in 4 years, and only because so many of us were leaving.

I live in Southern Ontario where the median salary is around 70k per year. New grads make about 55k (28/hr). The average salary is quite a bit higher in the Niagara region (like 80-90k) for some reason. BUT with the USD to CAD conversion rate, your hourly rate for new grads is about the same as ours.