What did I get myself into??!! I'm scared!!!

Specialties Home Health

Published

So I recently got hired at a HH agency as a Case Manager RN. Yesterday I went and took a pre employment test and I met a nurse that has been working there since 2008. I introduced myself and she was extremely friendly. She asked if I had ever done HH before and I said no and she made a face and said whatever you do don't completely quit your current job and stay per diem! :/ She asked if I had kids and I said yes, she asked the ages and I proceeded to tell her that one is 4 months old and right away she cut me off and said, "just don't totally quit your other job" :/ I asked why she was saying that and she said that HH is very overwhelming and extremely hard and the advice she can give me is just to start real slow and again STAY PER DIEM!!! She went on to say that she has just learned to embrace HH and learned to love after 4 years! aaaahhhhhh WHAT AM I GETTING MYSELF INTO?!?! I'm terrified!!! I hope I'm not being unrealistic to think that this job is going to give my family life more structure and really it's just going to be work, work and more work! :(

Chart in home, or immediately afterwards in your car. Call MDs immediately! Don't put off anything you don't have to. You will be busy....that's for sure. If you think it's slower than hospital, you'll be on the wrong track. Be super organized. Be in control. Know what you're asking the MDs for. Think SBAR: give the Situation/Background/Assessment /then Recommendations. Be like an ICU nurse. Only way to survive.

Will do, thank you!

Specializes in ICU.
I agree with everything she said. The paperwork is overwhelming and cuts deeply into your home life.

I've been charting nightly till 7-8pm and I'm part time. HH is a whole different animal, usually you love

it or hate it.

me too. I ended up in the hospital due to skyrocketed blood pressure do to job stress and my doctor wants to put me out on disability.

I work before work, like a dog during work and after work. I'm a single mom to a 5 year old. It's awful. I was even working when I off on disability doing charting. My life is gone.

I also took it to have more family life and structure and it is the total opposite.

I am sorry to break it to you:(

me too. I ended up in the hospital due to skyrocketed blood pressure do to job stress and my doctor wants to put me out on disability.

I work before work, like a dog during work and after work. I'm a single mom to a 5 year old. It's awful. I was even working when I off on disability doing charting. My life is gone.

I also took it to have more family life and structure and it is the total opposite.

I am sorry to break it to you:(

Oh no! So sorry to hear! I just hope and pray my experience is not like this :/

Specializes in ICU.

I not mean to scare you.... I just wish I truly understood what people were telling me. I hope your experience is way better than mine. Btw, I didn't go out on stress disability. I had my gall bladder removed a few months back. I couldn't even heal from that in peace without phone calls regarding work.Keep your other job per diem, I agree. I wish I kept my per diem status from my icu job I loved 2 years ago. Cause I would have had something to fall back on. I would have eft.I wish you the best of luck, I do.

Specializes in Home Health, MS, Oncology, Case Manageme.

After being in home care for 10+ years, I can tell you that a lot of your satisfaction will be based on what agency that you work for. You want to work for an agency that has many patients that live close by (not excessive driving) and has a solid referral source. You will get to know the area and the doctors which makes life easier. And try to get paid by the hour! FYI- one of the home care companies in Metro Detroit was named "Best small company to work for". These awards were given by the Detroit Free Press after surveying hundreds of employees in all fields. So, there are good home care companies to work for and many satisfied employees. You just have to find them!

Specializes in Home health.

It really does depend on the agency and what their expectations are for you as far as caseload. The agencies I've worked have had patient's in 2 different counties which meant I could go anywhere. I'm not new to home care either, I started in 1994.

I also strongly agree that being paid hourly is the best way to go that way, if you encounter problems you will be paid for your time. Too many nurses unfortunately end up giving away their time by being paid per visit.

Specializes in CCM, PHN.

I tried RN case management for a HHA for 4 months. I have a low BS tolerance, I'm almost 40 and had been a Public Health nurse for 5 years when I tried this. It was a supposedly "reputable" agency several prominent hospitals referred patients to. After the 2nd week it QUICKLY became apparent to me they were pretty much a Medicare rip-off outfit. They paid by the visit and no mileage. The office staff was all the owner's daughters. They would request authorizations for TONS of unnecessary DME. Complete SOC's were due within 24 hours of the visit, if you had more than one in a day, forget it. Paychecks had a strange company name that didn't match the actual name of the company. The hugely obese owner drive a huge BMW sedan and was dripping with expensive wigs, designer clothes and jewelry.

They'd send me to these huge, sprawling rich people's houses (Beverly Hills/Bel-Air area) where patients already had 24 hour caregivers and staff, where I'd be treated like a servant by the patient (usually ancient, affluent widows) and couldn't communicate with the staff who would pretend to not speak English. Or, they would send me to scary neighborhoods in South Central LA where I dodged cockroach herds and pitbulls in people's houses.

Over the 4 months I actually LOST money working for them. I used ALL my own phone and data minutes calling and charting and they would not reimburse. They also did not pay me if the patient did not answer the door and again DID NOT PAY MILEAGE. It was just stupid.

I left that job after getting in a shouting match with one of the owner's daughters who gave me a wrong address - across town, not even close, -and caused me to then called me a ***** when I complained to her mother. I was going to report them to Medicare and make a big stink about it but decided it wouldn't make a darn bit of difference. You have been warned.

I work for a hospital affiliated home care. I am salaried and expected to see 5-6 patients per day. Anything over that is extra visit pay plus get paid mileage. Yes charting can get involved and go into the evening and the phone does drive you nuts when it goes off on your day off but just shut it off and check voicemail in the evening. That way you can semi relax on your day off. My agency also reimburses mileage. If you find your agency is taking advantage look for another one. Homecare can be very rewarding if you work for the right company and having the one on one time with your patients and families is very rewarding.

Specializes in Home health.
I tried RN case management for a HHA for 4 months. I have a low BS tolerance, I'm almost 40 and had been a Public Health nurse for 5 years when I tried this. It was a supposedly "reputable" agency several prominent hospitals referred patients to. After the 2nd week it QUICKLY became apparent to me they were pretty much a Medicare rip-off outfit. They paid by the visit and no mileage. The office staff was all the owner's daughters. They would request authorizations for TONS of unnecessary DME. Complete SOC's were due within 24 hours of the visit, if you had more than one in a day, forget it. Paychecks had a strange company name that didn't match the actual name of the company. The hugely obese owner drive a huge BMW sedan and was dripping with expensive wigs, designer clothes and jewelry.

They'd send me to these huge, sprawling rich people's houses (Beverly Hills/Bel-Air area) where patients already had 24 hour caregivers and staff, where I'd be treated like a servant by the patient (usually ancient, affluent widows) and couldn't communicate with the staff who would pretend to not speak English. Or, they would send me to scary neighborhoods in South Central LA where I dodged cockroach herds and pitbulls in people's houses.

Over the 4 months I actually LOST money working for them. I used ALL my own phone and data minutes calling and charting and they would not reimburse. They also did not pay me if the patient did not answer the door and again DID NOT PAY MILEAGE. It was just stupid.

I left that job after getting in a shouting match with one of the owner's daughters who gave me a wrong address - across town, not even close, -and caused me to then called me a ***** when I complained to her mother. I was going to report them to Medicare and make a big stink about it but decided it wouldn't make a darn bit of difference. You have been warned.

Wow, sorry you had such a bad experience. I wish you had reported them to Medicare they sound like a nightmare.

You might find the following article enlightening.

USDOJ: Medicare Fraud Strike Force Charges 91 Individuals for Approximately $430 Million in False Billing

Hi... I was wondering how your job is going? I am in the exact same position as you; however haven't accepted the job yet. The job is salary $60k with mileage compensation. I currently am a .8 at a local hospital and only have to drive 8 miles to work everyday. But I am not in love with the hospital hrs.or drama. I work lots of 12 hr shifts and evenings. Every 4th wknd which is great, but I feel like I am gone a lot at night. I was hoping to that HHC would be flexible enough where I could pop in to have lunch with my son at school and drop him off every morning. The bummer is that I currently work 3-4 days a week right now on my rotation, and the thought of 5 days is kinda what is holding me back. Just wanting to get some routine in our lives.

So, please tell me how is everything going right now.

thanks

Hi... I was wondering how your job is going? I am in the exact same position as you; however haven't accepted the job yet. The job is salary $60k with mileage compensation. I currently am a .8 at a local hospital and only have to drive 8 miles to work everyday. But I am not in love with the hospital hrs.or drama. I work lots of 12 hr shifts and evenings. Every 4th wknd which is great, but I feel like I am gone a lot at night. I was hoping to that HHC would be flexible enough where I could pop in to have lunch with my son at school and drop him off every morning. The bummer is that I currently work 3-4 days a week right now on my rotation, and the thought of 5 days is kinda what is holding me back. Just wanting to get some routine in our lives.

So, please tell me how is everything going right now.

thanks

Njorn, I haven't started yet, I start on Wednesday!!!! I will definitely let you know how it goes although I will be training and doing a lot of computer training for about a month from what I'm told but I'll definitely update :)

Home care is a very good job and very flexible once you figure it out.

The company I work for pays salary and we are to do a set amount of points (6.5) every day. A visit is 1 point, IV visit 1.5points, Recert 1.5pts, ROC 2 pts, SOC 2.75 pts and SOC IV 3 pts. We are also payed mileage. Anything over 6.5 points is payed in a bonus check every month. I've never had a bonus check under $700 and that was on a month I didn' feel like doing much. For 2012 I made over $120,000. I do only SOCs and ROCs and have large amounts of paperwork I mostly do in the home-I do 3-5 a day and sometimes work a Saturday, have to work every 6th weekend. I am usually home by 5 and done with paperwork by 8 or 9-once home I code and type an admit note. I start work at 9am. I never carry any paperwork over to the next day, everything is locked before I go to bed. If I only do the 3 I'm done much earlier.

My kids are grown so I don't have anything pulling me in a million different directions. I date, I go out when I want to, I see my family and grandkids. I have just learned how to organize and manage so that I can do everything I want/need to.

Don't let anyone scare you, this job is what you make it. I am very laid back and don't get frazzled, I think that may be key. :-)

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