home health paperwork

[sistasoul]

Hi all,

I have an interview for a Home health company next week. I am a little leary about the paperwork. I keep hearing about how nurses have hours of paperwork to do after they get home and that it is done on their own time. How accurate is this? What questions should I be asking during the interview? I really want to get away from acute care but I also do not want to jump from the frying pan into the fire. I would appreciate any and all respones.

Thanks,

Sista

[adamsmom2]

Agencies are different. But you will be doing at least some paperwork on your own time. You may get doctors returning your call in the evening when their office hours are finished. But every agency is different. You can see 6 pts a day or 8-10 like I had to. I would ask if you can shadow a full time nurse to see what your day could be like. You have to remember when you work in a hospital when your shift is finished you don't have to think about work. But in home health you will have to know what is going on with your pt all the time till you DC. Good luck.

[paradiseboundRN]

I posted this on another thread. You should read this before you go into home care. The paperwork is not the biggest problem, its time management, especially if you are going to work full-time.

When I was a field nurse, I was very aggravated about the amount of work/ hours I was putting in. But then a manager brought this to my attention: If you are a salary 40 hr/week nurse, you owe the company 40 hrs of work. Just like other jobs, the 8 hrs doesn't start until you get to work. In your case, it starts when you get to the first patients home or your office, and ends when you leave the last patients home. Driving back home doesn't count as part of the time. Deduct any time that you stopped to eat, go to the bank or ran errands, etc. That is not part of the 40 hrs. Also, if you document at home, the time doesn't start until you sit at that desk. Getting up to take care of the kids or start dinner doesn't count.

After my manager explained this to me, I really kept track of work time. And to my dismay, I found that I was only working 40 hrs. My problems were that I was starting too late in the morning, running a couple of quick errands in my travels, and stopping too early so that my documentation wasn't done at the end of the day. Then, I had to make up time on the weekends.

On a positive note, home care is extremely rewarding. You are really able to make a difference in a patients life and that feels pretty good!

[MomRN0913]

It's very accurate in my case. I wake up and do paperwork, I go to work and do it, I come home and do it, and I do it on the weekends.I'm not trying to discourage, but I wish someone would have filled me in a little better on what " lots of paperwork" meant.

[sistasoul]

Thanks all who replied. I think I will look at a different avenue to get away from the crazy hospital. That is just too much for me.

[Farmer at heart RN]

Do you know anything about th company in which you are applying to? I'm a homecare RN but I only go to one patients house per day. Our paper work is fairly easy. There is a fully body assessment page, you just check off the boxes that apply and then we have a page for vitals, intake, output, hygiene and a spot to write our note. I do most of my paper work as I go through out the day and just say my note for last. If anything I maybe spend 15-30 at home finishing up.

[sistasoul]

Farmer at heart RN,

It would be multiple patients per day and I know a nurse who works there. She said it was a lot of paperwork and she did a lot at home and that Docs would be calling her at home also. Sounds crazy to me.

[We'llSee]

I'm relatively new to HH as an RN, but I love it. I feel like I get paid ok money per visit, and if I add the time that I spend doing charting to the time that I spend with the patient, it still works out ok as far as money per hour. I get paid for mileage, but that's a bit of a joke, so I won't address it. Time spent charting is a pain for sure, but I'm hoping that as time goes by I'll get more savvy and find ways to speed it up. One thing is for sure tho, I would much rather work in HH than deal with the politics I've encountered in the hospitals! I really like making my own schedule and working almost entirely solo. Help is always a phone call away and they don't breathe down my neck. I like that, too!

Farmer at heart RN, the docs should not be calling your friend at home, they should be calling her agency with any concerns they have. Never give out your personal phone number to patients or doctors!

[cramosgalaviz]

I'm relatively new to HH as an RN, but I love it. I feel like I get paid ok money per visit, and if I add the time that I spend doing charting to the time that I spend with the patient, it still works out ok as far as money per hour. I get paid for mileage, but that's a bit of a joke, so I won't address it. Time spent charting is a pain for sure, but I'm hoping that as time goes by I'll get more savvy and find ways to speed it up. One thing is for sure tho, I would much rather work in HH than deal with the politics I've encountered in the hospitals! I really like making my own schedule and working almost entirely solo. Help is always a phone call away and they don't breathe down my neck. I like that, too!

Farmer at heart RN, the docs should not be calling your friend at home, they should be calling her agency with any concerns they have. Never give out your personal phone number to patients or doctors!

One question...how many patients do you see a day??

I just got hired at an agency but I am thoroughly confused.. Im getting paid per visit with no mileage but I dont see how I will be making any money... Money is not priority because its just to get experience because Im a new grad but I still wonder...

[lawandaluxnurse, ADN, BSN]

You should definitely be getting pay for your mileage or deduct it on your taxes