Home Health UPMC

[bshawrn]

Okay, so I've done home health before. I've done a lot of nursing jobs before, including ICU, ER, Management, and LTC. I've just about done it all. I'm now in school to become a FNP, incidentally. With all that said, I think very highly of the fact that nurses get totally screwed. We need to bring back nursing unions. We need to have someone on our sides, because we are totally getting screwed. They make us "salaried" so we don't make what we deserve. This is bull crap. I have an MBA, I have worked in HR, and the big boys are totally taking advantage of the laws that screw nurses. I cannot believe RN's work 50 and get paid for 40, or worse. Seriously? We need to unite. We are falling victim to freaking unbelievable CFO's and CEOs who are taking advantage of the ridiculous law. Are you an RN who works on the "floor" or in the "field"? You fit the description of a "learned" profession so they can work the crap out of you. That is bull crap. We have a degree and we use discretion, yes. But this is crap. We do not use discretion. We need to unite, as we are not to that point of being a professional who is being "salaried". We simply do what we are told. PERIOD. I am going to start this fight, if anyone wants to join me. I am sick of being totally abused. And I will see this through because in just over a year, I will be a nurse practitioner, and will be a good candidate for exemption from overtime. As a home health nurse, for UPMC, and part time, I work 13 hours and get paid for 8. Is that fair? Nope. And I will take this to the highest level!!!

[iluvivt, BSN, RN]

The place to start is with not working for free at all. Do not take cases that you know will take 13 hours and then just charge for 8. I am working 2 cases (very long infusions) that will take me about 13-14 hours, depending upon traffic and if I need to slow down the infusion, and I tell them up front that I will do it but it will take approximately X amount of time. I will not work for free, ever!