Homecare Nursing Training compensation?!?!

ddunnrn · Sep 24, 2012

Training is considered work under federal labor laws, so they would have to pay you. OTOH, if you make an issue out of it, they could just fire you and make up a good-sounding reason, or, as an agency, stop giving you any time. You have to decide which is more important to you, and what you'll accept.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 25, 2012

If you know how to do the injections, as taught in school, what is it you need to be trained on?

Yes, training SHOULD be compensated, but I've found in home health that RN's tend to be paid for patient care ONLY. When I was being oriented to my case (along with 2 other nurses), the agency would only pay for ONE nurses time--the one doing the orienting. It is the same way whenever a new nurse comes onto the case, the incoming nurse is not paid, just the one doing the orienting.

I have a question for my fellow Nurses, The agency I work for wants me to do insulin injections. I am a New Grad Nurse and I was taught not to do anything without training. Can they get away with not paying me for the hour of training? I want to ask you all before my agency tries to say that they can't pay me for the training. I do realize I know how to give insulin injections but I am am not doing ANYTHING without someone training me. What is your opinion on the situation? Thank you!

malestunurse · Sep 25, 2012

I find it very hard to believe you have never done a sub-cut injection before.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 25, 2012

OP, it looks as though you wanted a nursing postition anywhere BUT home healthcare, which leads me to believe you took this job out of desperation? I don't think I'd be rocking the boat over an hour of training for something you should already know how to do...

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2012

Why do you automatically assume that your agency is going to try to get out of paying you? Orientation is compensable time and I wouldn't go in thinking you have to fight them right away. They may very well have every intention of paying you... my agency pays orientation rate for office and in-home orientations. They do it a little differently for our skilled visits (which when you are trained are paid per-visit, the orientee gets paid the hourly rate for the time you're actually with the patient) but it's paid time nonetheless.

If you know how to give insulin injections, what training are you seeking?

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Sep 25, 2012

My employer (400+ staff) home health orientation is 6 weeks long; new grads often extended to 8-10 weeks. All go through a skills check off in first 2 weeks with educator. In smaller agencies I've worked, orientation may be 4-8hrs only with just paperwork reviewed, you learn as agency grows. Orientation time provided is one of those questions that should be asked upfront as part of job search to enure meeting your beginners needs and is paid work time. We have an education /inservice pay rate for perdiem staff different from visit rate. Exempt salary employees paid regular salary.

hhrndon · Sep 25, 2012

As a home health director of nursing I find it interesting that a Home Health Agency would hire a new grad to start with. As a new grad I would expect that something as simple as an insulin injection would have been taught to you in your clinicals, however if you are uneasy about the procedure you should let your DON know and they should provide you with the necessary training. As for our agency we would have you working with an experienced nurse who could instruct you on the correct procedure during the visit therefore you would be paid.

I have a question for my fellow Nurses, The agency I work for wants me to do insulin injections. I am a New Grad Nurse and I was taught not to do anything without training. Can they get away with not paying me for the hour of training? I want to ask you all before my agency tries to say that they can't pay me for the training. I do realize I know how to give insulin injections but I am am not doing ANYTHING without someone training me. What is your opinion on the situation? Thank you!

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 25, 2012

I work in HH. First postion after graduation, thankyouverymuch.

As a home health director of nursing I find it interesting that a Home Health Agency would hire a new grad to start with. As a new grad I would expect that something as simple as an insulin injection would have been taught to you in your clinicals, however if you are uneasy about the procedure you should let your DON know and they should provide you with the necessary training. As for our agency we would have you working with an experienced nurse who could instruct you on the correct procedure during the visit therefore you would be paid.

itsnowornever, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 2012

I work in HH. First postion after graduation, thankyouverymuch.

No need to be snobby. But really, what did you learn in school? Insulin is one of the first thing we learned and did. You check the sugar, find the sliding scale, figure out when they need to eat or if they already did and give the shot or hold as ordered.

BuckyBadgerRN, ASN, RN · Sep 26, 2012

Not being snobby. Pointing out to that poster that there ARE HH agencies that hire new grads. Also, I wasn't the one with the insulin injection question. I DID learn it in school and managed to retain it as well.

No need to be snobby. But really, what did you learn in school? Insulin is one of the first thing we learned and did. You check the sugar, find the sliding scale, figure out when they need to eat or if they already did and give the shot or hold as ordered.

katherine100, LPN · Feb 22, 2013

Wow. YOu have never done an injection? What did you do for your nursing rotations?