i was assigned this private duty case (night shift) ---the patient is a 5 months baby. my company said that the case is lvn case and pays only at lvn rate. i am an rn but other patient's houses are far from my house, i just vaguely accepted the case.
at the house yesterday, while family members were sleeping, i was with this baby, and saw a huge cockroach. i have seen cockroaches only a few times in my life, but this one was so big and had light brown color. i was so terrified. i saw cockroaches twice throughout the night though i don't know if they were the same one or different roaches.
anyway, i am scared of cockroaches. according to my company, i was supposed to work with this patient 5 days a week but after i saw the cockroaches, i decided to call my company tomorrow and tell them i would not be able to work 5 days a week, probably i would be able to work only two days a week. (i actually don't' want go back to this house but until i found the next job, i should work at least a little).
is there somebody who refused the case because of horrible environment (such as cockroach, spiders and ants...)?
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Down here in Florida, roaches are pretty common. It's not always a matter of cleanliness; our houses are cozy and secure, who wouldn't want to crawl in and live it up?
I had one case with german cockroaches in the kitchen. However, the family lived in an apartment, and although they kept the place spotless, they couldn't control what neighbors did. The exterminator would spray one apartment, they'd scurry to the next, and so on and so forth. Also, these kinds of roaches were notoriously resistant to pesticides. They weren't in the patient's room, and all his supplies were kept safely sealed in tupperware, so it wasn't an issue.
Ugh, I did have another house that was overcrowded, disgusting and the OUTSIDE PORCH had been hastily constructed into a separate bedroom. The place reeked of body odor and wet dog, and there were roaches all over the kitchen, which was connected to the kid's room. The mom repeatedly would yell from other parts of the house, "These nurses will report me and my baby will be taken away." Mind you, she had 24-hour nursing and never really came in to interact with her son...
Oh man, the things no one tells you about in nursing school.
Nursing school, heck! I'd been licensed for almost 30 years and worked in many environments before I started private duty and wow is it ever unique! Very hard to describe I find to people who have never done it. I feel so bad when I hear about cases like the second case you mentioned. Hygiene and sanitation issues you can deal with at least to some degree. A parent who never bonded with their child is so difficult to fix.
I quit a case with fleas. It was bad. Cockroaches would definitely be a dealbreaker. OP, I know you need money, but I would stand up for yourself with your cases. The schedulers learn real quick who they can stick with the crappy cases. Good luck!
If the families are wiling to resolve the problem, I will stay. There was only ONE case I stayed on because the parents got a cat when there was a mouse, and they exterminated constantly.
When I do visits, I'm not so skeeved; one case was actively trying to get rid of theirs...they had holes in the walls, etc. each week I would visit and they would fix the walls, seal up, exterminator visited, etc.
Roaches are EVERYWHERE...even in a rich person's home...they live everywhere, and have been here longer than humankind and adapt faster than a chameleon.
I make a point to make suggestions in combating pests...if it is truly our if control, the health department will help, especially if there are high-tech children needing care...my local agency will investigate neighboring houses (there are row homes) and apartments if needed. If the agency won't, I will!! And then promptly go to one who actively help their clients get the resources they need.
Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.
IMO-- one or two roaches are no biggie..........one or two ZILLION are!!!! I would not quit a job for this unless it was extreme. JObs are hard to come by.... just saying....
IMO-- one or two roaches are no biggie..........one or two ZILLION are!!!! I would not quit a job for this unless it was extreme. JObs are hard to come by.... just saying....
Just saying....years ago lived in a complex that got infested with german roaches...there are never, ever, ever just one or two roaches. They get in everything and it is really tough to get rid of them. Just one gets in your bag and.....(shudder)...
Just saying....years ago lived in a complex that got infested with german roaches...there are never, ever, ever just one or two roaches. They get in everything and it is really tough to get rid of them. Just one gets in your bag and.....(shudder)...
^This...
If you see 1 or two, I think you usually multiply exponentially by 100 or something like that...
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.
It's shocking how some people live. My husband used to do exterminator work, and he'd go to this one disgusting home where the lady would sit at the computer playing games during his entire visit, and roaches would be walking across her computer screen!
I found it ironic when my daughter's 2nd grade classroom had Madagascar hissing cockroaches in a plastic cage as class pets, when I used to teach in a major city school and had dozens of free-range German AND Oriental cockroaches in my classroom!
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Oh this is just awful. But what the heck, I'll add another one . . . Had a client who apparently managed to keep the roaches contained to one piece of furniture, the one his ventilator was sitting on. Roaches love warm machines like microwaves and answering machines and > a vent is just another machine to them. The RT absolutely refused to get anywhere near it, not just a gross-out but a true phobia there.
I've learned to regard the one you see as representing at least 50 of his relatives so when I saw one in my apartment I stayed up until I'd cleaned out all my kitchen drawers and cupboards and left the lights on, since they like to come out of hiding at night. Maybe my aversion is bordering on phobia too, but a really bad infestation is one you never forget.
I FOUND A OPOSSUM! I named him prissy. He's not very friendly, and about the size of a large cat. I immediately thought of this thread. My night at work was interesting for all the wrong reasons.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
I FOUND A OPOSSUM! I named him prissy. He's not very friendly, and about the size of a large cat. I immediately thought of this thread. My night at work was interesting for all the wrong reasons.
I'm jealous. :/ 'possums do like to keep to themselves from what I understand, though. Hope your reasons for an interesting night resolved favorably!
nursel56
7,122 Posts
Nursing school, heck! I'd been licensed for almost 30 years and worked in many environments before I started private duty and wow is it ever unique! Very hard to describe I find to people who have never done it. I feel so bad when I hear about cases like the second case you mentioned. Hygiene and sanitation issues you can deal with at least to some degree. A parent who never bonded with their child is so difficult to fix.