Is this typical weekend requirement?

[fromtheheartRN]

I have worked for my current employer for over 6 years. Started out being guaranteed salary with expectation of obtaining at least a certain amount of points. Expectation was ONE Saturday a month and ONE Sunday every two months, rotation of on call for evenings seven nights in a row every seven weeks. Many changes have driven the company to needing us to be on call from Fri eve to Mon morning twice in a seven week period. Effectively working more than one weekend a month. The weekends are not strictly for "on call" anymore. We generally have a FULL schedule for revisits , SOC's and ROC's. PLUS the PRN's for any emergency visits. We have been told that any weekend revisit (for whatever reason), will not be covered by the scheduled weekend nurse anymore, beginning immediately, and any revisit needed will need to be covered by the RN on the case. This means that if QOD or QD wound care is required, we will be forced to work 6 or 7 days a week, EVERY week! How can this be legal? They, supposedly, tried to hire a Baylor nurse, but were not successful (for at least the last four years, I am told). We are no longer guaranteed salary, we are pay per visit. 

I love the company, but am fairly burned out working so many weekends to begin with, and now this new requirement will tip me over the edge. I believe that if a wound REQUIRES more frequent changes (per best practice) we are obliged to  provide it per MD order, but shouldn't require the RN to work his/her otherwise scheduled says off. If my week was somehow slow, I don't mind doing the weekend visits. But if I already worked 50 hours and seeing 30 for the week, I definitely have a problem with it. This new change was decided by non clinical office people, BTW. Again, can this be legal? 

[Patchouli]

Time to leave. Home health is challenging enough with the paperwork/computer work, without adding more personal time into it. With what you’re describing, you’ll have zero personal life.

[fromtheheartRN]

12 hours ago, Patchouli said:

Time to leave. Home health is challenging enough with the paperwork/computer work, without adding more personal time into it. With what you’re describing, you’ll have zero personal life.

It certainly wasn't what I signed up for. Worse than the hospital schedule now. Used to be good and flexible when I started. Things have definitely changed. I document sometimes until 9 PM almost every night and wake at 4 AM just to manage case management, write notes to call the MD offices when they open, make sure I don't miss anything. Geesh. No Clinical Manager support for weekend emergencies either. They used to go out in case of emergency. Not any more. They call the patient and tell them to go to ER. WTH? We are supposed to be preventing that! I am actively looking for a better opportunity.