New nurse no training?

[EricaFrost]

Is it normal for a new nurse to start a home health job with NO orientation with the company at all. This is my first job and I just got my tb and physical yesterday and my boss informed me im working 7 days in a row with no training at all. My client is a complicated one to say the least and its very nerve racking with no orientation. I havent even met another nurse. No clue who to call with questions ot anything. It just feels very unsafe to me. And yes they knew I was a brand new nurse.

[Saifudin]

I started in home care on October, 2014. No orientation and what followed was a nightmare, that I have nearly recovered from, but it wasn't easy. I lost an inch on my waist, between the adjustment to working in non-clinical environments and the three hours it would take me to complete the OASIS SOC. I have come to appreciate home care for what it is, a highly specialized form of nursing and medical care, perhaps one of the most important when we often serve as the bridge between what is frequnetly highly fragmented care, overwhelmed patients and living environments that often do not support proper care, support and safety of the client. I find it a huge responsibility that I take very seriously. Of course there should be an extensive orientation but given the highly competitive nature of home care and the balancing act many of the 'mom-pop' home care agencies try to maintain by 'beating the bushes' for patients, often with a disregard for available staffing, I have found that you can get stuck with seven day work weeks, long distances and hours of uncompensated documentation time, not to mention how concerns for your patients can get 'into your head', at least, that is my experience. It is unethical and dangerous to not orient nurses to home care.

[outside_child]

Wow! I had been out of HH since 1997 as a LVN doing skilled visits and I got orientation. I went this week to two HH agencies and was hired by one which is more reputatable and will provide orientation.

Then I went to the second interview with another HH agency and when I asked about orientation to the administrator, he asked "what do you mean?" I said what kind of EMR device this company use and reminded him I never worked HH as an RN. His response was we have video tapes, and the DON looked at me peculiar with a little grin. Needless to say, I am not interested in that HH agency and they probably was not in me too, but I am glad I found a good company with the first HH agency. I do not expect to hear from the second company nor will I recommend them.

About 8 years ago I tried with a small company and the DON gave me pointers and gave me the CMS website which had broken down all the Oasis components, which was good but I did not like being called in because my paperwork was not right, so I left disenchanted until I tried again now.

Honey run for the hills!!!!