Obtaining Car Stock

[starmickey03, MSN, RN]

I recently started with a new HH agency as PRN weekends. I have a full time M-F 8-5. This isn’t the first HH agency I’ve been with, I used to do it full time. At the previous agency I was with full time, when it came to needing any supplies, SOC packets, etc., we could pop into the office at anytime night or day (we had key cards) and get what we needed out of the supply room OR we could email the in office staff responsible for ordering supplies and tell her what we needed and she’d ship it to our house overnight. This new agency does not allow nurses to just come in and get what they need and only the director has a key to the supply room. It’s extremely hard to get supplies. Whenever I reach out for supplies I’m told to try and get with another nurse or given an excuse as to why the director can’t help me with supplies at that very moment. It’s frustrating, especially because the office is not open on the weekends when I work and I’m the ONLY weekend nurse. The whole set up seems off to me. Is this normal?

There are a lot of other things that are weird to me about the way they do things but I can easily ignore those things since I’m PRN but the whole car stock thing is exhausting. I have been having to do way more improvising than I’d like with patients (this agency is heavily wound care based). 

[caliotter3]

The agency is heavily wound care based per your final sentence, yet they give you a hard time about getting supplies?  You say this situation is exhausting.  Things are fishy and they aren't going to change any time soon.  I would start looking for a different agency to do PRN work for.  JMO

[starmickey03, MSN, RN]

4 hours ago, caliotter3 said:

The agency is heavily wound care based per your final sentence, yet they give you a hard time about getting supplies?  You say this situation is exhausting.  Things are fishy and they aren't going to change any time soon.  I would start looking for a different agency to do PRN work for.  JMO

I agree and have been thinking about finding a new agency. The only thing holding me back is that it’s hard to find time to orient to a new agency while already having a full time job. It was hard enough to make this one work out. I’d love to go back to my old agency but they don’t have PRN, only part time. 

[qrnh, BSN, RN]

It's time to make an appointment with your supervisor and tell them what you have told us. If they can't make a plan for you to have the tools you need to do your job, then you'll need to move on. If your conversation does not yield an actionable plan then make sure your supervisor knows they will likely lose you.

 

[amoLucia]

5 hours ago, qrnh said:

...... then you'll need to move on. If your conversation does not yield an actionable plan then make sure your supervisor knows they will likely lose you.

 

For what purpose??? Do you think the employer really will care?  One less nurse ... assignments will just be shuffled around to remaining staff.

Also, I'd be concerned that OP would now be wearing that 'red target'.

Yes, speak to a supervisor re the difficulties. And if no satisfactory resolution, look elsewhere.  But I'd NEVER show my hand upfront!

[starmickey03, MSN, RN]

On 11/15/2020 at 8:29 AM, qrnh said:

It's time to make an appointment with your supervisor and tell them what you have told us. If they can't make a plan for you to have the tools you need to do your job, then you'll need to move on. If your conversation does not yield an actionable plan then make sure your supervisor knows they will likely lose you.

 

 

On 11/15/2020 at 2:10 PM, amoLucia said:

For what purpose??? Do you think the employer really will care?  One less nurse ... assignments will just be shuffled around to remaining staff.

Also, I'd be concerned that OP would now be wearing that 'red target'.

Yes, speak to a supervisor re the difficulties. And if no satisfactory resolution, look elsewhere.  But I'd NEVER show my hand upfront!

I actually resigned two weeks ago. The company was WAYYY too unorganized for me. Car stock aside, it was all around just bad. I’d do SOC visits on the weekends for patients and the patients would never get seen again because mgt would forget to assign them a CM, office staff would claim that the patient accepted services and I’d drive 30 miles to them just for them to tell me that they had informed the office they weren’t interested, just so many things smh. Now I need to find another PRN position that’s worth while because I’m a government employee and public sector pay is hard to live on alone.