Perks of the Job???

Specialties Private Duty

Published

What are some of the little side perks that individual families bestow upon you? Another thread started touching on good things when it was a thread for crazy stuff, so I thought I'd post a new topic.

I have a family that throws parties sometimes, real good ones, and I always get leftovers! On my overnight shift, I feel like Templeton at the fair!

I'm fairly certain (although I could be wrong) that a time card is a legal document. If the time card is signed that you were in the home from 8a-8p on Jan 1 and at 7p the mother goes in to the room and sees that the vent has become disconnected and freaks out because the child is in cardiac arrest and you are already gone for the day, how exactly do you get out of this mess (fraud, abandonment, negligence, etc.)?

Specializes in Pediatric.
I'm fairly certain (although I could be wrong) that a time card is a legal document. If the time card is signed that you were in the home from 8a-8p on Jan 1 and at 7p the mother goes in to the room and sees that the vent has become disconnected and freaks out because the child is in cardiac arrest and you are already gone for the day how exactly do you get out of this mess (fraud, abandonment, negligence, etc.)?[/quote']

That's what I told my friends. There are TWO of them who do this; both in CT. One even went away for a whole week and the mom just signed her pre filled out time slips and sent them in for her. I was clearly horrified. We don't work for the same agency, thank God.

Specializes in Peds(PICU, NICU float), PDN, ICU.

Its fraud. If you are doing a medicare/aid case, they can have you charged with fraud if they find out. They do check to see if nurses are at the home. And if a family member gets mad at you and retaliates, expect to lose your license and time to think about it in a jail cell. Also, as mentioned above...if something goes wrong and the pt is at the hospital and your notes say you were caring for the kid at the pts home, you won't be believed over the hospital. This is just a bad idea.

Rationalizing that the agency doesn't pay pto or sick pay isn't going to hold up in court. By working, you agreed to your pay and benefits. The government is cracking down on that stuff here. I see it in the news at least once a month that someone has gone to jail for that kind of fraud.

On the other side of things, be careful reporting it to the agency. The agencies don't care as long as they are getting paid. They will just say they didn't know and blame the nurse. The person reporting the nurse doing it will not have a good experience with the agency. Its better to report it (if you feel the need to) to the government agency that handles medicare/medicaid.

Another side as well is that the families begin to expect to bargain these hours and it puts the nurses in a bad spot.

Specializes in Pediatric.
Its fraud. If you are doing a medicare/aid case, they can have you charged with fraud if they find out. They do check to see if nurses are at the home. And if a family member gets mad at you and retaliates, expect to lose your license and time to think about it in a jail cell. Also, as mentioned above...if something goes wrong and the pt is at the hospital and your notes say you were caring for the kid at the pts home, you won't be believed over the hospital. This is just a bad idea.

Rationalizing that the agency doesn't pay pto or sick pay isn't going to hold up in court. By working, you agreed to your pay and benefits. The government is cracking down on that stuff here. I see it in the news at least once a month that someone has gone to jail for that kind of fraud.

On the other side of things, be careful reporting it to the agency. The agencies don't care as long as they are getting paid. They will just say they didn't know and blame the nurse. The person reporting the nurse doing it will not have a good experience with the agency. Its better to report it (if you feel the need to) to the government agency that handles medicare/medicaid.

Another side as well is that the families begin to expect to bargain these hours and it puts the nurses in a bad spot.

I didn't report it to anyone because its out of state, but, thanks for the heads up, that's a good point. I've had moms ask me before all the time and I always have to tell them sorry, no.

One even went away for a whole week and the mom just signed her pre filled out time slips and sent them in for her.

That honestly just blows my mind.

What about the nurses notes that document what transpired during each shift?

Specializes in Pediatric.

That honestly just blows my mind.

What about the nurses notes that document what transpired during each shift?

The girl forged them ahead of time ("cooked the books") and had the mom pre-sign them. Then the mom sent them in for her at the proper time.

Specializes in Pediatric.

The girl forged them ahead of time ("cooked the books") and had the mom pre-sign them. Then the mom sent them in for her at the proper time.

Forged them aka wrote the narrative as if she had been there

They are lucky they haven't been arrested. I cannot imagine having the gall to do that.

I don't think I would want someone taking care of my child who was so lacking in integrity.

Specializes in Peds(PICU, NICU float), PDN, ICU.

I've had parents sign my papers in advance on a few occasions. But the time was on the page before they signed because I felt it was the right thing to do. Usually because I would have to send a kid out by ambulance and the family would tell me to stay to finish my notes, turn out lights, and lock up when I leave. But the end time was clear and had come, but the family couldn't stay for me to chart. But I don't think that would be looked at in a bad way since I clocked out before the paper was signed and was just finishing notes...which always takes a while if a kid gets sent out.

I think that is a totally different scenario and undersrandable. The other is outright fraud.

Specializes in Pediatric.
I think that is a totally different scenario and undersrandable. The other is outright fraud.

I agree. I mean I'm not sure I understand the other scenario but I think I get it

Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

Medicaid/ Medicare fraud is nothing to take lightly. If you are banned from participation in either of these, your ONLY job option (assuming you get to keep your license) is a private pay office, like a cosmetic surgeon.

I cannot believe people would do this- but I know they do.

+ Add a Comment