cs58

Thanks to those who responded. MM, hang in there. I'm new too---started FT in Home Health a few months ago, and, like most HH nurses, I love my patients--- and every time I walk in the door I forget, momentarily, about the tsunami of paperwork that awaits me back at the office. But I began to get concerned when I saw how stressed out my new coworkers were/are and, as my caseload has grown, I soon learned why. I work for a for-profit hospital affiliated agency, and it just doesn't seem possible to get the job done in 40 hrs week. Yet we are TOLD there will be no overtime. We also have to do chart audits, but most days I see 6 patients a day and average about 40 miles/day. Last week one of my coworkers had the OT she submitted taken away from her. I am told this is not the first time this has happened. Another nurse had a fairly light caseload over the weekend, so she came in to the office, finished up about 6 chart audits, and was so pleased that she had finally caught up--------UNTIL the director reamed her out for her lack of productivity over the weekend. Apparently chart audits are not a productive use of time so we are somehow supposed to fit them in along with our patient visits. I hope we get more responses to this survey. Being new to home health, I am in the dark about what it is like at other agencies. Even my coworkers---some of whom have been HH nurses for many years---aren't sure what it's like at other agencies. THat's why I am so interested in all your responses. Thanks again!

Hi. I am a new HH nurse, after having spent my entire career in hospital nursing---mostly med-surg--with a little L&D thrown in. I LOVE HH nursing, but have become discouraged over the paperwork and the morale in my unit. First thing I want to know before we decide on a course of action is what is typical today in HH nursing, as even my coworkers who have been here awhile are not clear on what other agencies require of their HH nurses. I would GREATLY appreciate it if we could all compare notes and see what is expected of the typical HH nurse today. Thanks! 1. How many patients are you required to see a day for full productivity? 2. How much mileage do you average, and at what point does mileage get factored in with respect to the visits you are required to make? 3. How much time is spent on an "average" visit? 4. Are you frequently "hassled" about productivity? 5. Do you spend time on paperwork off the clock? If so, how much? 6. Do you accrue overtime hours? If so, How much on average? 7. Are you required to do chart audits in addition to your visits? Is time alloted for this or are you just expected to "fit it in?" 8. What is a typical case load for you? 9. Is your paperwork all written or do you have a palm pilot or laptop to make it easier? 10. Have you ever been denied overtime your earned because you were not "productive" enough according to administration? Thanks to all who respond. Our home health nurses are considering going to our director about what appears to us to be an overwhelming workload but we'd like to know what other HH nurses face first. I'm sure this info will be helpful to all of us.