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bravo, nursieme! hear hear! it is too bad there aren't more like you around, brave enough to tell it like it is!

I hear you! I work per diem for a home care agency and get a per visit rate- so no matter how long it takes me, I only get a set amount. I travel between 50-130 miles per day and get paid $.32/mile. The agency is currently short-staffed, so I am f...

Oh what fun! They were so funny I just had to print them out and share them with my friends! Thank you!

I also have carried my own malpractice insurance policy for over 20 years and agree with those above. I think that it is not any more likely that you will be sued if you have it- as we should all practice nursing so that you won't ever be sued! But...

When I worked at a large Boston area hospital, I served on the first patient ethics committee at the institution which was started back in the 80s. Back then it was mainly nurses on the committee, but it was started by the CEO- an MD who took interes...

Welcome to home health, KCRNSue! I also made the switch recently (from an ambulatory PACU) and have been an RN for 20 years. I found a wonderful resource/preceptor in a nurse at the agency who has taken me under her wing and been the person I can c...

I am so glad to hear it is not just me having a problem with no lunch, breaks, and having to spend afterhours doing the paperwork necessary to document the care given in the home. i recently switched to homecare from the hospital setting, and I tho...

Ruth, Thank you for the info about Healthwyse- my boss is so cheap I have a name tag done by a label maker, so I don't forsee her investing in a palm system! I love computer gadgets and I would have a great time using my PDA more for work- it is a H...

I hate that word "productivity"!!!!!! I think your case load should be acuity-based instead of quota based. Some patients take more time and expertise than others- something I have noticed in the few months I have been out in the field. I wish the...

Oh I am soooooo glad to hear tht there are other folks out there who are not as gracefull! I have been thinking I was an only! Once, when in the PACU, getting a patient out of bed to a recliner to move them to the phase 2 pacu- I had my stethescope...

Hello Ruth- I too, started in home care just this past July, and love it. I work in the metrowest area, but have been sent into the Boston area towns for a few patients. I am finding it a wonderful job for the most part- the downside is the manag...

:roll I do hope you are kidding b/c I am laughing so hard I need to leave a sample.........

I am so glad I am not the only one with a morbid facination for the gross and disgusting! I once had a woman's toes fall off her foot into the bed- the foot dressing fell off during the night and the toes waited until I lifted the sheets off her foo...

Hello woundnurse- I am hoping to hear some good tips for would care- can you let me know what is usually done for diabetic foot (heel) ulcers? Thank you! The md on one of my home care clients is kind of vague about what to use.

Breaking needles is something the VNA taught my dad to do with his B12 syringes after use- back in the 70s! Then he go a "fancy" needle cutter- the kind of contraption you insert the needle up to the hub and squeeze a lever to cut the sharp off. He ...

Whoa- what experiences you all have to share! I got goosebumps reading about the home health aide- may she rest in peace. My boss was not clued in to what this man's psyche risk really was and was horrified when she heard my tale- I stopped the OAS...

Home health care is a great job! Having just switched from 20 yrs hospital nursing, the biggest adjustment was the paperwork. Most of my patients so far have been really rewarding for me to provide care to. I did have a frightening experience with...

I am also new to home health as an RN, though I did it about 20 years ago as an NA. Such changes! The paperwork is overwhelming- I have been out in the field for 2 months now and it is getting a little easier, but my goodness! My biggest trouble is...

WHere I work they pay mileage at $.30/mile, but they won't pay if you go to the office at the beginning of the day or go home from the office. So, we see patients on the way to and from the office, usually. They also deduct 20 from the mileage total...

Oh the joys of home care! I recently joined your ranks after 20 yrs of hospital nursing with the thought that I would have more time with my kids- WRONG. I spend my evenings planning the next day's itinerary (thank God for Mapquest!), calling patie...

What a trip down the lane for me! I recall having to wash out metal bedpans in a "sterilizer" in the utility room when I was an nursing assistant. We would collect them room by room and bring them to the utility room at least once a week (not my fa...