teaka

I just want to jump in here too. I don't really think LTC is the best place to go as a new grad, even if the money is a little better. I think a hospital would be best too, not only because there are more staff but because it seems to me that if your only experience is in LTC nurses tend to get stuck there - it may be hard going to a hospital afterward. But, if you want to work with chronic illness and geriatrics then LTC is the perfect place.

Hi there. I am also from Southern Illinois, only about an hour north of Marion and about an 45-50 minutes east of Belleville. There are a lot of nice, county communities here. The farther east you live from Belleville the lower the cost of property this also equals lower salaries, especially if you are a new nurse. Some places pay by how much experience you have. However, if you are willing to communt 45 minutes - 1 hour to work you can have the best of both situations. I several years experience and just took a job with a hospital based home health and am very satisfied with the salary. I do think around $17/hour sounds right though. You are just going to need to do a lot of research. Careerbuilder.com is a good place to start as is jobsearch.org I personally am on a co-op power company so I have not experienced the drastic increase people are paying to Ameren. I know several people who were affected. We are all electric at my house ~ 1800 sq. ft. and our bills are usually around $300 in high usage times like cold winter and hot summer. I would be happy to share more info too if you want to send a private message.

I'm curious to know if the insurance rate for these visits were more than the typical reimbursement, given the fact that these visits are 2 or more hours for the nurse. With the potential risks to the patient and probably poor reimbursement to the agency, I'm surprised to hear that it is given in the home frequently.

Having worked in home health for quite a while, I have never encountered any dangerous situations. That does not mean I won't. About the worst is aggressive dogs. I find that dog treats work pretty well. I was advised by another nurse to try gummi bears. Give the dog a few on the way in to distract him and a few on the way back to your car if needed. I haven't tried this but I can see how it might work. The most important thing you need to find out is how safe are the nurses working at the agency you are interviewing for. I mostly work in rural areas and occasionally some bad neighborhoods but as someone else said, they are usually happy to see you. If ever in doubt and you're already in the home leave everything there and hit the door. Don't worry about getting your bag or other supplies. ALWAYS have your car keys on you, do not lay them down anywhere. The agency will have a policy on this so ask. I just took a job with a new agency but before I was offered the job I had a peer interview. It was with two of their nurses. They had formed questions they had to ask me but I could ask them anything. That was a great opportunity. If you are offered, and considering, the job you might want to ask to talk to or meet with a couple of their nurses. Oh yeah, your nursing bag makes a nice barrier between you and a quesionable dog, keep the bag between you and it and don't turn your back.

You're right, it is delicate. When we are in the patient's home they have the right to do what ever they want. And, the smell travels with you to the rest of your patients. I have appologized to other patients before because I smell like I smoked. I don't smoke! And if I can smell it on myself I know other patient's can when I am seeking them, especially when I get close to do their assessment. I would suggest to CapeCodMermaid to check for agency policy on how to handle this. Otherwise the only thing that can be done is to ask and hope they don't smoke while you're there.

I agree with everyone else - I'd want backup too. But, I'm more interested in knowing why the other agency had to call the police. And, I also wonder if there is an abuse situation going on. I would ask the doc about this too. Why does the patient need home health, is it really necessary? You've done the right things. You can't force people to let you in.

I have been working as a per diem nurse getting paid per visit. The money sounds good but when you add the wear and tear on car and time spent at home finishing paperwork I'm not sure it's better. Plus, at the agency I currently work for (for a few more days) per diem nurses get no benefits. I am getting ready to start working for a hospital based HH as a regular part-time employee. The pay overall is better and the milage is almost $0.10 more/mile. And, I'm pretty much guaranteed hours plus I'll have benefits. As a per diem nurse I don't always get enough work. Also, if you work and get paid per visit, those days you are the one driving 100+ miles and only see 3-4 patients, it's not worth it. Been there done that. That's why I am going to an hourly position. I would rather be paid for my long drive times. That's probaly why in a previous post the nurse was saying the per visit staff only worked locally - maybe the per visit staff won't drive the distances. Although, it would actually be more cost effective for the company if they did.

I have been in home health the last 7 years straight and about 12 years total. This seems like a pretty typical on-call schedule. On-call is one downside to HH. Plus, a lot of HH nurses I know sometimes finish their documentation at home, especially if paid by the visit. If you would be hourly then this may not be an issue for you. But, the benefits personally and professionally, in my opion, you will reap being a home health nurse usually out weigh the on-call.

I'm from Southern Illinois. I actually considered it the northern part of Southern Illinois until I read these posts. I'm in Clinton county.