HannahRN24

I have a question for experienced home health nurses out there!! I have 3 years hospital experience but I am new to home health (and I do love it very much so far!). The other day, an LVN and I disagreed about a certain pt's need for a HHA. I feel that the pt doesn't need the aide but the LVN doesn't agree. So she went behind my back and had the HHA supervisor (who is a CNA herself) change my frequencies, change my documentation on the Oasis Recert, and someone forged my initials on it!! :angryfire I was so angry as anyone would be, so I immediately wrote a communication note (that goes into the chart), corrected my documentation and put my notice in. The owners had a meeting with everyone and they are not taking any corrective action against anyone or making any efforts to rectify the situation. Is there anything else I should do to protect myself? I really don't think I'm overreacting...I mean, this is illegal activity and disrespectful and immoral, etc.....would love to hear everyone's thoughts!! Thanks!

This is my wife's log in name, but I just had to ask where's the cop and the indian or even the construction worker? lol This poster made me laugh. Like nursemike said, I'm sure they're all great nurses. It's just a funny poster, especially the snowboarder and the karate suit...oooowwww...real men...lol

I guess you're right. I just wanted to get some comments from some guys who maybe felt the same way. I might make a post in the nursing student forum and see if some girls maybe had the same feelings. :) EDIT: Whoops this is my wife's name..lol

Thanks Pearldora!! I had no idea....that was really helpful...I am with RNNetwork right now and they are so good to me but I was just wanting to check out all my options. I think I will just play it safe and stick with them b/c they are so dependable! Thanks again for the warning!

I have been trying to find the travel company "World Health" on the web...do they have a website? Thanks.

I don't struggle to pay any bills. In fact, I am making enough to pay extra on my debt. I have only traveled here to Midland, TX on my first assignment and I renewed my contract here....we had to leave Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina and I knew the best bet was to get a travel contract and this was the first one I got. RNNetwork is a wonderful company if this is going to be your first assignment...they are so dependable and helpful. I plan on exploring my options a bit more now that I have taken my first assignment and since I am trying to get out of debt b/c I need the money. There is one thing I don't like about them..they don't do a rental car benefit and some companies will pay for plane tickets up front but RNN doesn't. My take-home pay is different every week. They pay you every two weeks and the most I made so far was well over $2000. I definitely recommend them if this is your first assignment!

I don't mind answering at all! I don't know how the housing is that they set up because I took the housing subsidy and found my own apartment. They have a great subsidy. I do know that they allow pets. I think they do cover utilities up to a certain amount each month. The benefits are excellent...the health insurance can't be beat and it's free and it starts the first day of your assignment. They don't guarantee hours. If you get cancelled and the manager signs your time sheet then you can still get paid, but when I asked them about guaranteed overtime in Cali, they said they don't do that. The travel reimbursment is ok...they have limits...like for an 8 week assignment, the limit is $300 and if you fly then that sucks. For a 13 weeks assignment, it's $400 limit. Depending on the assignment, they offer good completion and referral bonuses etc. But I think compared with getting guaranteed overtime, esp if you are going to Cali, the bonuses don't measure up. Overall they are a great company, but I am definitely exploring my options b/c I want to go to Cali next, but I want higher pay and guaranteed hours. It all depends on what you are looking for. If you are strictly interested in money, then they are not that great compared with some others. But if stability and good service are more important, then they are perfect as far as that goes. Good luck!

I took my first assignment with RNNetwork Oct 2005 here in Midland TX and they have been good to me so far. I renewed for another 26 weeks because the job was so great. The pay is ok, but not as much as the other companies pay. They do give you a weekly meal allowance of around $200/week that is tax free and that adds in to the hourly rate as well. They have very good housing subsidys and I can always reach my recruiter or any other person when I need to. They are very helpful. My paychecks are always on time for direct deposit and never any mistakes. There was one time when there was some confusion and my paycheck didn't go in on time but after I called them, they fixed it immediately. I really have liked them. They take good care of their travelers. Sometimes pay isn't the only good thing about a company. I highly recommend RNNetwork.

I have recently taken my first travel assignment as an RN due to Hurricane Katrina. I went through RNNetwork and got a great assignment in Midland, Texas. The pay is pretty good, but the service through the company is wonderful. In the middle of all the chaos, my original recruiter just walked out on the company, but they made sure I was completely taken care of and set up with a new recruiter immediately. They may not pay as high as some of the other companies, but they really seem to take care of their travelers. And their benefits are excellent as well. They also reimburse for travel and licensing expenses. I have renewed here, and they give renewal bonuses, etc. I have not read or heard any negatives on RNNetwork.

Thank you all for your supportive replies! I am going to take a few weeks vacation and maybe then I will find some insight. I am seriously considering ICU as my next venture! Thanks again for the advice! :)

Hello Fellow Nurses! I am sorry to begin on such a negative note (as I am generally a positive person), but I am having such a hard time enjoying nursing! I began in med-surg a year ago and did that for 6 months. Now I am doing Ortho nursing because the opportunity just presented itself. All during school, I had perfect grades and did well at clinicals. However, I still have NO IDEA what direction I want to go in...I have no idea what area of nursing I would love to work in. I love caring for my patients and am doing well in orthopedics, but I hate this area. Any advice on what to do next? I am feeling so discouraged because I have been working for a year and still don't like being a nurse. Don't get me wrong, I love my patients and I love helping people, but I am just dreading work everyday! And I read about how nurses love going to work even though they have bad days, etc, and I would really love to experience that! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for letting me ramble! :)

Yeah I tried to talk to a superior administrator and they know all about it...apparently that is just common practice...and I talked to some of the older nurses, and they said that they see this sort of thing in alot of nursing homes....Louisiana is not the best place to have a family member in a nursing home!

I totally agree with all of you...I am so glad to know that I am not crazy for thinking it is definitely wrong to do this....all of the "managers" at my facility are mad because I won't just fill in the gaps in the MARs with my initials and that I won't do what this administrator is suggesting. I am definitely putting in my notice today! Thank you all so much for your support and advice!

Yes, I definitely feel that it's wrong and unethical...my first instinct was to call state and the BON to make sure...I just wanted some feedback first...this is the 3rd or 4th time they have asked me to do something I felt funny about...I think I am going to call state and resign from this job as well. I just can't work for a company that would compromise my license and my patients as well! Thank you for all your advice!

:uhoh21: I am an RN DON at a rural nursing home of about 45 residents. We are currently getting ready to move to a new nursing home in town. We have an interim administrator and he asked me to do something I don't feel comfortable about doing. State came in around Christmas and wrote us up for not having weekend RN coverage every weekend. My new administrator asked me to come in this weekend and clock in and out for Sat. and Sun. but not to stay....just to clock in so it looks like I was there. I can't work 7 days a week and they haven't hired anyone. I feel like this is lying and that I might be risking my licensure. Is this illegal? Could I lose my license? I don't want to lie. Any input would be much appreciated! Thanks!

hey thanx for all the replies. I went to the tech college just now to ask some questions about the lpn program and the lady there was so rude. I didn't get all the questions I wanted answered, but she did answer some. I'll be starting in August if I pass their test etc. Which would be pretty cool as the nursing home my wife works at train u as a CNA for free with no obligation to work for them once u pass. They pay minimum wage while u r training, so I could get in some good experiance between now and August. That would also give me a good part time job while at school. It's good to hear that a few other ppl have gone the lpn then RN route. Seems sensible. Thanks again. Guess I better start deciding.

Hi, I am just finishing remedials at college. My major is nursing, RN. However I have about a year and half to go before I start clinicals, if I can get in with waiting list etc., and then another 2 years or so after that. I am considering going to the local tech college to do an LPN course instead. My reasons are: my wife and I (this is my wife's screen name) are in plenty of debt right now, and I am really not too fond of getting in like $12-16,000 more. I have no nursing experiance at all and I feel a lot more comfortable with the idea of working as lpn for a few years (or maybe for ever) before deciding to go for RN. I think I would prefer the role of the lpn anyway, more direct patient care. I am going to speak to the tech college tomorrow to suss it out, and if the course doesn't start 'till say sept I plan on spending the summer working as CNA 'till then, instead of racking up more debt at college doing prereqs. Also my wife and I r dying to move and this would speed up that whole proccess. Has anyone else done anything similar to this? or does anyone think this a good idea? Thanks for reading!

Hey all!!:roll I am currently living in Louisiana. I will graduate as an RN in May 2004 and would love to start my nursing career in Florida!! My main question is what kind of money do nurses make in Florida? I have been unable to get any sort of idea off the internet. What are pay ranges and starting wages for new RN's?? Any info would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!