JenRN22

CDDRIS; I worked for this company for one year a few years back and I also experienced most of the things you mentioned in your May 11th, 2009 dated post.

Thank you for all of the input!!

Thanks again for all of the replies! I agree with Tewdles in that it isn't always easy to do paperwork in the home when the lonely patient is eager to talk with you and comment on how she doesn't want me to go, I am the only visitor she gets all week....When I explained this problem to my supervisor she explained you aren't there to be a friend you are there to perform a visit and move on. Maybe she was right and I did attribute my burnout and doing paperwork in the evening somewhat to not being able to set boundaries well enough but I couldn't help but feel bad for the lonely patients... In response to putting 7,000 miles on a vehicle in 3 months I can relate and this is why I am also considering buying a second car for home health work. In the end I know that I enjoyed the home health job much more than my current hospital job even though it's 5 days a week, on our unit 3 12 hour shifts is rough especially since due to it being critical care patients are always crashing and my feet are killing me and I am drained and don't feel like doing ANYTHING for my first day or two off anyhow. :grn: Even though in critical care, getting a patient stabilized is great, the connection with your patient in a home health setting is far greater....There is much more valuable time spent one on one with a patient, you get to know them, see them progress and are rewarded greatly in knowing you made a difference in the long term for the patient...I love it :)

First of all, If you documented pt c/o pain 8 out of 10 and after offering dilaudid pt refused and percocet given or something to that effect, you are covering yourself...If you didn't document you offered anything but pt c/o pain was documented throughout the night at 8/10 that's another story entirely. I have a hard time with nurses mistreating other nurses. In our job, yes some work harder that others but nurses all deserve the respect we earn for the job we do...She didn't even give you the courtesy to explain your side of the story from what you are saying. If you covered yourself like you say you did, I would just start looking for another job. A lot of times nurses look for things to get rid of someone after an event like this. You don't want to put yourself out there for that. It sounds like it may be time to move on...

Hi!! As I posted earlier, I was debating on staying put in the hospital or returning to home health care which I enjoyed more but the company took advantage of me and I ended up quitting due to burn-out which then in turn led me back to the hospital. I am currently back in critical care working midnight 12s. My mom shocked me and told me to prepare for her to move about 3 hrs away as she is retiring early and will be moving in about 6 months. She drives my children to school as there are NO busses!!! So.....I guess my decision is going to have to be home health for flexibility:) My question is this.....I have a newer suv with 4 years left on it to pay....I'm thinking about buying an older cheaper car with better gas mileage to ensure my truck engine isnt blown before I am even done making payments....Would you advise this or do you like the dependability of a newer car?? Thanks in advance for any input:yeah:

Thanks for the responses!! There are a lot of home health agencies in my area...The one that I was previously employed with was a big name company which with that being said, I assumed that it would be better benefits and plenty of patients in my "region". I was definately wrong!!

Hello, I have been thinking about the pro's and con's of hospital vs. home health for the past few months now. I guess what I am looking for is a second opinion....I've done Per Diem nursing for many years.. I am paying for benefits which include hospitalization only as I am willing to pay out for visits to physicians office due to me making a better hourly rate. I truly loved home health much more than the hospital but had a rough experience...I don't know if this is nearly the norm but after a year's time, I had put 28,000 miles on a brand new vehicle, as I was forced to perform visits routinely an hour (average) away from my home. I enjoyed the work much more, but was always given last minute admissions, frequent extra weekend coverage assignments due to the low staff retention, thus I really didn't have much of a life of my own...Should I expect that there's a much better home health company out there or is it just part of the job?? I'm working midnights so that I can work when I want and this is taking a great toll on me also. Thank you so much for the advice in advance:)