MostlysunnyRN

The flexibility of per diem HH nursing really appeals to me. I've always been hesitant to try HH and this experience really spoiled it for me. I called another HH company a few months ago but the per visit pay was low to me and they also didn't provide mileage. It kind of makes me question the HH agencies in my area. At any rate I was offered the job at the hospital and only need to do 4 shifts a month. The pay is very competitive so I accepted the offer.

Judging from the disorganized interview I totally got the feeling that everything I was told would go out the window and I'd be hung out to dry on my own. The outer edge of part of the area that I would be covering is scary in the daytime and heavily drug infested. I'd be very worried doing any visits in that area and being the only nurse covering the entire west side of town I'd have no choice. My safety is first and since I'd have no one to go with me and I'd feel very uncomfortable having my husband wait in the car for me in those areas, I won't take this job. Fortunately I applied for another PRN job this time at a different (and hopefully better) hospital about 15 minutes from my house and I got a call for an interview next week. I'd still love to try HH nursing so I'll keep looking.

This particular agency doesn't have extended care but that may be something worth checking into for my situation. I've read about the charting in HH sometimes taking a significant amount of time as you mentioned, so that's also a consideration. Thanks for responding!

A quick background: I ended up resigning from my job as a M/S nurse last August (and did not go through with another job offer) because I became pregnant and wanted to focus on my kids and finish my BSN. It's been awesome not having to worry about work for nearly the past year! I did a semester and have taken off a little time to care for my baby. Recently my husband and I have decided we want to relocate within the next 18 months or so. I figured it would be good if I worked here and there to help save money to make things easier. I was recently offered a position as a HH nurse per diem. This is so new to me and I'm worried about being taken advantage of. I negotiated no call ever, and I was told I could schedule myself for as few as 1 day a month. Wanting to work weekends only, I found out I'd be the only nurse covering the entire west side of the city and west suburbs. That's a pretty extensive area. Also they do not pay mileage reimbursement but $5 per visit towards that. The pay is $45/visit and $125/SOC. No phone, tablet, laptop is provided but I was told a "stipend" (didn't say how much) would be offered after 60-90 days. Finally, I was told I could "shadow" someone during weekdays to train. I'm worried about not being adequately trained before being let out on my own. My gut tells me this isn't a good setup but lacking any HH experience I'm not sure. Any insight is appreciated!

I agree with the previous poster. If your ex can pull strings to get you the job, what kind of strings could he pull that might affect your job if things between you sour and go left? Aside from that I wouldn't want there to be any feeling on either side that I "owe" him for helping me out. I see too many ways this could go wrong, and that to me, would outweigh any benefits. All the best in making a decision that's best for you and congrats on graduating school and starting your nursing career.

I totally understood your comment wasn't to discourage. I thought it was a realistic view that getting back into nursing, specifically, acute care nursing may be very difficult. I appreciate your candor, and I wasn't offended or discouraged at all :). You are right in that peace and contentment with my decision is important. I do feel that I've come to the right decision after a lot of thought and deliberation. Thank you for the well wishes!

I'm very grateful for all the input I've received from the comments here. @GM2RN you made valid points that re-entry may be difficult and that has been one of my concerns. Unfortunately there just aren't hospitals that I know of in my area that allow PRN without commitment. At this point, I'm frankly burned out and I need to replenish my spirit so that I can love nursing as much as I once did. I gave my notice already and interestingly enough my direct manager came in a few days ago in the morning when I was finishing up my night shift. She didn't acknowledge me at all: No good morning, goodbye...nothing. Maybe she's stressed because several nurses are leaving or have left already. When I walked out, knowing I'm not on the schedule anymore and I was done, it literally felt like the clouds lifted and the sun started shining. I felt a HUGE sense of relief. Maybe I'll never work another day in acute care. Maybe I'll be just fine with that. I'm just happy for the present. When I'm ready to return to work I'm planning to find a job that doesn't make me feel devalued, disposable, and defeated.

I agree many CC have long and/or competitive waiting lists. Do any in your area offer concurrent enrollment? In my area you can concurrently do the ADN/BSN courses. I believe once the ADN program ends, you have a semester or two more of BSN classes and then you're done. Maybe see if that's an option, because at least here, those programs have a shorter wait. At any rate the advice to count the cost before hand is wise. I work with more than a few nurses who are forced to work multiple jobs because of not being able to survive off one income due to high debt.

I went the community college route and don't regret it at all. I have thankfully had no problem finding work in the hospital even in the tight market where I live. I'm starting a RN-BSN program next month that is (average) just under $9K for the entire program and I'll be finished in 15 months. I have a good friend, meanwhile, who will start a BSN program in a private college which will cost her $85K:cyclops:. To each his own.

I'm so encouraged by this! I also plan to eventually continue on to complete my master's degree. I certainly consider my kids my most precious commodities. They won't be little forever so I'm driven to surround them with as much love, presence, and stability as I can. Your well wishes are much appreciated.

You've summed it up precisely. I feel a responsibility to be a safe and coherent nurse, after all that is what I would expect of a nurse caring for my children or loved ones. I often think what would happen should I make a careless medical error because I'm lacking sleep and take someone's loved one away from them. I also worry about falling asleep, even for a short time, and my toddler climbing out of bed and getting into something dangerous. I feel like work/life are severely unbalanced now despite my valiant attempts to "suck it up" and "stick it out". Your suggestion to take a break and focus on school and re-evaluate my options is the decision I've finally arrived at. Thanks for your input.

I have tried a number of different days/options while working one shift. As a night shift nurse one shift encompasses more than just that one night you work so that's a consideration. I lost my trusted (and inexpensive) sitter. The cost of a sitter now would almost nullify what I make over 1 shift, especially if it includes care of a newborn. My biggest source of stress right now, comes from trying to sneak in a nap before/after my shift and just the general demands of the job. While I appreciate the opportunity to care for my patients and their families, my highest priority is to take care of my own family first. That's just me.

I actually worked inpatient hospice as an LPN for nearly 8 years. I still keep in touch with a lot of the nurses and CNAs I worked with. I was thinking of possibly doing prn case management there at some point. Financially we should be able to manage for a while on one income. I guess since I've pretty much always worked, and never thought about not working, it's hard making the disconnect.

I've worked 2 years as an RN, and specifically 18 months on the acute general Med Surg unit. I've discovered I'm pretty much stuck on my unit w/o a BSN anyway. I'm encouraged that, at least in your case, taking the time off didn't hurt you professionally. I'm thinking that I can use at least the entire time I'm working on my BSN to be completely off work. After that 15 months I'll reevaluate my circumstances and might do something PRN that will be very flexible, but also allow me to keep a foot in the door so to speak. Just trying to take it day by day now, because I get overwhelmed worrying about all the what ifs.

Thanks so much for your perspective and well wishes. I do feel fortunate to be able to have time with my kiddos especially while they're young. My BSN program is 100% online so no externship. Right now I'm down to per diem, but where I work it's a weekly shift commitment. I think it might be a good idea to just maintain contacts with nurses and nurse managers I'm friendly with. It might be of help in the future.

I'll try to make this as concise as I can. I worked as an LPN for nearly 10 years before going back to school 2 years ago and completing an ADN bridge program. I was pregnant with my third (and what we decided to be the last) during my final semester. I graduated and ultimately landed a job in a hospital on a busy Med Surg unit. While I can't say I'm thrilled with my job I am thriving. Recently we we found out we are unexpectedly pregnant with our 4th. This pregnancy has mentally and physically knocked me down. At this point I work 1 night shift a week and can barely do that. For the last 2 years I've gotten used to only 2-3 hours sleep both before and after my shift due to not having a FT sitter. It was already starting to catch up to me, but now I can hardly function. I'm so scared of making an error at work and harming a patient that the anxiety is overwhelming. We have no family here so it's just us. To add to all this I was accepted into a RN-BSN program that starts next month and is 15 months long. I want to finish that program but at the same time, I know working nights is no longer an option. My husband has encouraged me to stay home for a while, and just focus on finishing school and go from there or continue to be a SAHM. I'm torn. My kids come first, of course. However I'm worried that if I'm out too long I will have a difficult time getting an acute care job again and my BSN will not be helpful. Just looking for insight or feedback especially from someone who's been there. Thanks for reading all this :).

As many have said here life is far too short to be stuck in a job that kills your spirit. Hospital floor nursing is very difficult and definitely not for everyone. I was an LPN for a long time before becoming an RN last year and starting my first hospital job on a busy Med-Surg floor at the start of this year. In my case, I feel totally supported by management and I have awesome coworkers. Without that I could see how this job could create immense stress and anxiety. Sometimes we we can tough situations out and sometimes the reality is it really is just not a good fit for you and that's fine too. Don't sacrifice your physical and mental health for any job. With the high turnover and your feeling fearful about even being able to reach out to your unit's management it sounds like a very toxic work environment. I hope you're able to find something that makes you happy soon.

I think I understand how you feel as a new RN myself on a busy Med-Surg unit. I think the normal reaction after each shift is to focus on what went wrong or what you didn't do. This can make you feel so defeated after a while and increase your anxiety while decreasing your confidence. I'd encourage you after each shift to think about what went well, what good you did. Then think about what didn't work so well and what you can do better for the next shift. I found when I did this, I was actually motivated and ready to go back to work and implement my new strategy! I'd repeat this after each shift and my confidence grew accordingly. It sounds like you're on the right track. It certainly does get better with time and practice. Wishing you all the best.

Thanks for your kind words LabyrinthRN & Ladyfree28. I've been trying to focus on what I did right the other night and what I can improve on before my next shift. The reminder to take it one shift at a time is so pertinent, because I think ahead about all the "what ifs" scenarios and freak myself out lol. I know I can do this and I'm encouraged by the positive feedback from all of my coworkers and several of the nurse managers, including the director as well as senior manager. I just hate being new and not knowing my job well, if that makes sense. I do look forward to being able to teach and precept one day. I hope I never forget what it feels like to be a new nurse.

Oh LabyrinthRN, I could've practically wrote your original post! I was an LPN before, but in a very different setting. I don't mention my previous LPN experience because I don't want that "you should know this already" feeling from others hanging over me. Last night was my first night on my own on a busy Med-Surg floor. Just so happens ALL the nurses got slammed last night. I got report late because day shift was crazy too, and honestly, got less than great reports. I started the shift playing catch up and putting out fires. Thankfully the nurses I worked with were amazing. Two of them precepted me, but I felt comfortable asking any of them for help. The night charge checked on me several times and asked how things were going and how I was feeling. I just kept telling myself what one of my nursing professors told us: "You'll never be as new as you are today." One of the biggest issues I can see are the day shift nurse managers. Both of them are quite nasty--I've seen and heard things. One got snarky with me over a patient issue that I'd discussed and decided with BOTH the house sup who introduced herself to me and my night manager. I wanted to say geez it was not a life/death issue and I'm new--lay off me! I'm feeling so defeated because I left my first job after 3 months (it was waaaay unsafe), and now I'm feeling like I'm starting again and that I'm going to be in trouble all the time. As an LPN I loved being a nurse sooo much. I knew being an RN was a big change, but I never imagined I'd hate being a nurse. Im encouraged reading both your and INN_777 experiences. At least I'm not alone :-).

I like this wording...I might have to cut and paste lol. I'm planning to send a response tonight by the end of my shift. Thanks for the suggestion!

I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this! You sound like the only professional in this situation. I worked HR for several years before becoming a nurse so I'd advise you to document EVERYTHING. Keep a pocket-sized notebook with you at all times, and write in quotes exactly what was said, who said it, the setting, date, time, and any other pertinent details. This may help in establishing an ongoing pattern of harrassing behavior. This is not just racist behavior, but pack-mentality bullying behavior. I hope you can get out soon because people of this caliber cannot be trusted. As someone else detailed from experience, when you leave file complaints with the EEOC, and every other agency available to you. I absolutely wish you the best.

Wow sounds like the place where you work just needed a warm body to fill in the staffing holes. Sadly you were, essentially, set up to fail by not being properly trained nor given adequate resources to carry out your job safely and appropriately. I saw that you posted that your DON is your primary go-to, but he is difficult to reach AND doesn't want you contacting a doctor without his knowledge. This is unacceptable. Based on the additional info you provided this is certainly not a place I'd continue to work for. I hope you can regroup and find someplace more supportive. Take care of yourself, no job is worth your physical or mental health!