SentinelTruth

I'm a male nurse working homecare... I've worked a hospital for about 8 months, and a couple of rehab facilities. I like doing homecare. I feel more free driving around and not being locked into a building other than going to the office from time to time. I don't like working in facilities (other than seeing patients in assisted-living facilities). If you do homecare though and drive your own vehicle, buy a hybrid or something along those lines. Some of my co-workers drive trucks or bigger SUV's and I don't see how they can afford it... I get paid by the visit and it does not include mileage (common in homecare). I drive a Prius.

I've been a RN for around 8 years now. Unrelated to my job, got into an argument with someone on Facebook on a religious group... the guy was acting like a psycho (he says Calvinists are of Satan) and I told him "As a Registered Nurse I believe you need antipsychotic medication". Now, he figured out the state I live in and says he is going to contact the State Board and file a complaint by stating I was trying to diagnose him and tell him to take a specific medication type. He also said that he is going to search the internet and see if I posted anything to anyone else like this to show them. I told him I'm not a Doctor and can't prescribe it, that he would have to ask His Doctor about it. Now, I work as a homecare nurse and talk to patients all of the time about medications, and suggest to them medications they could try but that they would need to obviously talk to their Doctor or NP or PA first to have them prescribe it.... do you guys think I would get into trouble for the above crazy person?

so you're paid from the beginning of your day until the end? It just makes me wonder if it's dubious for them to pay only during the time you're doing stuff in the patient's home, but not while driving around.

I've started at a home health company... I'm a RN. This is in Michigan. Multiple ways that we can be paid... by the visit, by hourly plus mileage, or salary plus mileage. Salary is really only for those that can maintain a 26-30 visit caseload each week and I'm not able to get it yet. By the visit, I think the company offers either $45 or $50 for a visit of minimum 30 minutes, for a start of care its either $95-$100, but no mileage. I set myself up for hourly and I'm at $27.50 an hour plus 40 cents a mile after my first 20 miles and before my final twenty miles... but here's the kicker that's thrown me off a bit.... I can only claim my hourly rate while making a visit... I originally thought I was supposed to be paid from the beginning of my day's first visit until the end plus mileage, but thats not the case. So if I only have 3-4 visits in one day, and each goes 30 minutes, I'll make $55, plus whatever the mileage is. Is this normal in home care? I've seen multiple other time cards for other nurses while they were showing me how to calculate my time, and yes, many of them are only getting a few hours a day and are maybe driving 120-150 miles. I calculated my time card by both by the visit or start of care, plus adding it up as hourly plus mileage, and this past week, I would definitely make more as a by the visit nurse.... So is this how home health companies normally work? Is the rate of pay for both methods above a good amount? Is it like the vast majority of other companies or am I getting duped?

A facility Doctor told my Unit Manager I needed an IV of Xanax while I worked.

I'm only 10 months into my nursing career... most job ads in my area of Michigan want 1-2 years experience in acute care before they'll hire for home health, etc.

Does anyone know which schools have a slow paced online rn to bsn? I have a baby to watch over and don't care if it takes several years, I just don't like the idea of having 5 week classes, etc....

Sorry about the your and you're. I was tired :)

I'm looking at Michigan's Licensing and Regulatory website trying to see what people lose their licenses for, etc. and one of them that comes up often is "lack of good moral character". Sometimes its listed with drug diversion, sometimes not.... is it for someone that lies on their charting?

Well, I'm a new RN, obviously we all know obesity is bad. I'm 30, male, 5' 10 1/2", high 260, low 270s in weight, I seem to be fairly large framed but know I've got excessive fat around the belly. I've been noticing that my BP has been going up in the past year, and my heart rate has been in the 120s to 130s (I do have anxiety and drink caffeinated beverages often) I'm developing sleep apnea (both my parents have it, and have CPAP machines). Anyways, I don't really know what to do... the old adage about losing weight is hard... I like Mt Dew and Kool aid, but would love to lose weight obviously... I just don't know what to do about it. I figure a lot of it is from the sugars. I just don't want to have to go through withdrawal for several weeks while having to work. The stress of being a new RN at a rehab facility on night shift gives me anxiety. I figure with running around as hard as I do at work gives me enough exercise that way. Anyways, I don't know if this is really a question, or a statement... I obviously don't want to have a heart attack eventually. But my body just seems to like to put on the weight easily.

My school didn't require a competitive GPA beyond the 2.5... everyone waitlisted and got in eventually.

Find a community college with a waitlist system... they usually take everyone above like say a 2.5 GPA.

I live and work in the Central / Mid-Michigan area (Saginaw, Bay City, Midland). Nurses are definitely needed (most places want experience, but Covenant and St. Mary's will take new nurses - you have to prove yourself though, and of course the skilled nursing facilities are always hiring). Saginaw and Flint are a shadow though from their former glory as WWII and Automotive powerhouses... so the area is livable, but Saginaw and Flint are pretty crappy as a town. But a lot of nurses are needed in the area, pay is around $24-26 or so in the hospitals around Saginaw. I work at a Skilled Nursing Facility and I'm over $30 an hour as a new RN. There's a hospital group that has their base of operations inside of Covenant in Saginaw, and they're always hiring it seems, and paying $5000 bonuses (they even have open interview days sometimes), they're also located in Flint. Select Specialty... they're typically a long-term Med-Surg/ICU with vents for their patients. Flint has several hospitals, and I'm sure they're probably hiring a lot too... there's a least one nursing home around the flint area that I saw advertisements for walk in interviews for the CNAs, so take your risk....

Just hired as a brand new RN at a Rehab facility (with 2 months hospital experience) in Central Michigan at $32.00 / hr. Hospital I just left was in $26 range to start. Cost of living is fairly good, Saginaw and Bay City near by are basically run-down citie so costs can't be too high, Midland is higher due to Dow Chemical. $488 a month for mortgage in a 92 yr old House at 936 sq feet, which includes private mortgage insurance, regular house insurance, and taxes escrowed. House was $68K.

I was pushed into resignation this Tuesday at my first hospital job as a Med-Surg nurse (still on orientation)... applied for positions on Wednesday, had an interview on Thursday and got a job at a Rehab facility.... for a lot more pay too :)