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Discussion

Pros and Cons

I currently work 5 nights a week on eight hour shifts which includes everyother weekend on a medical floor at a local VA. I have also worked part time at a hospital on a med/surg floor. I am going to shadow a home health nurse to see if I would like it. My question is what are the cons of being a home health nurse? This agency does not use computers which I wish they did. No on call hours, they do use OASIS which I am not familiar with. This agency is willing to teach me, it is full time. Any suggestions?

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    • Expert

    Sounds like you will be doing intermittent visits. A con would be not having a say on when you do not want to service a particular client/area. When you do extended care you can control what cases you work or don't work on. Depends on how this agency handles their nuts and bolts day to day as to how much stress you will be feeling. Try doing a good read back on this forum and see what people have to say about expectations at different agencies. Some managers do a good job of treating their field nurses well and others put the pressure on. As with all jobs, it all depends. If you want a generally less stressful work atmosphere look for extended care work, one or more patients, for one or more shifts each week, you set your schedule. With intermittent visits, there will be productivity to be met, more driving around, and paperwork generated with each visit. Depends on how much of a stress break you are looking for. Good luck with your decision to move to hh.

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    Pros and cons are very individual. What is a pro for me may be a con for you. For example, I like being solitary, autonomous, and on my own for the most part. Many people miss the cameraderie of having coworkers around them all day. Do some research on this forum and you will see many of the ins-and-outs of the business and can develop a good idea of what are your particular pros and cons.

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    • Expert

    I would suggest that you get a piece of paper and do a pro and con column down each side. Write down the different ones you find, as they pertain to your unique situation, as you come across them while reading threads in the hh forum. You probably should do a separate list for extended care, also called continuous care, or shift work and a separate list for intermittent visits. They are two different animals.

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    • Author

    Is extended care like Bayada? Where you go to one pt for a full shift? I have tried them but they only have night shifts open in my area trying to get out of full time nights. I plan on doing the pro and con list after I follow the nurse all day. I am also looking into hospice. Thanks.

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    • Expert

    I was not aware of Bayada only being continuous care. They are not in my area. Only night shift? What a shame! I prefer night shift and getting night shift is almost impossible where I am. Hospice could be either way, but primarily visits rather than shifts. They usually have the LPNs do any continuous care shifts, if there are any scheduled for the patient.

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    • Author

    I like the pace of night shift at a hospital but working 5 nights a week is very hard with kids and I am over 45 and it is getting harder and harder to do these shifts. I feel like I only work or sleep. Thanks again for the info.

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    • Expert

    That's the good thing about extended care. You can work the type of shift schedule that is best for you, provided the case work allows for it. You can work from 4 to 16 hour shifts, as many times a week as you please. You can set up unique start, stop times with the client. Lots of nurses arrange to work from 6 am to 2 pm so that they can be home for their children after school. Whatever works for you, the client, and the agency. The shift flexibility is one of the biggest selling points of hh. You can also work some flexibility into visit work. I have read posts where nurses say that normally, their visits are over by 2 pm. They finish their charting at home after dinner, etc. Good luck with your shadowing.

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    I work as a CLM in the office and supervise the field staff. I love it for the fact I work 8:30 to 5pm M-F with my weekends off. I also get holidays off with pay. I have yet to stay overtime and get a full hour for lunch. My office fortuanately is very flexible if you have personal appts with Docs, Dental, or even just to get your hair done as long as not taken advantage of. I do go in the field but mostly when on call. We take ours for a week at a time and make some extra cash in doing so. Fortunately I have to do it only once every 3 months or so. Our Director doesnt allow anyone out past 9pm at night. Personally I wish I hadnt waited till my 50's to figure it out. I'd rather be where I am no then any hospital, burn unit, dialysis clinic or open heart that I've ever worked. Kind of like the V8 commercials and slap myself in the head for not doing it sooner than I did. :)

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    • Author

    Well I followed a nurse that has many years of HH exp. She is the only full time HH nurse with this small agency. We saw 5 pt and did one admission. The pts were 10 min apart. I was told by the clinical manager who is also a RN that I will have enough cases to be full time. The nurse I followed has worked for this agency for 3 yrs and it is her best job she has had. She said they work as a team and the clinical manager will go out on cases if needed. I am currently working 5 eight hour shifts at night and rarely get 2 nights off in a row. I am making great money but I am tired most of the time. The agency wants me to call them Mon with a decision. I am afraid of making another jump I have only worked at the VA for 7 months. My family including my kids want me to take the job since I am off every weekend and home every night. Any advise? Worried about the stability of it my son goes into high school and we really need to save ALOT for college.

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    • Expert

    I don't know that I would give up a job at the VA for it. But that is me. And one can never be quite sure about job stability with hh. If the agency loses business, then there is less work for the nurses. Sometimes the ebb and flow don't allow for sufficient work for everyone all the time. Tough decision.

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    I'm currently in nursing school but I'm doing my public health rotation and one of my clinical days is following a home health nurse. Home health nursing is very autonomous so if you like that, it would be a good fit for you. You also have to enjoy working with other disciplines because often times you will have to collaborate with them (such as PT/OT, home health aides, etc). I guess a con would be not being able to run down the hall to grab supplies when you run out of something :lol2: You need to make sure you have extra supplies stocked in your car!!

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    One of the MAJOR cons is the paperwork. An OASIS is long and it has to be completed correctly so the agency will get their money.

    A pro, for me, is the flexibility with my time.

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