Questions about Home Health - considering a job! Please help!

[muesli]

I'm looking at a posting for a home health job. I'm attracted to it for the following reasons:

1) the one-on-one time with the patient

2) the flexibility - I like that I can document at home, and arrange my visits to when it works for me (do you find this to be true?). I have kids so the more time at home, the better.

3) this position is in the evening, which is not easy for me to find in non-medsurg hospital based jobs

my questions:

1) Do home health nurses usually work weekends? Holidays? This is essential to me, for religious reasons (specifically Saturdays). I would love to find a job where I work less weekends (Saturdays) than I do now - which is every third weekend.

2) pay. Money is very tight. Come this November (annual raise) I will be making about $1300 gross weekly working 32 hours/week. This new position states that I would be working the same number of hours a week. However, I noticed that some home health nurses get paid by the visit - on another thread, they stated they saw 5 patients/day and made $35 a visit. If that were the case, I'd be making only $700/week! That's almost half what I'm making in the hospital. My family couldn't survive. Is this right? I live in Massachusetts FYI.

Thank you in advance.

[KateRN1]

The questions you ask are very specific to the agency for which you work as well as the type of home health care (intermittent visits vs. extended care). You would do better to ask the agency directly about weekend coverage and pay rates.

[caliotter3]

In general, you are able to arrange your availability with the agency. If you don't want to work on the weekend, simply tell them. They will work around your availability. You have to find out if this position is for intermittent visits or extended care, paid by the hour, salaried, or pay per visit. When you discuss this with the hiring manager, you will see if it will meet your need for steady income. Best wishes.

[Kyasi]

You may want to check to see if there is a weekend requirement. You may not have an option of saying you don't want to work weekends. Each agency is different in regards to their requirements, so don't sign on the dotted like until you have all the information you need to make an informed decision.

For the most part though, home care is very flexible which is why I've been doing it for so long. In my case, I chose less pay for flexibility and I've never been sorry. For a very long time, I worked 3-13 hr shifts/wk on M,Tu, W and had a 4 day weekend. When I wanted to take a vacation I worked Su, M, T and went on vacation Wed-->Wed and worked Th, F, Sa the following week. I didn't have to even use my vacation pay most of the time. Loved it!

Kyasi

[MsRN247]

those questions you asked are very good, because like the other nurses are telling you, vary by agency. I'm in the field, and yes it is very flexible. but like you mentioned, very low pay. that's one of the reasons im looking into a hospital job myself. usually, there is NO guaranteed pay/job/patients with home health agencies. YOu're a RN right? make sure you ask your agency about the paperwork--how they're submitted, whether you need to drop it off or you mail it. or if its done by computer. if gas is reimbursed.

what is the pay per visit? or paid per hour?

how many patients they can give you every week.

you might be spending more time at home paperwork does take lots of time. I felt the same exact way as you do, before I got into this field. things about HH that attracted me is the same as yours! but not so easy lol. best wishes.

p.s. can you do part time hospital job?