Rant

[KateRN1]

The following is simply my rant in response to the whingers I've had to deal with the last couple of weeks:

If you don't want to travel every day and don't want to fill out a ton of paperwork every day, please go work somewhere else that offers what you want.

If you only want to work PRN and only travel within one zip code, don't get mad when I don't call you to see patients.

If you are upset because I call you to complete your paperwork or to clarify questions that are inconsistent, then please do your work properly from the start and you won't have to deal with my phone calls/emails/texts.

If you don't want to do supervisory visits, don't ask to case manage the patient.

If you didn't want to fill your gas tank three times a week, why did you buy a huge SUV (after you started home care)?

If you don't want to go to homes that are dirty, in the "hood," have hoarders, or dogs, or cats, or ants in the garden, please reconsider home care.

If you only want to see the patients who live in mansions and have hired help to attend to their needs, then consider hiring yourself out as a rent-a-nurse.

If you want a $100/week raise or you'll quit, please don't let the door hit you in the keister on the way out. Our reimbursement was cut by 10% this year and everyone here is lucky they still have a job.

If you don't want to call the office or the nurse or the therapist or the doctor and feel that you shouldn't have to communicate with anyone else, please go somewhere else. My purpose in life is not to transmit your messages when you could've just called that person instead of me.

I'm not bitter, I'm not angry, but I AM so TIRED of the people who say they love home care but in the same breath hate everything that makes home care what it is. I'm tired of the whingers, the moaners, the woe-is-me-ers. I'm tired of the people who don't do their jobs and then complain when they're asked to redo it.

I think I need a vacation.

That is all.

[caliotter3]

Vacation granted~!

[RN1263]

Do you have weekly case conference or meetings with your staff where you could bring up some of your complaints to staff in a constructive way? Perhaps, start with saying something like -we know how hard you are all working....BUT...- Blah, blah, blah. So that you don't have an aneurysm over all this? ....

Another thing, I don't know if it applies to your situation, but I think all companies should have an anonymous suggestion box. It might start a dialog regarding whatever issues the nurses are having, as well as office staff. Perhaps they are just whiners and nothing will help, but If they felt part of the "team" and not that it is office staff vs field nurses, then they might try harder.....OR maybe not?

Good Luck

PS- Out of curiosity have you ever taken a management course? It might help you get your point across, but with the staff WANTING to please you in the end vs. you becoming the enemy to them because you were a ---------(fill in the blank).

[berube]

what you describe could be exactly what goes on in my office daily!!!! we have had nurses quit because they didn't want to drive....good lord!!! i am with you 100%

[HealthyNurse]

YES! I agree completely! I am also sick of nurses complaining about having to do corrections....if you did it right the first time and took notes after getting the 100th correction of the same thing, maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't have to fix it AGAIN!

[RN1263]

YES! I agree completely! I am also sick of nurses complaining about having to do corrections....if you did it right the first time and took notes after getting the 100th correction of the same thing, maybe, just maybe, you wouldn't have to fix it AGAIN!

What corrections are your nurses having to do? What are they not doing right the first time? I'm just curious.....I will admit I'm meticulous and if I don't do something right it drives me nuts. I don't get asked to make corrections, just to lock/sign my visits/oasis, so I'm wondering what mistakes are your nurses making?..... We will be training 2 new nurses soon, so I'm looking for things they might screw up that I'll have to drill in their heads....

[KateRN1]

For the nurses who are on paper, not minding the skip pattern. If it says skip, then PLEASE SKIP! You don't get extra points for filling in all the skipped questions, in fact, it frustrates the h3ll outta me and I will not want to see you coming.

Not answering questions that are supposed to be answered. Nuff said on that.

Patients whose functional scores list them as both bedbound and chairfast. Can't be.

Patients with scores of F1 and nurse insists they need therapy. Ummm . . . why?

People who are on computers who can *see* what they haven't completed and they transmit it anyway (which our lousy software allows).

Half-@$$ing the med list and not putting in the dates and the codes. Not indicating "new" for Amoxicillin 250 mg PO BID. Ummm. . . . for how long? Forever? So it sits on the med list for 3 episodes and you keep writing "no med changes." ARGH!

Making your 485 with goals that don't match your interventions. Like: SN to instruct patient on CHF, COPD, blah, blah, blah. Goal: Patient will be knowledgeable of DM, incontinence, blah blah blah.

I could go on and on for days about the stupid stuff that people do--and continue to do--even after it being brought to their attention a dozen times.

Still needing that vacation . . . .

[4evernrs]

Kate, I feel your pain!!!! I can't for the life of me understand it. It's not like I'm just being a judgemental "office person"....I HAVE done the field nurse's job. And I did it completely, succinctly and correctly for many years. It's not rocket science, but you're right...now matter how much you preach, teach and beg, it seems that nothing changes! ....But then, why should it when they get paid regardless of whether they turn in mystery meat or filet mignon....

[twokidsmom,rn]

Sorry many of us are not perfect. When you have 9-10 pts in a day and a new SOC go home and have to hand in your written Oasis the next day. Yes some simple mistakes happen. No one is perfect, the main thing we are here to do is care for the pt making sure they have there meds, and they understand them. Making sure they do not have any pressure ulcers and if so do wound care. Making sure they have food to eat and if they are on O2 making sure they are well educated on the dangers of having O2 in the house. If they have DM making sure they know how to take there own BS and give insulin and understanding the sliding scales. Calling MD making sure they have the follow up appts made. Going over the house checking for fall safety. So if I forget to check PO on a med sheet then sorry. It won't happen again.

[systoly]

What are whingers?

[woknblues]

What are whingers?

I always wrote it as whiners. As in, a person who complains a lot. I think whingers is the British spelling v. of a whiner.

I agree with the rant here.

I don't blame people for leaving due to the high price of gasoline though. Nothing to "whine" about however, just leave. :)

[systoly]

I always wrote it as whiners. As in, a person who complains a lot. I think whingers is the British spelling v. of a whiner.

I agree with the rant here.

I don't blame people for leaving due to the high price of gasoline though. Nothing to "whine" about however, just leave. :)

Thank you for the explanation. Like my wife always says, "Would like some cheese with that whine?"

I agree with the OP on most points, especially on the gas. Even a large family does not require a 300 hp V8 to get around comfortably. I do disagree on the pay raise. This would mostly depend on the particular employer, but I just changed jobs partly due to lack of a raise in 2 years. While I heard all about the cuts etc., etc., my new employer was somehow able to give me a modest raise and better bennies for doing the exact same thing. And for the record, I didn't whine, I just gave my notice.