Refusing a case in home care

Specialties Private Duty

Updated:   Published

I have a question. I have just finished applying at Maxim healthcare and after orientation they wanted me to do a meet and greet with a family. Well, after the meet and greet I knew it wasn't in my best interest to take the case. I felt uncomfortable, long story short I told one of the coordinators at that agency that I was not interested, and he was VERY upset. Proceeded to tell me that "as a nurse you're going to be put in situations like this". To my knowledge, and hearing from other fellow nurses who work home care, I was under the impression that If I did not want to take a case, I didn't have to.

Just wondering if that is true, if I do not want to work a case, do I have the right to refuse?

I went to do a few hours with the day nurse at a new patient's home and things looked okay, but when I went back the next day for a 5 hour meet and greet with the family I knew I did no want to go back. The agency offered me $3 more an hour than what I currently make to take this assignment and tried to talk me into taking the job, but I said no after several minutes of going back and forth with the office staff. I will admit that I am a bit of a pushover and not very aggressive or demanding, so they probably thought they could talk me into it. They just didn't take into account that with 25 years of experience, I know what I will or won't do job-wise and will not be pushed into something I don't want to do--been there, done that and it didn't end well. That being said, yesterday they called and left a message wanting me to cover a shift there. Couldn't believe it! I never responded. Just signed on with this PDN agency too and they haven't offered me any other positions. I currently work PT at another PDN agency and have been with a client over a year there and enjoy it. I hate the way this has worked out but I refuse to do something that I know will make me unhappy in the long run. I personally have went to several meet and greets before finding an assignment that is a good fit. And I have taken some jobs that seemed good until the parents started treating me like a personal servant and I had to get out of there. I will go above and beyond to give good customer service, but there are limits.

1 Votes
Specializes in LTC.
MiAmorPickles said:
I went to do a few hours with the day nurse at a new patient's home and things looked okay, but when I went back the next day for a 5 hour meet and greet with the family I knew I did no want to go back. The agency offered me $3 more an hour than what I currently make to take this assignment and tried to talk me into taking the job, but I said no after several minutes of going back and forth with the office staff. I will admit that I am a bit of a pushover and not very aggressive or demanding, so they probably thought they could talk me into it. They just didn't take into account that with 25 years of experience, I know what I will or won't do job-wise and will not be pushed into something I don't want to do--been there, done that and it didn't end well. That being said, yesterday they called and left a message wanting me to cover a shift there. Couldn't believe it! I never responded. Just signed on with this PDN agency too and they haven't offered me any other positions. I currently work PT at another PDN agency and have been with a client over a year there and enjoy it. I hate the way this has worked out but I refuse to do something that I know will make me unhappy in the long run. I personally have went to several meet and greets before finding an assignment that is a good fit. And I have taken some jobs that seemed good until the parents started treating me like a personal servant and I had to get out of there. I will go above and beyond to give good customer service, but there are limits.

I hate when the agency calls to try and get me to cover a shift for a case I've already refused! I just never respond when they do that.

One time they'd ask me almost every week if I would go cover a shift an hour from where I was living and that I didn't feel comfortable with! I finally got fed up and told them to stop asking me about it because I was never going to agree to take on the case and I'd already told them no several times.

3 Votes

You have every right to refuse. Obviously that home is hard to staff which is most likely due to the same reason you refused it. He/she probably made that comment as a 'threat' to guilt you into taking the case. He/she probably felt the fire under his/her butt because the parents threatened to switch agencies if they could not staff them by a certain date.

Working in PDN for almost 10 yrs I've seen it all which is why I'm trying to get out of it! Bottom line go to another agency so you wont be blackballed for not taking horrible cases that no one wants.

I would suggest a smaller local company without a lot of recruiters that eats up the money. Maxim wanted to offer me a $5/hr pay cut.

1 Votes

The day after writing this, I got an email from this agency with a list of open jobs for my consideration. So everything worked out as it usually does in life--one way or another.

2 Votes

I've worked for them before. I had a contact person that would present the case for me. If I had any medical questions I could talk to our nurse coordinator. They tried several times to get me to take case apparently no one wanted and I would politely declined and she was ok with it. Don't know reason you declined. I'll tell you as a fairly new grad I was scared to try some cases but gave it a try and worked out well. Maybe there was some other reason you declined it.

1 Votes

The problem with refusing a case, or cases, for any reason whatsoever, is that the agency will slow down and then stop, offering work to the nurses who are not 'cooperative'. After all this time, wonder how the OP's employment with the "agency of ill repute" has turned out.

1 Votes
Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.

I have never turned down multiple cases rapid fire, but I have turned them down now and again. I haven't noticed a negative reaction from any agency's over the years. I will say otherwise I'm very flexible so they know I play ball. The trick is realizing they won't all be perfect cases. Some are gonna be trouble. Many times I look at the scheduler and say "I'll do it as long as I can or as long as they have me, but you have to make sure I get taken care of when this all goes bad" they usually do.

1 Votes

Seems like in the past five years the number of "bad" cases has gone up.

Anyone else notice this?

I want to attribute it to the internet and Google in particular.

1 Votes
smartnurse1982 said:
Seems like in the past five years the number of "bad" cases has gone up.

Anyone else notice this?

I want to attribute it to the internet and Google in particular.

I have noticed the proliferation of "bad" cases too. I've attributed this to employers realizing the increased power they possess due to the employment situation. Universally, employers will not "fix" poor management decisions but will punish good nurses for refusing to bow to bad practice decisions. After all, the next subpar or new grad nurse is around the corner. That is the attitude portrayed around my area.

2 Votes

You I have the the right to turn down a case. I can see the agency being annoyed if it is one of the first cases they offered you. But you should only work where you feel comfortable. It's not worth the risk to be in a uncomfortable situation. I've turned down several cases over the years.

1 Votes

Schedulers will say and do anything to cover a shift. The whole point of a meet and greet is to seeing you think you will be a good fit and vice versa from the families side. You don't have to take a client you don't feel will be a good fit.

I had one get mad because another agency slide in and gave me a perm case before I could even go on their meet and greet but our world is small. I reached out to a few nurses and they told me to stay away from that case because the parents were nuts so I did. Other nurses are a great resource in this business.

2 Votes
On 1/30/2018 at 4:02 PM, Crystal-Wings said:

I hate when the agency calls to try and get me to cover a shift for a case I've already refused! I just never respond when they do that.

One time they'd ask me almost every week if I would go cover a shift an hour from where I was living and that I didn't feel comfortable with! I finally got fed up and told them to stop asking me about it because I was never going to agree to take on the case and I'd already told them no several times.

I had an agency pull me from my case a week early (I was going from ft to prn only) to force me to have to go work a case an hour away that they couldn't staff and the family liked me...then when I said no gave me crap about having to fulfill my 2 wks notice and I said no you forfeited that when you pulled me a week early and tried to strongman me because you knew I would need the income since you took away a solid week (60hrs!) from me. I never took another case and ignored their calls, emails, texts.

3 Votes
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