Thrown Under the Bus......

[pat8585]

anyone doing home care ever been "thrown under the bus" from a family member? I was recently. I had been a very dedicated nurse to a family for almost two years. When another nurse started working for them in addition to me,

they basically dropped me and went with her. I was devastated but after hearing the mom is now on ANOTHER nurse (several months later)

I feel better.

Does this happen often in home care?

[caliotter3]

When talking to others, I have found that it happens often. Some of the families get a lot of satisfaction in the ability to take a person's livelihood away from them. The ultimate power trip for the ego-starved. Since there is usually a neverending supply of ready, willing, and maybe able, nurses to choose from, they can discard nurses at every whim. Rare the agency that tells them they are pushing the line.

[caliotter3]

The other factor in the equation is the other nurse or nurses. I can't count the times that the family has asked me if I wanted to give up assigned shifts to accommodate a newcomer who seems to think she needs and is entitled to work more than I am. There are those who know just how to manipulate the family to insure that you are out the door and they get what they want, whether it be free rein over how things are done, or your job. Agencies thrive on these employees it seems.