Told to work 7 days/week or lose job

[ilovenursing2009]

I work home health and being new to home health I still don't understand a couple things...

#1- I was told for patients needing 7 day a week visits I MUST see them 7 days a week or lose the case. Is this right? I can't work 7 days a week for possibly months without going crazy and...

#2- How do home health nurses make any money? Lets say I get $50/hr. I see the pt one day a week for one hour. It takes me 7 days of work to get one day of pay. I really hate that I have to give up my weekends and any life I may have because I will always be working.

Help! I need to know if I should tell my boss to "stick it"! Normally this would not be thought twice about, but since I am a new grad (graduated last year), that can't find a job along with all the other thousands of new grads, I am soooooo desperate for work it makes me consider doing anything for nursing work.

[KJRN79]

I did work 7 days/week in home health, until it DID drive me crazy! I did it because I was the maternal-child nurse and no one else had the "expertise" or "inclination" to see newborns. I didn't have visits every single weekend day, but there were at least phone calls to check on new deliveries, and sometimes hospital visits to get the info on weekends. It was sad when I couldn't take it anymore, after the glory days of drive-through deliveries, but insurance companies were no longer seeking home nurses to check on moms/babies. Now they have to figure out how to get themselves back to the clinic within 7 days of discharge. Oh well, progress and all of that....

[caliotter3]

I've worked seven days a week, but of my own choosing, and they were seven eight hour shifts. I've also turned down four hour shift cases because it was too far to drive to only get four hours of pay.