541 Posts
Thanks! (and sorry that was SO long, I didn't realize until I saw it!) I agree it's about what you get out of this job that exceeds what you give sometimes. I think we just had a crazy September, all worked out and we even had 2 other nurses that had melt downs, one snapped on another nurse and ending up leaving their post for the day (office position) and another was upset over the constant changes and resigned but later realized it was a rash judgement after a stressful on call weekend and retracted the resignation which they accepted.
I'm hoping they see that all this overload is causing people who otherwise can handle the job and stress calmly are hitting breaking points and they do work on getting us an on call team for evenings and weekends. I'm willing to wait as this is the first job with the exception of on call, that I absolutely love.
12,853 Posts
Yup
some agencies will work you to the bone.
they will chew you up and spit you out.
if you work when over tired and make a mistake they will throw you under the bus.
if you drive impaired by lack of quality sleep and have an accident they will drug test you and criticize your choice to drive while that tired.
but if you actually make a professional and responsible decision to say enuf is enuf and it is not safe for me to do
sorry it is happening to you.
149 Posts
Find yourself a smaller hospice, sweetie. I don't know why for-profit hospices get thrown under the bus so often but I wouldn't let that be a determinate. I've worked for 2 hospices, both for profit, one large, one small. VASTLY different experiences. Trust your instincts when you go for the interview and meet the people you will be working for. Those little warning lights in your head go off for a reason (Trust me, I learned the hard way!). You want to work for an employer that WANTS to keep your hours at 40 or below and that is willing to pay hourly, not salary. Your off-time is and should be precious to both you and your employer. A wise employer knows you can't give your best work when your stressed, hungry, and running on fumes.
1 Article; 1,509 Posts
I am sorry that you are so stressed out!
The hospice scene is changing and I guess everybody is feeling the pressure.
The fact is that no administration really wants to deal with complaining employees who are overworked. While there is some kind of standard when you work in facilities, working for agencies in "home care" or "home hospice" appears to be a field "where everything goes". People who speak up against work conditions are in danger of being labeled as "no team workers", "insubordinate" and similar. Especially in home care I feel that there is a grey area because smaller companies do not have the same resources for dealing with fluctuating business, call outs, and changing acuity.
Perhaps you want to start looking around to see what else is out there in terms of jobs. It does not hurt to get an idea of other opportunities and to prepare your resume in case you want a change.
lantanaRN
23 Posts
Welcome to the "new" hospice model Been doing this for 10years for a top 11 in the country large not for profit All was good until 2 years ago when they started transitioning with another hospice and another county Total census over 200 covering multiple counties When previously my load was 12-15it has steadiy creeped to as many as 28 All in homes, spend at least 3 hours in commute time, and the higher the load the more I feel like I am doing "hit and run" visits which is not what I want to provide The families and patients deserve so much more, yes some visits can take 30 minutes or less but soetie way more. Thank goodness we have admissions nurses who do only that But I do do CTB which can also take several hours as the goal is to get them out and into an inpt bed or home on crisis care. But it is still so emotionally/spiritually rewarding that even tho I get frustrated over the corporate bs at the end of the day it's all about making the transition rewarding at best, comfortable and at peace