What to look for in a agency? newbie to HH

[MadelineGlass]

HI all. Thank God I found you!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a new HH nurse....love it to death but like all others i hate the paper work.

I am confused, i have worked for three agencies since August and find totally impossible to make a living. I get per visit, (RN so i do roc,soc and post and sn). between the time driving, gas, paperwork, driving to turn it in, the case mtgs, the calls into office to do corrections, the phone time cordinating disciplines and soothing family and patients------then I get to do care and eduation and assessing (thats the fun part) I figure I make about $4 or less and hour. Somedays I actually lose money going to work.....

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!!!

What is it I should be interviewing the companies for,

Every place is so chaotic in the office, seems so unorganized, lots of chief and no indians and every office seems to change its 'how to do things' at least once a week.

Is it crazy for me to ask for a cell phone (my was 500 this month cause of clients and coordinating teams from field), a base pay to cover the time i am 'coordinating' and my pervisit. I also dont have insurance, medical or dental?

This one company expects me to print all my own teaching and med material with my own printer. I dont think so but my clients need it and i dont want to deny my clients.!

Ok , codependant RN is asking for help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont want to return to floor , i love it but i get high helping in the field! I love it and want to find a way to keep doing it.

Also , is there any way to determine if the company and its nurses have standards? lol seems like HH rns forget basic charting 101, PIE. lol

Sorry so long but i really need help.

Where best info to give pts

how expidite with out rushing

how to learn coding

how to make a living

how to organize etc etc etc

and do i have to sign everything they shove infront of my face when i walk in the office (RN only can sign?) I have been refusing til i review the chart but remember i dont get paid to sit and review the charts ! and i am NOT signing my license to something i know nothing about.....is that unusual?

Madeline

[Traveler]

If you have worked for three agencies since August and have only been doing home health since August, I don't think you have given yourself enough time to adjust to this new setting. There is so much different paperwork, coding, Oasis, etc. to learn in hh plus the patient care which is very different than facility nursing. I have done hh for 4 years and started with a different hh agency at the end of August. I am only now feeling comfortable with the new area and change in various procedures with the new company. I was already comfortable with all of the hh/Oasis stuff.

I have always worked per visit and some days monetarily are better than others. But I figure the good days where everything goes right and I just see a ton of patients makes up for the bad days. There are many days where everything goes wrong and I end up spending an hour at each patient's house, drive a ton of miles, and am up until 2am with paperwork at home. But like I said, average it out and it's all right. Good patient care though is and should be the priority of all hh nurses. I am going to spend as much time as I need to with my patient to give them what they need. The minute I can't do that, I'm going to quit. That's one of the biggest reasons I quit my last job.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I worked 2 years ago for a company who paid per visit/low pay/mileage and such. My cases were so far apart some days I could only see 3 to 4 people/different counties and such. I made 8.50 on a good day/due to all the hours spent at work divided by what I made. I made 10 on a good day. That is why I left/plus was working on my masters. If your patients are close together it takes alot of those issues away other than the paperwork tiger your trying to tame.

Yes I would ask for a cell phone.......immediately. Give yourself a year minimum to get settled.

renerian