Why HH nurses quit

Willow Moonsidhe · Apr 2, 2011

Gosh I am about to resend my resignation. I found out the RN on nights at the LTC facility does 40 patients with 2 people and sometimes if there is a call in they take 1/2 another floor for 60 patients. That sounds like a horror show. Has nursing all over just gone nuts since I came back into it?

~Willow

BrookeeLou_RN · Apr 2, 2011

Sorry but LTC is a nightmare now...I know HH is not what is was.. but some places it is the better option.. Good luck with decision.

RN1263 · Apr 3, 2011

Gosh I am about to resend my resignation. I found out the RN on nights at the LTC facility does 40 patients with 2 people and sometimes if there is a call in they take 1/2 another floor for 60 patients. That sounds like a horror show. Has nursing all over just gone nuts since I came back into it?
~Willow

Hi Willow,

Yeah, in 08' I left home care to work at a LTC facilty- I had 20 subacute patients on day shift :eek: ....I went running back to home care one month later. All the pill pushing, treatments, family harassing nurses, wheelchair alarms going off, falls, wandering patients, 15 minute neuro checks, etc. etc.... I left at the end of my shift one day and never went back! But I will admit I like one patient at a time, not 20.

Perhaps you should just find a different home care agency to work at?

twokidsmom,rn · Apr 3, 2011

I was a night RN supervisor at a LTC that I worked as a CNA. I was the only RN, had 3 LPN's and 4 CNS's doing meds. Had WELL over 60 residents. Was not my thing, but the full time supervisor has been there for close to 20yrs. Good luck with your decision. The only way to know if you will like it is to try it. The grass is not always greener.

KateRN1 · Apr 3, 2011

WE also have to get consent signed first but if not admitted to services, we have a form (Medicare has specific one) that patient would sign to acknowledge they will not receive services and no charges will be rendered.

That's a HHABN that the patient signs to acknowledge they will not receive services. Totally not needed for a non-admit, which is why you don't need the consent form singed to do the admission assessment.

BrookeeLou_RN · Apr 4, 2011

That's a HHABN that the patient signs to acknowledge they will not receive services. Totally not needed for a non-admit, which is why you don't need the consent form singed to do the admission assessment.

May be true for you but I have worked in HH agencies in four states and it is in their policy and procedure and they were quite strict about it. I am not touching a patient without consent. Just me! But I will usually decide on whether they are getting admitted on not prior to this point..

berube · Apr 4, 2011

May be true for you but I have worked in HH agencies in four states and it is in their policy and procedure and they were quite strict about it. I am not touching a patient without consent. Just me! But I will usually decide on whether they are getting admitted on not prior to this point..

from what i understand,,you don't need the consent to do the "assessment" part, but in order to touch the patient ie BP etc you do need the consent signed,,,i may be wrong, but that is the way it has always been explained to me.

macedra · Apr 4, 2011

I am new to this blog but immediately this message caught my eye. I have been in HH for 12 yrs specializing in infusion therapy. I worked on an IV team at a hospital for 3 yrs prior to going into HH (to pick up extra cash, I started with 1 patient). I was alway a third shift kinda girl so I worked alone a lot. Home health soon became my calling and I love it. I do not totally disagree that you have to be a bit of a loner (autonomous) and have a few control issues (self starter). But you definately need to have an abundance of confidence in your assessment skills and ability to manage a code by yourself if something happens to your patient when you are alone with them. I can call 911, do CPR and slam an Epi pen in a thigh all at the same time. I just would rather not do that ever again but that's just part of the job. I recently checked into another job in a hospital for a PRN position that sounded interesting but was told that I would have to take a refresher course since I had been out of the hospital arena for over 5 years. So I guess I am stuck in HH cause that ain't gonna happen. I am a good, solid and skilled nurse and I can start an IV on a rhinosceros running, I can do assessments for any kind of dx, put a wound vac on any anatomical spot of a body and hear a blood clot over the phone. (twice). I can place a PICC/MID line x 1 stick and my infection control skills are to the point of paranoid. And they want me to take a refresher course. I guess really didn't want to go back to pounding a hospital floor anyway. I am a loner with some serious control issues.

Isabelle49 · Apr 4, 2011

Gosh I am about to resend my resignation. I found out the RN on nights at the LTC facility does 40 patients with 2 people and sometimes if there is a call in they take 1/2 another floor for 60 patients. That sounds like a horror show. Has nursing all over just gone nuts since I came back into it?
~Willow

Welcome back! No, nursing hasn't gone nuts, Administrators have. I wouldn't touch that job with a 10 ft pole.

RN1263 · Apr 4, 2011

I am new to this blog but immediately this message caught my eye. I have been in HH for 12 yrs specializing in infusion therapy. I worked on an IV team at a hospital for 3 yrs prior to going into HH (to pick up extra cash, I started with 1 patient). I was alway a third shift kinda girl so I worked alone a lot. Home health soon became my calling and I love it. I do not totally disagree that you have to be a bit of a loner (autonomous) and have a few control issues (self starter). But you definately need to have an abundance of confidence in your assessment skills and ability to manage a code by yourself if something happens to your patient when you are alone with them. I can call 911, do CPR and slam an Epi pen in a thigh all at the same time. I just would rather not do that ever again but that's just part of the job. I recently checked into another job in a hospital for a PRN position that sounded interesting but was told that I would have to take a refresher course since I had been out of the hospital arena for over 5 years. So I guess I am stuck in HH cause that ain't gonna happen. I am a good, solid and skilled nurse and I can start an IV on a rhinosceros running, I can do assessments for any kind of dx, put a wound vac on any anatomical spot of a body and hear a blood clot over the phone. (twice). I can place a PICC/MID line x 1 stick and my infection control skills are to the point of paranoid. And they want me to take a refresher course. I guess really didn't want to go back to pounding a hospital floor anyway. I am a loner with some serious control issues.

Welcome to Allnurses!

I'm not sure what you're trying to say with your post?... If you don't want to take a refresher course to get a PRN job at a hospital, then definitely don't. However, I wouldn't say that you are "stuck" in HH, because of it, because if you are as good as you say, then you could do the refresher w/ your hands tied behind your back, while doing cartwheels. Perhaps another hospital would hire you PRN without the refresher?

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Apr 5, 2011

I am a manager, but I am also still a field nurse. So don't even start with that BS of "you forgot what it's like." No, I most certainly have not.

That person wasn't talking about you, or your post. Members- check to make sure that whatever annoyed you was actually talking about you before snapping back. This is how good threads go right off the rails.

caryrey02 · Apr 10, 2011

I have decided the biggest reason home health nurses quit is no time off. You work non stop all day 8 am to 5 pm then get home and still have 2 to 3 hours of charting. It is nuts.
Blessings
~Golanv

In my case it was because my employer did not offer opportunities to further my career, earn certifications or improve my skills as a nurse. All they seemed to worry about was not having problems affecting the ability of the agency to remain open. Aweful salary, no consideration at all and my nursing license exposed to be lost any second.... I ran from it and I am never looking back :eek: