Working w/ Home Health Agency

AzDeb · Sep 27, 2010

Great question! I would love to hear some comments on that as well. I am contemplating doing the same thing. I think it would be great experience and during the learning process it could be beneficial to not be so overwhelmed.

adorblepuppy · Sep 27, 2010

i think home health can be good. if you can get with a good agency. you have to make sure they don't take advantage of you. don't let the families of people make you do things you know you shouldnt do. anyway good luck with it.

CNA1488 · Sep 27, 2010

I now work at LTC but used to work for a home health agency - for 8 months. Each client I saw I would only see for 1-2 hours. So I felt like I was doing a LOT of driving - I had to fight to get paid for mileage but after a few months they started paying me 30 cents a mile, but only when i drove client to client. In order to get my 40 hours, I worked 7 days a week. I had a client 7 mornings a week, and another 7 nights a week ... so I never slept in ... and then of course appointments all throughout the day. crazy schedule. I am a lot happier now working just a straight 8 hour shift then being done. and i am saving sooo much gas and miles on my car!

Oh and some families and clients were very nice and appreciative of me. But then again .... I had a client who had 6 hours a week (paid by medicaid). she started to take advantage of me and I would sometimes work for her a little over 6 hours. I told her I couldn't do that any more, and I only had time for her 6 hours, not anything more (I wasnt getting paid for more than 6 hours). She got upset, called my agency, told them I wasnt working for her AT ALL and must have been forging her signature, etc. I got suspended for a week (UNPAID) until they figured out that she was the crazy liar, not me. They transferred her to another agency. She still kept calling for WEEKS making up more stories about me stealing, and then physical abuse... I even had to go to the police station to file a report... twice...

So personally I dont like working for agencies!

CNA1488 · Sep 27, 2010

i think home health can be good. if you can get with a good agency. you have to make sure they don't take advantage of you. don't let the families of people make you do things you know you shouldnt do. anyway good luck with it.

yep it is easy to get taken advantage of both by the agency and families. Clients expect you to clean their homes too which sucks (at least a lot of them in my experience). They complained if I didn't. And my client coordinator gave me all the HARD clients (the pain in the butts, or disgusting homes that were biological hazards). I thought that all the clients must be like that. And I didn't complain because I wanted the hours. But then when I quit, she told me "This is going to be hard to get all your shifts covered. You had all the clients that everybody else refuses to see". Man was i mad

KimberlyRN89, BSN, RN · Sep 27, 2010

yep it is easy to get taken advantage of both by the agency and families. Clients expect you to clean their homes too which sucks (at least a lot of them in my experience). They complained if I didn't. And my client coordinator gave me all the HARD clients (the pain in the butts, or disgusting homes that were biological hazards). I thought that all the clients must be like that. And I didn't complain because I wanted the hours. But then when I quit, she told me "This is going to be hard to get all your shifts covered. You had all the clients that everybody else refuses to see". Man was i mad

That must be a guilt-trip line they use b/c my old job pulled that crappy line on me! Well actually it was "Omg this is my hardest client to staff wut am I gonna do?" Um, idk..not really my problem!

rosey2007 · Sep 27, 2010

I worked with an agency and they would send me to a different client every shift. The clients would be upset because they had to train someone new and it was hard on me because I had to learn a new routine. I did not mind doing the medical part of the job, but started to really burn out on the housekeeping portion of the job. I ended up having to work in LTC because my hours got cut really bad.

ctmed · Sep 30, 2010

Some of these 'home health' things always seemed to involve me being a butler, short order cook, maid, and in some agencies a chauffeur for not that much pay. Not really my cup of tea. I am not even going to talk about some of these ads I see where they want someone to "live in" for only rent.

There are better agencies that deal with just giving a bath and making sure they are still breathing. But, you need to be there quite some time and be "favored" by the agency to get the best routes and clients that will not tear up your car or your sleep.

I liked the idea of not having a boss hovering over me at any time or being able to drop by a store to pick something up at my leisure, though. Could be a good trade off if you watch for pitfalls.

mVSd · Oct 17, 2010

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mVSd · Oct 17, 2010

Every client has a "Care" plan which clearly states your duties.

I would suggest that upon your first visit, request it from the client and then sit down and discuss it's content with them. This practice will also allow you to assess the amount of their day to day they can be involved in to help maintain their level of independence. This way, there will be a clear understanding as to what you will do, when you will do it and for whom you will be doing it for!

Best of luck in your career choice:redpinkhe

sunkissed75, CNA · Oct 17, 2010

i love working in home health!!

pros:

i am my own boss! i have no one breathing done my neck during my day. if i have to run home and put a load of laundry in the dryer i can do it. if i have to stop at the store for something i can do it. there is so much freedom in my job that isn't there working in ltc.

once you get to know your clients you know who is time sensitive and who isn't. i have days that i am supposed to start at 6:30 in morning, but i am in such a routine that i can get away with starting at 7:15-7:30 (some mornings!). technically there is 15 minutes travel time between clients, however i go back to back. i love when i am able to work a 7 hour day and only be on the job for 5. you can't do that in ltc either! there has been the very odd occasion where i have had to stay a few minutes longer at a clients house, however, i make up for it somewhere in my day. i have never had a day where i have had to stay out longer than i am supposed to.

i am very good at what i do and am able to complete my tasks quickly and properly and still have time for a little chit chat. in ltc i felt there was no time for the client!! it was all rush, rush, rush and still it was a challenge to have everyone down to the dining room on time!! in home health there is no need to rush...which is far more enjoyable for both of us.

95% of my work is all personal care and a few clients have light housekeeping as well. i feel like i really make a difference for some of my clients! becasue of me, they are able to stay out of ltc and keep their independence! also, some of them are so isolated and i may be the only person they see that day.

cons

the big one for me is pay!!!! ltc workers in my area make $18-$22/hr. home health workers make $14.08 plus $0.38 km. however, all my pros far outweigh this one negative!!! in my job, i was able to choose my hours. i have no evenings or over nights. i do work every other weekend though...but you have to work weekends in health care wherever you choose to work.

the next big con would be that my hours are dependent on my clients. if a client dies or does go into ltc i may be missing hours for a week, sometimes three until they are replaced. it has actually been two months at one point that i was down almost 10 hours a week. that sucks big time on pay day!!

the only reason you will be taken advantage of is if you let it happen. like a previous poster said there is a care plan for every client. however, things aren't always so black and white are they?! that first visit will set the tone of what is to be expected of you. they will know right away if you are someone they can take advantage of or not. when something of you is asked (whether it is the fisrt visit or the 100th) that is not on the careplan, tell them right away. "well, i see it's not on the careplan. let me talk to my supervisor and see if i can get it added." now the ownus (sp?) has been put on your supervisor, it takes all the pressure off of you. if they persist, tell them straight out you don't want to get in trouble for doing something you're not supposed to. most people sympathize, as this is the last thing they want to see happen.

that being said, you also have to use your judgement. when a client asks you to wash their windows, well the obvious answer is no. but, if a client asks you to take the garbage to the curb on your way out, or you going to say no because it's not on the careplan?

home health isn't for everyone. for me this is a perfect fit. this was just supposed to be a stepping stone for me while i was in nursing school, but i am leaning towards being a home health nurse when i am done....that's how much i love it! :heartbeat

good luck to you!!!!!!

mermcm83 · Oct 17, 2010

My opinion, being a Home Health care brat, Just know who you are working for. Introduce yourself to the Director of Nursing, and just scope out the agency as a whole. You can actually work for more than one agency at a time to get a feel for whom you prefer. It can be very lucrative, and a semi-easy job compared to 9-5's. Many of the aides and nurses that I worked with in the past, only worked for me part-time, and were bringing home an additional $1000 a month or more. Dont forget, you are an individual contractor basically, take only what you want, and line your clients up so that it is convient for YOU....Good Luck!