What Our Employees Have to Say

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be ...

by Suzanne F. Seri, RN, MS

I have had a varied nursing career, the largest part working as a per diem home health nurse with Community Health Network.

Why become a per diem home health nurse? Every assignment had the variety I craved, with the flexibility to work certain days for certain hours and get home to my children. Also, I learned different skills in different home health specialties and the use of various pieces of equipment. And, I was able to compare and contrast many agencies and know which would be a better match for me.

Also, as a per diem nurse, I was another voice or point of view for the primary nurse. And since each agency had different ways of keeping records, I worked the gamut - from handwritten notes to hand-held computers.

Since I speak French, Spanish and Italian, my language skills placed me in high demand. I was a maternal/child health nurse visiting Haitian, Hispanic and Brazilian families. I sharpened my psychiatric skills, as many of these families had issues relating to dysfunctional homes, with some involving the Department of Social Services. I even testified in court on one case.

Then, as an intake coordinator I learned the responsibilities of the position, the joys of juggling multiple phone calls, and how to obtain enough detailed information to make terrific intake forms. One winter I did a QA-chart review prior to a Joint Commission visit and gained new experience in record review.

As a hospice nurse, I enjoyed supporting patients and their families, as well as comforting them with touch. Pain control became another priority, and I advocated for patients to increase pain medication when needed.

While caring for elderly patients in their homes I refined my communications skills for patients who were forgetful or had vision or hearing deficits. Since many of my elderly patients were Italian, I had the opportunity to practice my oral and written skills with people who enjoyed conversing in their native language. I enjoyed ethnic specialty foods whether or not I was hungry.

A two-year stint with a private pay agency gave me another type of education. Here, the Medicare rules concerning homebound status did not hold. I needed to see the patient care in a different framework as I oversaw patient care.

Per diem home health nursing has taken me from the congestion of urban environments to the suburbs, and the quiet, spaciousness (and cows) of rural areas - and allowed me to experience the unique flavor of each. Everywhere I worked I met new people and found unlimited networking possibilities.

The downsides of being a per diem nurse were few - a dress code at one agency, increased driving times, and new charting systems. In fact, in some agencies, changes were sweeping their systems almost weekly and I found myself uttering a prayer for standardized charting systems and less paperwork in every agency across the U.S. I also got lost relatively frequently. My trustworthy book of maps helped, but often the streets were not marked so I did a lot of guessing. And, of course, if the agencies I worked for didn't need anything, I didn't have any work.

I enjoyed the experiences I have had as a per diem home health nurse. The flexibility, pay and opportunities have enhanced my career.

Temping Is For Me!

by Cheryl McInerney

I needed a break from the more than full time responsibilities of carrying a case load of patients at a home care agency reeling from personnel changes and bracing for the onset of PPS. My request to work a three day week was rejected.

My son, in his first year of middle school, was having adjustment issues. I was buying extra underwear and towels to delay having to do laundry. My dream of writing and perhaps, even going back to graduate school, seemed out of the question.

Time, a commodity more precious than gold, was in scarce supply. I felt even the time I had wasn't really my own -- some unfinished piece of paper or unresolved patient issue was always on the horizon. I loved being a community health nurse, yet, I needed a chance to catch my breath.

I gave a month's notice. I was terrified. The job market wasn't terrific and besides, I really did not want to work full time. At this point in my life, with kids in college, not working was simply not an option.

I wanted to do community health nursing without the stress of agency politics and I wanted to work three days a week. I thought maybe I needed a fairy godmother.

A friend suggested I try agency work. I recoiled - I didn't want to think of myself as the "agency nurse". She explained that she had taken a similar time out a few years ago and had worked for Community Health Network.

Another nurse friend who had worked as a supervisor, agreed. She had used nurses from Community Health Network and had always been pleased with their performance.

I took the plunge and called the agency. From the first call, I was impressed by their professionalism and their genuine concern for both the clients they serviced and the nurses they contracted with to provide home visits, discharge planning, case management and a variety of other professional roles.

I was able to "do visits" on a schedule that made sense for my family. I was writing on a regular basis. I called around for a few graduate school brochures.

Life was good. There were a few times I didn't get as many days as I wanted. Then I took a short term full time assignment. Without all the baggage of being "staff", the load seemed much lighter. If there was an issue, I had the CHN staff to call - they intervened with the agency, advocated for me and sometimes just let me vent about a difficult case.

I was offered opportunities to expand my skills and try some different settings. Agency work was just what I needed!