Caregivers and healthcare professional stay away from this place. Not only are they incompetent but they are unethical. I was hired by senior bridge (Fairfield, CT) as a per diem LPN, summer of 2019, after a coworker gave me a recommendation. I initially spoke with Alex and was invited to come into the office for orientation and to complete new hire paperwork. Red flag number 1 occurred the day of orientation where I was told there were no staff in the office that could orient us but nevertheless we were instructed to complete the paperwork and answer a few questions at the ends of the packets provided.
Keep in mind, all of this took less than an hour whereas, most agency's orientation is 4-6 hours long. Once that was completed, I was given my first assignment fairly quickly. Being that I have been a nurse for over five years, the lack of training was not a deal breaker as I was confident with my skills set and assured myself that whatever assignments required skill that I was unfamiliar, I would pass up.
Red flag number 2: The RN coordinator on the assignment did not carry out the family's request regarding changing the frequency of a medication which led to the patient experiencing prolonged and unnecessary discomfort. I was later contacted late that night by the agency asking what occurred but as it turned out communication was not their strong suit. As a homecare agency nurse caring for a hospice patient, if there are any uncontrolled pain or discomfort it is the nurse's job to contact the RN and have them request a new intervention from the doctor with the goal of effectively decreasing the patient's discomfort. They advised me to record exactly what I did that day for my own record as the family was not happy. This indicated to me that the caregiver may have threaten legal actions. After that assignment I was very weary of seeking further employment through senior bridge and did not contact them for any other cases.
Red flag number 3: Months after the first assignment, I was contacted by Sierra, the new coordinator and wanted to know whether I was available to work a specific homecare case. I advised her that my other employer just assigned me to the same case that she was trying to fill. She then told me she would let my employer know that they had filled the assignment but I would go to see the patient as senior bridge staff. I agreed to give them another shot and thought maybe I read into the first incident too deeply.
I went out to the patient's home to find another Senior bridge nurse present; apparently, they double booked us. I tried to reach the office and was on hold for 10 mins before attempting to call both sierra and alex and could not reach either party. I later left at the advice of the RN who so happened to stop in to meet with the patient.
After multiple attempts alex answered her phone and advised me that I was no longer active in their system and that I would not be reimbursed for my commute or time. She said I needed to be re-hired and even then, I would only be compensated for one hour though the commute took two. Keep in mind had they booked me through my other agency who they had asked to fill this opening, my agency would have paid me four hours for having showed up to a assignment that was double booked and cancelled the day off. I asked her why would the scheduler contact me if I was deactivated? If I am not in the system at all why was I contacted? How then would they have gotten my phone number to call? If it was an error on their end why then would I not be compensated? Would I have been compensated had there not been another nurse present and I had stayed? Based on past interactions, my gut is telling me no. I believe they would have collected the payment from the caregivers and then not pay me at all using my deactivated status as an excuse. According to Alex, they are "no longer cutting corners" and I would need to provide documentation of licensure, certification etc. all of which I did provide when I was first hired (all of which are still current) and complete 6 hours of orientation so that I can be compensated for one hour of my two commute time.
In conclusion, the lack of communication in conjunction with their incompetence and unethical practices have been eye opening and definitely a learning experience for me. There is no way I could ever recommend this agency to anyone (patient or otherwise) and I am an advocate for homecare. I believe individuals who are able to receive care at home, should be able to stay in the comfort of their home. This agency is a business who clearly does not care about the patients nor its employees, who, if it weren't for them would not be able to keep its doors open. read more