Group Forums >> Home Health Nursing >> Requirements for Home Care
Requirements for Home Care
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Posted about 5 years ago What experience does an RN need to get into home care. I know that I can't just get into it without having some hospital training. Any departments that I should work in first before getting into home health? |
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| Posted about 5 years ago Somewhere, where you can get experience with trachs, respirators and care. This is for either pediatric or adult. home health care pays very much lower than hospital nursing, just so you know. Most wish 2 years of experience in an acute care setting before you go into home health. |
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| Posted about 5 years ago Thanks for the advice. I am sure it doesn't pay as well as the hospital, but that is not the point. It's my passion. |
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| Posted about 5 years ago ok it's your passion, but if you can get into home health through a hospital situation the pay is much better. When I'm saying the pay is much less, working through an agency I mean it's $15 a hour or more, less than you would get paid in other areas. When you're trying to live and pay bills, that means quite a bit. |
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| Posted about 5 years ago Most Home Health agencies require 2 years of med surg experience for RN's with an AD degree. I strongly recommend the 2 years because when you are out in Timbuktu it is you and your patient. You need a strong background and excellent assessment skills. dmazment is right about the pay. Most home care agencies do pay less and several pay by the visit........major pitfall. They don't pay mileage or for paperwork time, and there is alot of paperwork in home health. I am lucky in that I am a state employee and my benefits mean so much to me. I do get paid less than hospital nurses, but I earn 3.75 paid days off per month, I get all those silly Holidays off, and I only have to work 1 weekend every six weeks, and I have excellent health insurance. This job has been a life saver for me. If you are passionate about home health go for it! |
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| Posted about 5 years ago My Home Care experience has always been in Hospice. Working for a visiting nurse company that was non-profit was awsome! The pay was good, the benefits were amazing, and paperwork was not overwheming to me. At times for one company similar to this, I did see both Hospice and Home Health pts., but my main title was 'Hospice Liason', so I also worked in the promotional dept. The last job in Hospice was great! And I do not have 2 years of hospital nursing unfortunately. A referral from my doctor man at the time who knew the Medical Director, called and had him give me a really good referral, which got me the job, I know. But once I was in there, I saw that many nurses had not had the hospital time I had expected. Some had worked in home health/hospice for years! I don't know about the pay for home calls from a registry, compared to working for just a home care/hospice company. They tested me on my assessment skills in the field while I was training. Personally, I don't think you gain those skills only in a hospital. I found the years living and working with the doctor, gave me loads of information I know I never would have learned. He taught me so much, and one was assessing a patient. He had me do that in his office while he watched. I guess I kind of just was able to catch on quickly, and listening to him on the phone giving orders to the nurses LOL and talking to other docs was kind of seeing 'the other side' of nursing. I know my situation was unique. For some reason, he helped me to understand that it is so much about experience and not what school you went to. Of course he comes from another country, and in Mexico, you are a nurse. Period. When he came here to do his Intership, he thought nurses were nurses. It was not until he met me that he learned the 'steps' in nursing. He knew that an NP was advanced nursing, but the LVN, RN, RN with no degree, RN with an AD, RN with a BSN, were a complete surprise to him. He couldn't understand why it was so hard to get to certain levels and why we weren't all the 'same'. I have thought of that topic many times and written somewhere about it. Does anyone else agree that it would be better for ALL nurses if we were Nationally Certified, for all states? Since I just enrolled for an LVN to BSN program that finally opened up the door again for Calif. nurses to advance themselves while still bringing in the dough, I just think how odd it is that each state is SO different! Come on people who decide when a state can have a program or not have one available.......What and why and how do 'you' decide all this?? After all..... WE ALL ARE NURSES!!!!! |
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| Posted about 5 years ago I think you need to be strong on your feet and very comfortable with your skills, you will not find a team of nurses in the patients bathroom to help if you have a problem. The nurses I see struggle in home health are not strong in skills and lack confidence, this will kill you, patients and doctors like snakes (the doc's I mean) sense and smell weakness! If you go into home health make sure you get a lot of training with an experienced nurse in home health, don't let admin push you off on your own too soon, ask many questions of anyone willing to answer. Be kind and sincere with your patients, let them see you care and this will give much foregiveness if you forget something small. Good luck A busy RN is here |
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159 posts back to top |
| Posted almost 5 years ago dmazment says ... ok it's your passion, but if you can get into home health through a hospital situation the pay is much better. When I'm saying the pay is much less, working through an agency I mean it's $15 a hour or more, less than you would get paid in other areas. When you're trying to live and pay bills, that means quite a bit. Oh, ok I get it. Thanks! |
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| Posted almost 5 years ago Thanks for all your advice. I will take it all to heart. I know that I have to have strong skills to get into home health, but eventually that is where I would like to be. |
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| Posted over 4 years ago This is interesting as I have been in it for 15 years and am an L.P.N.-I believe U have to be a self-starter know your limitations and have a strong support team- this is usually the parents,Dr.'s other caregivers and R.N.'s that case manage and work in the home- If I have interviewed for a case that is overwhelming to me -experience wise or physically-I turn it down as I would never want to get in over my head-I work in ped.s' and am constantly researching meds,dosages treatments respiratory equipment and management skills-Love the one on one family work and burned out on hospital work in my 40'S-The pay and benefits may not be as good but I made up to 22.00 an hour many years ago- Nursing agencies here are desperate and will actually bid for nurses - most nurses just don't know that- Home Care in Mi and love it JMCM248 Nurse loves Goldens |
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| Posted over 4 years ago I've just read the postings regarding getting into home health as an RN. There is no question, if you want to become a Home Health RN you must have a strong desire to work in that type of an environment. You also must be very versatile and able to detect any slight changes in the client's condition. I do have have one very strong disagreement with regard to the pay for Home Health RN's. At least in Ohio and Arizona, Home Health RN's earnings greatly exceed what our hospitals are paying. We're working with RN's who are earning twice the salary they were in the hospitals. But, do not going into home health just for the pay, you have to be there because you want that one-on-one experience with your client and you have to absolutely love what you do. |
