Rozina Aziz Discover how to become a home health nurse and make a meaningful impact on the lives of needy patients. This guide has everything you need to know, from education and training to job requirements and career growth opportunities. Get started on your path to a rewarding career in healthcare today!
What is a Home Health Nurse?
A Home Health Nurse is a healthcare professional who provides nursing care to patients in their own homes instead of in a hospital or clinic setting. Home health nurses work with patients and their families to develop and carry out treatment plans, provide education about disease prevention and management, coordinate other healthcare services, monitor patient progress, and provide emotional support.
What Is Home Health Nursing?
Home health nurses treat patients in the comfort of their own homes, often individually. Patients who receive home health nursing services may have various health conditions, including but not limited to aging, disability, terminal illness, post-illness recovery, accident recovery, or chronic disease management.
Some home health nurses specialize in providing care, education, and support to expectant and new moms. Bathing, dressing, and even more complex tasks like wound care, drug administration, and intravenous therapy are all within the purview of home healthcare providers.
Nursing Specialties in the Home Health Nursing:
Home health nurses may have a long-term, one-on-one relationship with a single patient or make daily rounds with several patients. They may focus on one subfield within their industry or combine many.
- Gerontology
- Pediatrics
- Public and community health
- Mental and psychiatric health
- Medical/Surgical
What Do Home Health Nurses Do?
Home health nursing workers have many responsibilities depending on their training and experience.
The responsibilities of a registered nurse include:
- Drug delivery, such as intravenous infusions
- Dressing changes/wound care
- Vital signs monitoring
- Conducting full-body examinations
- Art classrooms
- Helping with ADLs, including washing, using the restroom, and grooming
- Helping with mobility and more
- Collaborating with the doctor to create a treatment strategy
The responsibilities of a Licensed Vocational Nurse:
- Medications are given orally (not including IVs)
- Dressing changes/wound care
- Vital signs monitoring
- Communicating the patient’s concerns to the charge nurse.
- ADL support
- Helping with mobility and more
The responsibilities of a Nurse Assistant:
- Vital signs monitoring
- Communicate the patient’s concerns to the charge nurse.
- ADL support
- Helping with mobility and more
Where Do Home Health Nurses Work?
Nurses specializing in home health may find employment with:
- Agencies
- Groups affiliated with local or national governments
- The Hospice Association
- Hospitals
- Insurance Agencies
Home health nurses have a unique opportunity to establish a personal connection with their patients and their families due to the nature of their job, which involves visiting patients at their homes. They operate alone but as part of a medical team; therefore, their timetables are usually flexible.
What are the Reasons to Consider a Career as a Home Health Nurse?
If you’re a nurse interested in a burgeoning specialty, keep reading about the five benefits of working in home healthcare. Concerning them, such as the strength of their social support system, the types of help they have access to, and the existence of any other factors that may be affecting their health and chance of recovery.
Design a Career That Can Grow With You:
Mostly (depending on your employer), home healthcare nurses set their schedules and are not bound by the rigid shift structure of traditional hospital nursing. You may spend less time on your feet in the emergency room and more time in the car, where you may check patients’ progress, counsel them, and educate them about their medicines.
Discover Your Freedom and Identity:
Nurses working in home healthcare often work as part of a larger care team, but they still need to be able to think and respond fast on their own. Visiting nurses demands a higher level of critical thinking and adaptation because they work in a non-standard environment.
Accommodating a wide range of patient’s needs:
Do you want to focus on just one type of patient? Home health care nurses should be considered. Home healthcare nurses care for patients of all ages, from babies to the elderly.
Develop Fulfilling Connections With Your Patients:
Nurses can better assess the patient’s daily routine and any risks or conditions affecting their health if they visit them at home.
How to Become a Home Health Nurse?
Here are the measures you must follow to enter the field of home health nursing:
Get your nursing degree:
A diploma, associate, or bachelor’s degree program in nursing is required to enter the field. Programs leading to a diploma or associate’s degree in nursing are available in 2-year community, vocational, and technical colleges. Coursework, labs, and clinical practicums are all mandatory components of these programs. In most cases, four-year nursing programs include two years of foundational coursework and two years of advanced study. The clinical and analytical aspects of these programs are equally important.
Finding appropriate volunteer work is crucial for this stage’s success. Prospective nurses can gain experience working with patients in their homes through volunteer initiatives that provide home visits. Volunteering in this field helps those considering a home health care career learn the ropes and decide if it fits them appropriately.
Obtain a License:
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) administers the NCLEX-RN after a candidate has completed a nursing program and fulfilled all other state requirements. Students who do well on this exam will be qualified to apply for RN licenses in the states in which they live.
Be careful to prepare for the licensing exam if you want to pass with flying colors. Preparation classes for the NCLEX-RN exam are available at testing centers and universities. A student’s chances of success on the exam may improve if they enroll in one of these classes. It would help if you studied for the test, too. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the test’s format and processes beforehand. You should also find your testing location well in advance of exam day.
Work as a Registered Nurse to Gain Experience:
Employers who need home health nurses typically look for applicants with at least a year of nursing experience; candidates with critical care experience are preferred. One can acquire the abilities essential to work in a home care setting by gaining experience in a hospital’s emergency room, critical care unit, or intensive care unit.
Potential for Professional Growth
There are numerous chances for a home health nurse with experience and education above the bachelor’s level. Registered nurses can advance their careers and work in more desirable locations like hospitals and community clinics. A home health care nurse’s compensation may increase if she pursues a career in either management or business.
Some home health aides may choose to further their education and earn the advanced practice registered nurse title, allowing them to dispense medication and provide more comprehensive care to their patients. A home health nurse must first receive a diploma or bachelor’s degree in nursing before taking and passing the NCLEX-RN licensing exam.
What else do you need to become a home health nurse?
Here are some of the requirements for being a home health nurse:
Licensing:
Individuals interested in home health nursing might get there in various ways. A licensed practical nurse (LPN) may find employment in home health care. Nevertheless, many home healthcare firms prefer hiring RNs with at least a bachelor’s degree.
The two-year associate and four-year bachelor’s programs emphasize clinical training, but the latter also includes research, management, and leadership instruction. Individuals pursuing home health nursing must possess a minimum of two years of clinical patient care experience and must achieve a passing score on the NCLEX-RN examination.
Those who aspire to administrative positions within the nursing profession are also encouraged to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). The RN to MSN program is a common pathway for registered nurses interested in advancing their education to the doctoral level.
Continuing Study
Continuing education is a popular choice for home health nurses, and many states need specific hours of study before a license can be renewed. Through continuing education, nurses can expand their career options and remain current on the newest medical developments.
Accreditations and Qualifications:
There are no certifications tailored specifically to home health care nurses. However, those working in the field could benefit from standard nursing certifications. Here are three of the most popular credentials held by nurses.
CERTIFICATION IN PEDIATRICS:
Candidates for this credential are expected to hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree at the very least. Additionally, you’ll need 3,000 pediatric experience or 1,800 clinical experiences gained within the last two years. The certification process can begin if the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board accepts the application.
ONCOLOGY SPECIALIZATION:
The nurses who wish to earn this credential must demonstrate their knowledge of oncology. In addition, registered nurses will need to provide evidence of two years of employment within the previous four. Applicants will need 10 contact hours of cancer CNE and 2,000 hours of specialist practice.
REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST:
A nurse with this credential is qualified to do anesthesia. This credential requires completing a nurse anesthesia education program approved by the Council on Accreditation. You must be a registered nurse with a current license to take the exam.
What are the Difficulties Faced by Home Health Nurses?
Nurses may face obstacles out of their control when caring for a patient at home. It’s not unusual for this kind of nurse to work in a messy home. Problems can also arise from the house’s design or construction. Ensuring the safety of patients with mobility challenges can be a tricky business, as the necessary equipment is not always readily available.
A restroom that is not wheelchair-accessible, for instance. Incorrect transfer techniques may be performed, posing a risk to the caregiver and the person receiving care. Injections or intravenous therapy at home are necessary for many individuals. In the high stakes game of nurse vs. needle, a crucial tool in the arsenal is the handy sharps container. Without it, a nurse may have to make a daring escape from the patient’s room to dispose of the used needle safely.
Needlesticks occur when a person recaps a needle because they cannot access a safe way to dispose of it. Individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s may exhibit agitation or aggression if an unfamiliar person enters their residence, due to their confusion and disorientation. The danger level rises when the nurse has to administer painful procedures like injections or blood draws.
If a disagreement with a patient escalates, a Home Health Nurse has no one to call for help. Home health nurses must be vigilant about checking in on their own and their patients’ safety, keeping their cool in dangerous situations and speaking up when necessary.
How much does a home health nurse make?
The salaries of home health nurses are comparable to those of nurses in hospitals and other institutional settings. Glassdoor.com states that the average annual salary for the profession is $122,583, depending on education level, years of experience, company size and kind, and geographic region. Payscale.com indicates that their average hourly pay is $28.85.
What is the Career Outlook for Home Health Nurses?
Demand for healthcare workers is skyrocketing, yet fewer people enter the field. As a result, all types of nursing are experiencing a critical shortage of nurses. The number of registered nurses is projected to rise from 3.1 million in 2021 to 3.3 million in 2031, a gain of 195,400 jobs. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) forecasts a 6% growth in this gap between 2021 and 2031. Regrettably, the BLS does not provide separate data for many sub-fields of nursing.
FAQ’s
What qualifications do I need to become a Home Health Nurse?
Candidates for this credential are expected to hold either a bachelor’s or master’s degree at the very least. Additionally, you’ll need 3,000 pediatric experience or 1,800 clinical experiences gained within the last two years. The certification process can begin if the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board accepts the application.
What skills are essential for a Home Health Nurse?
Essential skills for a Home Health Nurse include excellent communication and interpersonal skills, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, the ability to work independently, and a strong sense of compassion.
What are the job responsibilities of a Home Health Nurse?
The job responsibilities of a Home Health Nurse include assessing patients’ health status, developing and implementing care plans, administering medications, monitoring vital signs, educating patients and their families about managing their health conditions, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals.
How can I find job opportunities as a Home Health Nurse?
You can find job opportunities as a Home Health Nurse by searching online job boards, networking with other healthcare professionals, and contacting home health agencies directly.
