[Caffeinated]

Hi. I have very recently began working as a hospice nurse. Prior to this I have had no experience with home health or hospice nursing. So far I have been extremely happy with the switch, but it is very different than what I am accustomed to and I have a lot to learn.

I have been reading the posts on this forum and I thought I'd ask if anyone had any advice or suggestions about making this transition. If anyone has any recommended reading or websites that would be great too.

[caliotter3]

First of all welcome to allnurses. You will find some stickies on the home health forum concerning your questions. Also you can glean some info from reading the various threads in home hlth, agency, and hospice. The biggest thing in your transition may be overcoming a sense of inadequacy because you are going there by yourself. Remember that you always have resource people back at the office to consult when you run into problems. There are also some CEU courses in this area that you might want to consult: www.WesternSchools.com or 1-800-438-8888 has a 66 contact hour course on palliative practices and another 30 contact hour course on home health, both of which you might find useful, even if you don't take them for the CEs.

The best advice I can offer, in general, is do not be too hard on yourself concerning your learning curve, and do not be afraid to ask questions. Good luck in your new area. I hope you find your new position satisfying.

[Caffeinated]

Thanks for the reply

That CE sounds like something I'd definitely be interested.
It never dawned on me to sneak about the Home Health forum but it certainly sounds like a good suggestion.

Thanks again

[caliotter3]

I surf all over this site. Some people put some interesting info in forums that I would never have an inclination to visit. I've learned a lot of interesting tidbits just by going around the forums. Always feel free to ask questions here. There are usually people around with ideas or specific answers who are willing to share their ideas, experiences, or expertise with all. That's what makes the site so useful as well as entertaining. A lot of general info can be had by looking at the sticky threads at the beginning of each forum. You can also do searches for topics and pull up lots of posts and threads from over the years.