Discouraged

[Tepidorchid]

So I recently started a new job at a small HH agency to get away from the chaos of the hospital. I'm just finding Home Health to be close in stress level. My training was only 2-3 weeks and now I'm off on my own and there is only 2 other nurses as several are unavailable. The workload is more than I can handle. I've told the Manager this but they said you'll learn as you go. I haven't been to any training classes yet. I'm starting to regret this move and wonder whether I should stick in there or apply for another job. I really do not enjoy this work so far. I don't have much experience and don't feel comfortable in the home setting. I feel pressured to stay in this job because I need the money and have worked so hard to get it.

Any words of wisdom from more experienced nurses would be appreciated as well as resources for making Home health less of a maze. I am rather young and wish I could do something non-nursing entirely. I have low confidence in general and always am tortured by the thought of work while trying to have 'me time' at home. Switching to a new career is easier said than done. Thanks for listening.

[paradiseboundRN]

Try to give it more time, anything new will always be more stressful. It really does get better. Read the posts about "tips and tricks for home care nurses" to see if you can get some ideas of how to streamline your day. Keep track of how much time you are putting in every day so you give the management some real numbers of why you feel overworked. If there is something specific that you are having a problem with, then post questions and we'll try to answer them. Good luck and keep reading the posts.

[IowafemaleRN]

OMG, when I saw this I thought did I write this recently and just forgot? lol I just started HHC and only had 3 weeks of training. I felt sick of the office gossiping in the hospital and having a million things going on with having 5 to 6 pt's to take care of at once. I thought HHC would be less stressful since you are with one pt at a time. I feel very unsure of myself and am anxious when pt's ask me questions out in the field, that I don't know how to answer. Sometimes I'll call into the office for some feedback and have a hard time getting through to someone. Looks like you posted this a month ago. I would love to hear how it's going now if you have stuck with it. I'm questioning if I should stick with HHC. Maybe it's just the learning curve thats stressful?

[paradiseboundRN]

There is definitely a learning curve in home health. Home health is a specialty. Nurses are always surprised that they can't jump right in after working at a hospital but I'm not. You wouldn't be able to jump right into OB, psych, or Peds either! There are many things you need to learn that are nearly exclusive to Home health such as, Medicare Conditions of Participation, OASIS, home care documentation, etc. And its a big adjustment if you have never worked out in the community before. You have to get used to working out of your car, learning your territory, finding the labs and time management. Remember, in home care, you may visit a patient for a few visits or a few years. You will make a difference in many patient's life. So, is it stressful? Yes. Change is always stressful. But I happen to think its worth it. I recommend you get this book. It helped me greatly! The Handbook of Home Health Standards: Quality, Documentation and Reimbursement by Tina Marelli. Good Luck!