Do home health agencies offer any training?

[Nurse ABC]

I'm considering applying for a home health position but wondered if most agencies offer any sort of training. For instance, I'm good with blood draws but not IV's. I'm good with foley's but not had much experience with trachs. I've been in the school system for the past several years so I have good assessment skills. I'm just not sure if I should even apply. I would like to do something different where I can do more technical stuff.

[caliotter3]

This varies with individual supervisory staff at individual agency offices, but for the most part, agencies do not take much time to train people. In order to receive training, usually, you have to be proactive in asking for it, or getting training from a third party resource, on your own.

[Amandamarielpn]

At my home health agency, anything you specify that you need more training in they make sure to send you out with a nurse that is seeing a patient for that skill, as many times you need to feel confident. I hadn't seen huber needle changes before so my agency made sure to send me out with someone who was changing one.

-Amanda LPN, sent from my iPhone

[Sadunlap]

I can tell you at my home health agency we offer approx 3 months worth of training. Most of the challenge is the computer documentation system we use. Home Health is so regulated that much time is also spent reviewing that as well. Nursing skills that need extra training will be accomodated... there are a lot of people with limited phlebotomy skills and fortunately because we are affilitated with a hospital we are able to have them do lab draw rounds at the hospital and really beef up their skills there. We have competency checklists for all skills and also yearly skills labs for all clinical staff to maintain those rarely used skills. I think the company invests so much with each nurse because we are so alone out there and don't have the benefit of a complete back up team just a call away.

[ToughingItOut]

That's awesome!! Where is your company located? I'm mostly interested in doing peds home health. Any suggestions?