Offered a Postition from a Home Health agency should I take it?

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Should I take a Home Health agency job if I am a new grad, so far no offers from hospital?

Didn't intend to hijack the thread, but hoped my recent experience with home care as a new grad would help Jaytee get a feel for what it's like. Hope it helped.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for your advice it helped me to make a decison, I decided to go with the Home Health position, it was offered to me yesterday and I start orientation Monday, the pay was good 26.00 hour, full benefits, and holidays off, cell phone, lap top and gas mileage reimbursement. I am excited cant want to start.

Hi -- I just found out that my patient/client is in the hospital, so my shifts are on hold until she returns. Something I hadn't factored in!

Sounds like your company is generous, offering the mileage. Wish I had that. But am still determined to stick with it...

Hope all goes well and you enjoy and thrive!

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Mileage is for skilled intermittent home health (visits) with multiple patients. Main objective post hospitalization is to prevent readmission. It sounds like you are doing private duty which is 4-16 hours shifts on a single case. And yes if your patient is hospitalized and you are oriented to a single case, you are out of luck. Many of these patients can be inpatient for weeks to months.

My new Home Health position will include visiting several patients a day, driving from one house to another gas could easily add up. Dont know if I would had accepted offered if mileage was not included.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
My new Home Health position will include visiting several patients a day, driving from one house to another gas could easily add up. Dont know if I would had accepted offered if mileage was not included.

In traditional skilled visit HH like this mileage is commonly included. If not at IRS rate (around 55c or so) you can deduct the difference if qualified (ex if agency pays 50c/mile you could deduct 5c mile)

I'm surprised you were hired in skilled intermittent home health as a new grad as strong assessment and clinical knowledge/experience are needed for traditional home health.

JustBeachy Nurse

why are you surprise their are some places willing to give new grad a chance to grow, thank God for that, I have found a good company that is willing to train new grad and they pay well with benefits, I get so many experience nurses who like to act like the skills they have are impossible to learn, remember we train for years in hospital before we are qualify to test for our license, I am a new nurse but I do have some assessment skills. Yes I am still learning but new nurses should not be force to take jobs no one else wants

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Some states mandate 2 years clinical experience before you can work home health. Most agencies do not give a thorough orientation & preceptorship which only hurts the nurse & patient if the nurse is inexperienced and major signs are missed causing patient harm.

If you found an agency that offers a full orientation and several weeks preceptorship (there are a few) count yourself lucky. Sadly most new grads are thrown to the wolves.

JustBeachyNurse , My state does not mandate 2 years clinical experience before you can work home health. My agency hires mostly new grads prefers them to experience nurse so they train them their way. Owner told me when she gets experience nurses it is harder to retrain them the way she wants them instead just training new nurse.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

California is one state. Technically Medicare rules require agencies hire experienced nurses. If your agency is offering a proper orientation and preceptorship you are fortunate. New grads need education and support as they enter the workforce. If you found a company smart enough to offer that, great. Many new grads are not that fortunate. 2 or 3 days and left alone. You need to be aware of what you don't know as much as what you do know so that if a unusual scenario occurs you have the foresight to call for support and assistance. Even experienced nurses call for reinforcements with scenarios they are unfamiliar with. No one knows everything. Accept that. Ensure you have adequate job training & support. Ask for help if you need it.

Most skilled home health agencies don't do extended orientations or preceptorships hence they only hire nurses with 1-2 years paid experience especially if a Medicare certified agency. And the experience needs to be relevant to the patient population. One agency does post partum & newborn follow up visits so they hire experienced LDRP nurses.

Another agency only hires certified wound nurses.

The scariest of new grads in home health I met last week. Cocky. Overly confident to the point of being blind to her knowledge deficits. Insufficient clinical and knowledge. Rude to the clinical supervisor and other nurses in the group. Insisted she was the best and had this not been a mannequin would have pierced an infants brain and likely suctioned out brain tissue by totally disregarding the skills text and demonstration. Fortunately this type of cocky new grad is not common as they rarely make it past the interview stage. I doubt she will be with the company much longer as a result.

There are new grads in LTC that get a few days facility orientation and left alone with minimal support. This is a shame as many new grads have great potential to be skilled nurses.

Thanks, JustBeachyNurse, for the insights. (I'm piggybacking on your post OP, hope that's okay, since we're both new to this.)

This is how out of touch I was in the hiring process. When I reported for first day orientation with the company, I was surprised to see "PDN" (private duty nurse) on the orientation booklet. The job was advertised as Home Health and I didn't know the difference. I thought 2 weeks' training for each client was generous, until I found out it was only one day and with family, not nurse.

There have been other surprises, too. I don't blame the company, but I am getting more and more uncomfortable. Posts such as yours are adding to my anxiety. Any suggestions?

JustBeachyNurse

No nurse should be cocky rather new grad or experience, always room for improvement, I would not accept a job that did not have the sufficent amount of training. I am willing to learn and want as much training as possible.No need to prove my knowledge I am coming into my job with an open mind and willingness to be taught.

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