Becoming WCC in May, is HH nursing an option???

[Codypatody, BSN, RN]

Hi...I am going to become certified in wound care in May and have been working in wound care for the past year and a half as a consultant for a product vendor. (I miss doing hands on nursing!) I also have four years clinical exp including tele, outpatient surg., critical care and hospice. My question is, are HHAs will to pay a better hourly rate for someone with wound care certification? Are HHAs hiring wound care certified RNs to only see their wound care patients? How does this work???

Also, what is a typical day in HHA nursing like? What benefits do you receive (ex. mileage reimbursement)? What kinds of things should I look for in a HHA?

Thanks for your input!

[caliotter3]

There are agencies who have nurses who do wound care visits. They are pretty much known for paying well. You make the most money when you can do as many visits during one day as you can. The part that detracts from making a lot of visits is travel time between clients. I am certain that an agency would love to have a nurse who is certified in wound care. They could probably also utilize your expertise in providing inservices and for managing difficult cases. I would certainly, if I were you, call around and find out which agencies have wound care programs. These are the agencies I would put at the top of my list for potential employers. If you can't find an agency that has a wound care program, then you might convince an agency that does intermittent visits to start up a special program and employ you to manage it. Sounds like you have the qualifications to make a good career for yourself in home health. Good luck.

[Codypatody, BSN, RN]

Thanks Caliotter3, I appreciate the advice! Codypatody

[jnette, ASN, EMT-I]

Our agency has 2 WC certified nurses, but since the agency paid for their course and certification, travel expenses to and from, etc.,they don't get paid any more than the regular nurses do.

Most agencies I tihnk do have at least one WC nurse on board.. and when we run into difficult/problematic wounds, we will send that nurse out for a visit to see what else might be done. Other than that, this nurse does the regular visits jsut as we do. Until something pops up again which would require a little more expertise.

Alll agencies are different, but it's worth checking around ! :)