First HHA job... advice?

[HappyLittleTrees]

Hi all, I'm a CMA (AAMA) with a dream of becoming a nurse! However since I've only ever worked in physician offices, I was a little worried about jumping right into the nursing program without being sure I can handle it. So I figured I'd get a job as a home health aide, so I can learn how to assist with ADLs, etc. Orientation is Thursday.

However, I'm starting to get really nervous! This company hired me on the spot, and seem kinda desperate. They have some bad employer reviews online, with people saying they try to schedule you outside of your availability, etc. I'm keeping my full time MA job, and my husband and I can survive without the extra income-- I'm doing this 100% for the experience, not the pay. So I could always quit if they treated me poorly. I want to have a better grasp on what it's really like to care for patients who are very dependent.

I guess I'm just here for some advice and encouragement; am I doing the right thing taking this job with this company? What should I do in order to be a really good HHA? How can I avoid burnout?

Thanks everyone!! :)

[Sundance327]

Hmm, your company sounds exactly how my first home health company did

I will start off by saying, there is absolutely nothing wrong with home health. It can be a great learning experience. Just in my case (most likely due to my company), it wasn't. Of the many clients I had, there were only a handful in which I got to use my actual CNA skills. The rest were just companionship and cleaning someone's house. While I did enjoy those past two scenarios, they aren't why I became certified. I had done home health for about a year until I decided to go work in a facility. By the time I started working in a facility, my CNA skills were really, really rusty from not being able to use them.

So in short, it really could be a great learning experience, or it could be the exact opposite. But a facility is really the place where I was always able to use the knowledge I was trained to do.

Hopefully yours will be a good experience, good luck!