Future of Home Health

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Sep 29, 2011

What kind of interest do nurses have to enter home health nursing? It seems as though as healthcare reform and as Medicare continues to reduce cost, home health is a solution to these reductions. Are there schools focusing on educating nurses to become home health nurses?

Just about everything you learn in nursing school applies to home health. I worked as Home Health and Hospice Aide while in nursing school and noticed that the Case Managers, RNs, PT/OT, aides and the client/family all did really well in working together to take care of people. I think the care needed is the driver for the increase in home health rather than the cost.

In my opinion, Home Health is a fantastic alternative to nursing homes and can help avoid hospital admissions. One way I saw this happen every day was seeing the RNs manage the clients diabetic regimens. Some companies specialize in more acute care - vents/trachs/IV fluids. You learn a little about all that in nursing school. I think in Home Health employers need to make sure the RNs are well trained in case any issues arise and know when to call 911 - just like in acute care. The big difference is that help is not just a few steps away.

Many patients do need the level of care nursing homes and hospitals provide but others do not. I also did a lot of in-home transitional care for people who were recovering from various surgeries that were young and healthy at baseline.

Nursing schools focus on providing care (and passing the NCLEX). It is up to the student to apply that training to hospital, LTC, Clinic, Community, Group Home, Home Health or whatever setting.

Sunlifehh · Sep 29, 2011

What I have observed is that RN's are very good at providing the care that's been diagnosed and yes these are taught in nursing schools and they are very proficient. I have also noticed that compliance regulation, OASIS assessment, comprehensive assessment, chapter 7 of the Medicare benefits manual which specifically applies to home health, and the American Nursing Association specialty home health nursing practice standards are relatively new or unknown to most home health nurses. As our healthcare system changes, is it important to address this knowledge?

Altra, BSN, RN · Sep 29, 2011

U.S. nursing programs educate generalist nurses. In this way, nursing education is similar to the medical education of physicians, who also rotate through "the basics" before graduating and completing residencies in primary care or specialties of their choosing.

IMO, there is precious little time in nursing programs to gain thorough knowledge and understanding of clinical anatomy, physiology, disease pathophysiology and treatment and interventions. I do agree that nurses should ideally graduate with a basic understanding of the current system of financing health care, both inpatient and outpatient care.

Sunlifehh · Sep 29, 2011

As I read through this site, it appears that many new graduating nurses are having difficulty finding jobs due to lack of experience. This may be an educational opportunity, if graduating nurses had experience in regulation, OASIS assessment, comprehensive assessment, chapter 7 of the Medicare benefits manual which specifically applies to home health, and the American Nursing Association specialty home health nursing practice standards, this would allow home health organizations the ability to hire and train assessment skills, utilizing software systems on laptops in the home getting them in to production much faster. Home health organizations are unwilling to hire due to this lack of experience and the time it takes to get a new nurse into production.

MN-Nurse, ASN, RN · Oct 1, 2011

As I read through this site, it appears that many new graduating nurses are having difficulty finding jobs due to lack of experience. This may be an educational opportunity, if graduating nurses had experience in regulation, OASIS assessment, comprehensive assessment, chapter 7 of the Medicare benefits manual which specifically applies to home health, and the American Nursing Association specialty home health nursing practice standards, this would allow home health organizations the ability to hire and train assessment skills, utilizing software systems on laptops in the home getting them in to production much faster. Home health organizations are unwilling to hire due to this lack of experience and the time it takes to get a new nurse into production.

Nursing programs don't specialize. The OASIS, regs, assessment, Medicare, etc that applies to Home Health isn't rocket science. When demand for home health RNs increases, as it has in my area, new grads get hired - as many of my classmates have.