What would you do?

Nurses General Nursing

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I recently was hired as a nurse in a skilled nursing facility. It is a full-time position, from 3-11. I just received a call from a home health agency. They are looking for a nurse to monitor the medication regimen of about 7 clients. I would be responsible for traveling to their homes and consulting with the physcian and pharmacist to make sure they are receiving the right med, right dose, and no drug interactions. I would visit each client at least once a month. I am a new grad and have been looking for months for a nursing position. I finally was offered a position at a skilled nursing position. Then I get this call from the home health company. I don't know if I should take this job also or strictly focus on my skilled nursing facility job. The skilled nursing facility is not near me and so I would have to travel some distance. I don't know if I would want another job that requires me traveling distances. So what would you do?

Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

Make a list of the pros and cons:

Benefits, insurance etc yes/no

skill set you already have yes/no

potential for advancement yes/no

full-time/part time yes/no

you may add or subtract. can you do both jobs?

Is the nursing home full staffed? or will you have to take 40-50 patients like some NH nurses do?

Is the 7 patient medication management job a drug study with an end date listed-then no job?

Good luck

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

I would snatch that home health job in a skinny minute!

I will be responsible for 20 residents at the skilled nursing facility.

The home health job is a pay per visit job. There is no end date that I know of.

I also have a job (non-nursing), which is less than part-time (about 4 hours per week, 3x's a week) that I have been at for years.

Specializes in Rehab/LTC.

As a new grad, I would stick to just the one job at the SNF for now. Give it a year or two and then reconsider. You'll probably be stressed enough just getting used to practicing bedside. Especially if the patient ratio is huge, like they usually are.

and if you are wondering which might get you into a hospital job next in your career, don't. I know a few SNF RNs who thought they'd transition, but all have been repeatedly turned down for hospital. It's changed. Used to be you could start in LTC or SNF and pay dues and then move into hospitals. This is much less so now. Also, used to be nobody should do HH. I also have a few friends that started HH and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. They are so up and giggly happy. (it is truely sickening, LOL). Also........ so many in LTC with no training, even SNF, just thrown in there and told ask if you have questions. Heck. I'd seriously think about the home health. You never know, could be good. Just depends on the company. Ask all questions you can think of.

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
and if you are wondering which might get you into a hospital job next in your career, don't. I know a few SNF RNs who thought they'd transition, but all have been repeatedly turned down for hospital. It's changed. Used to be you could start in LTC or SNF and pay dues and then move into hospitals. This is much less so now. Also, used to be nobody should do HH. I also have a few friends that started HH and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. They are so up and giggly happy. (it is truely sickening, LOL). Also........ so many in LTC with no training, even SNF, just thrown in there and told ask if you have questions. Heck. I'd seriously think about the home health. You never know, could be good. Just depends on the company. Ask all questions you can think of.

TOTALLY agree.

Specializes in LTC.

As a previous post stated weigh out the pros and cons. With the gas prices now please figure in gas cost also! If you can talk with people you know who work in home health and in SNF. This should help to make your decision. By the way congrats on getting 2 job offers!

The skilled nursing facility job was the the only job I could get as a new grad. I applied at the hospitals and they are not hiring new grads. I am concerned that once the economy picks up and I get my year of experience it won't be considered the type of experience hospitals are looking for. I just don't want to put myself out there as a new grad. The home health job description sounds reasonable but as one poster stated the skilled nursing facility job could be overwhelming and I may not want another committment. By the way the skilled nursing facility is offering me 4 weeks of orientation.

bubblymom373 user_online.gif

thank you. i graduated october of last year. i had lost hope even as a christian. i had applied to so many places and either got no response or we do not hire new grads. for those still looking, hang in there.

If I were you I'd take the HH job for sure. I got really really burnt out working at a SNF. Im sure they both have there pros and cons. You'll probably learn a lot of skills in the SNF (they are like mini-hospitals now days it seems like). But I would guess that the HH job would be less stressful.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Depends on how much training you will get from both places and how both places are run.

I started out doing pedatric home health, and all I got was 3 hours orientation with a nurse who had not worked with the patient before, because he was a new client. I had many questions that never really got answered. I never felt safe or supported, they then sent me to another client and I was given no orientation with this client, just told to read the nurses notes to get an idea, plus the parents and I did not speak the same language....very scary, but it was the only nursing job that I could get.

I also did a couple of medicare insurance visits where I assesst the living situation of the adult and made reccomedations and that was a pay per visit and when calculating the pay of the visit, plus the time spent, in addtion to the travel time, and the time commpleteting the paper work it penciled out to about $10 and hour, when I did the pedatric home healt, those were shifts in the home and were by the hour

I then finally got hired into a SNF, where they are very supportive and I had more than three hours of orientation, I had 15 days. It is hard work, I have if working the LTC cart 30 residents, on the skilled carts there are around 22-25 residents.

I would see if you could try and do both,but look at how much training and support you will get. With the home health, is there a resource nurse you could call and ask questions? What are your long term goals? I know people that are very happy with home health, or do you want to work into a hospital?

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