HH experience a plus?

I think it depends what exactly you are going to be doing within PH. There are a lot of different PHN roles out there.

For example, if you are going to be working in a clinic doing higher level assessments or triage on acutely and chronically ill individuals, acute care experience is probably preferable.

If you are going to be working as a PHN in the community doing home visits, then HH experience is probably a plus. Many hospital nurses do not like the idea of going into patient's homes, or try it for a little while and then realize it's not for them. For that reason I would say getting a level of comfort with home visiting would be a plus IF your PH role required it. Otherwise I don't see much of a benefit to leaving your current position for HH before applying to a PH position.

There are also PHN roles that don't require you to be in a clinic or do home visits at all, so it really just depends on the individual job description. Do you know what area of PH you are interested in pursuing? There are so many specialties..

Great answer above. I do not think home health is required. I went into public health as a new grad. Some hiring managers and positions will require specific exprerience and others will not! We have people with almost every type of background experience. Have you thought about what type of public health role you want to work in or which department? I'm in maternal child health and I do home visits providing education and assessment, case management. Public health is amazing :)

Update: I recently applied and interviewed for a PHN position in my county and am so excited. Fingers crossed I get the job. It will most likely be a pay cut, but it would be day shift, working with moms and babies, and will let me actually have time to properly teach patients! :)

Great answer above. I do not think home health is required. I went into public health as a new grad. Some hiring managers and positions will require specific exprerience and others will not! We have people with almost every type of background experience. Have you thought about what type of public health role you want to work in or which department? I'm in maternal child health and I do home visits providing education and assessment, case management. Public health is amazing :)

Mia415-

Are you happy that you went into PHN nursing right away? I am interested in PHN after graduation, but everyone says I must do med surg first. My heart isn't in med surg though, and I feel that my personal strengths are more aligned with PHN. Would love to hear more about your experience and if you would recommend it to others.

Thanks!

Hello everyone :) I am currently working on an acute care telemetry floor, however, I'm approaching my 1 year experience and have always felt that acute care is not my desired career. I have always been interested in Public Health, and have thought about pursuing an MPH.

But my real question is, if I can get HH experience before diving into public health education and job hunting.. is it a good idea? is this kind of experience more valued than acute care for working in the community?

Thanks!

Thanks for your post! Are you happy that you did acute care first? I am interested in PHN and am curious if you are glad you did a year of a cute care nursing first.