HH jobs- better to have been a CNA?

caliotter3 · Mar 13, 2008

Unless you are assigned to a case where there is also a home health aide assigned, yes, you will be doing the day to day ADLs for the patient. That is a good part of the job for home health nurses. They provide total care for the patient during their shift. On occasion a family member may do some of these tasks by choice, but that doesn't happen very often. You are also responsible for mild housekeeping involving the patient's area only. I am talking about shift work clients where you work with one client only for a shift of four to 16 hours. If you are doing intermittent visits, you only accomplish what the purpose of the visit is for: teaching session, wound care, med box setup, assessment, followup on doctor visit., whatever. You aren't expected to do anything that can't be completed in your one hour alloted time. You will receive detailed instructions on what is expected during this one hour, or you will make and keep your own goals from week to week.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

private duty is not the same as home health nursing although they both do occur in the home they are totally different. i have done both private duty and home health nursing and they are as different as day & night.

if as an lpn you are doing home health skilled nursing visits then no you will not be doing adl's.

your visit is 30-60 minutes long. your focus will be on vs, lung and bowel sounds, assessing for edema, pulses, orientation, etc...and the visit may also include a wound drsg change and you will be expected to teach the patient about their meds and/or medical condition.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

unless you are assigned to a case where there is also a home health aide assigned, yes, you will be doing the day to day adls for the patient. that is a good part of the job for home health nurses. they provide total care for the patient during their shift.

respectfully...i have to reiderate the fact that home health nurses do not work in shifts but rather in visits. nurses that work in shifts, in the home, are private duty nurses.

both are equally as important as jobs for nurses and in the care rendered to and received by the patient. both jobs occur in the home but they are vastly different. better to not confuse the two. it confuses new nurses who are not familar with either one.

annaedRN, RN · Mar 15, 2008

I agree with Dutchgirl - I have done both HH and PD. I enjoy both types of nursing but they are most definitely different. The only similarity is that they are both in the patient's home. If you do the PD/shift work, you will need to do all meds, treatments, ADLs, and care throughout the shift - even go to school if it is peds or possibly transport to MD appts. If it is HH, doing visits - you may occasionally help someone to the BSC or provide peri-care but routinely you just provide whatever the purpose of the visit is for ( wounds, IVs, foleys, teaching, etc)...because you then need to leave and go see your next patient. We often utilize CNAs a few times a week to help with bathing and sometimes PT/OT to help strengthen and work on home independence.

caliotter3 · Mar 16, 2008

A home health nurse is a nurse who provides nursing care in the home. They are employed by a home health agency. A private duty nurse is a nurse who provides nursing care in the home but is employed directly by the client, thus the term "private". Some home health agencies use the term "private duty" instead of "continuous care" or "shift work", but it all comes out the same. Some people believe that home health nurses only provide nursing care during intermittent, i.e, short visits, thus the confusion in terms. While all nurses who provide nursing care in the home are home health nurses, not all home health nurses are private duty nurses. For some people, or some situations, you need to distinguish between the two. Hope this clarifies some.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 16, 2008

a home health nurse is a nurse who provides nursing care in the home. they are employed by a home health agency. a private duty nurse is a nurse who provides nursing care in the home but is employed directly by the client, thus the term "private". some home health agencies use the term "private duty" instead of "continuous care" or "shift work", but it all comes out the same.

no...not true. a hh nurse is employed by a hh agency and they make intermittent visits only. ideally they see 4-7 patients per day. they travel from patient home to patient home in their car. home health agencies do not use the term private duty because hh nurses are not private duty nurses. it does not come out all the same.

private duty nurses are hired by private duty agencies and not directly by the client, this is a infrequent occurance and should be discouraged. you have no back up and you are completely on your own. if you make a mistake you will be hung out to dry. it is not a wise choice to work directly for an individual. there are some agencies who do employ both hh nurses and private duty nurses but they are kept seperate and work different cases.

some people believe that home health nurses only provide nursing care during intermittent, i.e, short visits, thus the confusion in terms. while all nurses who provide nursing care in the home are home health nurses, not all home health nurses are private duty nurses. for some people, or some situations, you need to distinguish between the two. hope this clarifies some.

there is no confusion in terms. all nurses who provide intermittent nursing care are hh nurses. all nurses who provide total care to one patient for a shift of 4 to 12 hours long are private duty nurses.

we are getting woefully off the subject here....the op wants to know if it would help her being a cna before going into hh?

the answer is it will benefit you being a cna before you go into either hh or private duty.