Home Care Consultant

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Hello fellow nurses,

I am wondering if I should take a home care consultant position I am being offered as a new grad. I have no prior practical experience I am straight out of school and was wondering if I would be taking on too much by accepting a home care consultant position. From what I was told I would be seeing 8 patients a day on average and assessment their discharge needs. Is this a bad idea to start in home care consulting for vns in manhattan?

Advice?

Thank you!

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Specializes in Pedi.

Consultants usually work pretty independently. I don't see how this is appropriate for a new grad.

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I am sure they will give me training and also I am seeing patients who are being discharged so it is not necessarily like I am giving medications and playing the full role of the nurse. Most of my time seems to be in an office setting. However I am concerned that I will not be able to anticipate the patients discharge needs as I have zero experience with this, is this something that can be learned as a new graduate?

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Has any new grad ever started out as a home care consultant?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

This is definitely not a new grad job. You do not know what you don't know. Consultant implies experience which you do not have. You readily admit you cannot anticipate discharge needs. How can you be a home care discharge nurse consultant with no direct care experience?

New grads who took similar jobs out of desperation were disappointed in the bare minimum training received and did not last long often quitting before committing an error or omission of a critical element care need.

This is definitely a job for an experienced nurse.

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I'm in home health but I'm not familiar with the term. Is it like a liaison between hospital and hospital based home health?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

If they can provide you with adequate training & supervision, I would encourage you to go for it.

Health care is evolving - acute/inpatient jobs are shrinking and areas like Home Care are expanding as part of the "population management" model of health care that is being promulgated by the Accountable Care Act.

Make sure you understand the way your salary & expenses will be handled. There are a lot of different schemes - in some of them, the nurses are 'independent contractors' who do not receive any benefits & the contracting agency does not even mange wage deductions for taxes so you have to keep track and make regular IRS payments on your own. You are simply issued a 1099 at the end of the year & have to purchase your own health insurance..... a scary situation that could easily go wrong and leave you with a big tax bill.

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