Home Health a good option for fairly new grad??

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I was offered a home health RN position,the training will be only one day..I dont have too much experience although I went through a 5 week hospital orientation--and unfortunately this particular hospital job turned out not to be a good fit for me..I must say I did learn a lot during my orientation..but I just know if it is safe for my license to be a home health nurse since my experience is so limited..what do you think??

Ps..this job wont be a pernament one..this is just a gig to get me through a dark period of my life (looking for a hospita or nursing home position and pay the most basic bills) I'm thinking maybe this job will give me more skills and experience..well most definitely it is better than sitting at home and forgetting skills,but I dont want to put my RN license on the line.

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Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.

One day orientation? For a new grad? In home health? Run. Try another hospital, a sub acute place, somewhere you can hone your skills with guidence from more experienced staff. Home health is not that.

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Sounds really sketchy to me. Nurses are very independent in home health and have to manage vents, access ports, if there's a problem you can't just grab a co-worker. I think it would take more than a day to be competent with that. Be careful you're not getting yourself into another bad situation. Did they seem very professional?

The red flags are going up!

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Specializes in LTC/hospital, home health (VNA).

In a word, NO! Even experienced nurses need much longer than 1 day for HH...for any job, let alone one where you are working autonomously.

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Yep,my mom's friend got me this job :((((

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Sounds really sketchy to me. Nurses are very independent in home health and have to manage vents, access ports, if there's a problem you can't just grab a co-worker. I think it would take more than a day to be competent with that. Be careful you're not getting yourself into another bad situation. Did they seem very professional?

The red flags are going up!

Well the boss is nice and she is my mom's friend..I just dont know if this is safe...

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Specializes in vascular, med surg, home health , rehab,.
Well the boss is nice and she is my mom's friend..I just dont know if this is safe...

Its not, for you or your pts.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele.

I wouldn't do it.

I am a new grad & I know where my limitations lie, and hh would be one of them.

Like previous posters said, hh nurses are very autonomous & therefore need to have excellent skills coupled with extraordinary critical thinking abilities.

Personally, I know I am not anywhere close to this level of practice.

But you need to do what is best for you & your license, only you know where your skill level is at.

Best of luck

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Blackhearted, please don't do it. I have some friends that just took homecare as NGs out of sheer panic for the job market, and I am waiting to hear something horrible. Just worried for you and think you've been through a bad situation already. You just don't need another one.

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Here are some good questions to ask:

1) Can I have a longer orientation?

2) What is your patient acuity?

3) What is your expectation of my IV skills?

4) What kinds of equipment do I need to know (vent, feeding pumps, wound vac) and how will you teach me that?

5) What should I do if I am in a situation where I need help?

Be picky because two failed jobs, or a patient safety incident, will be a lot worse than waiting for a better opportunity. Just because they will hire you DOES NOT mean it is something you should take. If anything, a job where they are hungry for you sometimes represents a very bad job that no one else wants. Nurse Beware.

Bottom line: Do not let them leave you alone with a patient, in a home, where you don't know how to handle the worst-case scenario.

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I currently work as a Home Health Aide and have spent some time around the RNs and Case Managers.

Whether you can handle the job most likely depends on your superiors. Do you think they will take your experience into account or will they just throw you the most difficult patients and situations?

New RNs at my organization are brought along slowly. New ones are assigned "easier" clients and spend a lot of time on assessments and teaching. They have a very good training program where they are checked off on many specific skills with an experienced RN. Everyone has access to very good documentation so you can research what you may need to know at the office before you even go to the client's home. If they can get this stuff online it will be even better.

Also remember when you see anything that concerns you, colleagues, supervisors, or ambulances are a phone call away. You get pretty familiar with those charts and who needs what. A great thing about home care is that you can give your full attention to any client you happen to be with. Then you finish and move on to the next.

Even though you won't have a hospital type orientation, if your superiors have any sense at all they will help you along.

I get hit up to be a Home Health Nurse after I graduate by just about everyone at work. I would be pretty comfortable going into this field right away at my organization. I would ask some questions about how you will be introduced to home care and see what they say. Many of the Home Health Nurses at work have been at it for over 20 years and really love it.

Good luck!

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Here are some good questions to ask:

1) Can I have a longer orientation?

2) What is your patient acuity?

3) What is your expectation of my IV skills?

4) What kinds of equipment do I need to know (vent, feeding pumps, wound vac) and how will you teach me that?

5) What should I do if I am in a situation where I need help?

Be picky because two failed jobs, or a patient safety incident, will be a lot worse than waiting for a better opportunity. Just because they will hire you DOES NOT mean it is something you should take. If anything, a job where they are hungry for you sometimes represents a very bad job that no one else wants. Nurse Beware.

Bottom line: Do not let them leave you alone with a patient, in a home, where you don't know how to handle the worst-case scenario.

Wow awsome questions I wrote them down and I'l make sure I ask them before accepting the offer.

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