Home Health to NP?

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I am in nursing school now and plan to enter NP school upon graduation. I am a single mom and was torn about where to work because the 12 hour shifts are not conducive to my situation. Someone mentioned Home Health, and said they knew someone who had started right out of school. The more I think about it, it seems like a good idea. As a NP, I will be making decisions about patient care on my own, so I would think the autonomy of HH would be a good start. In my former careers, I was a medical technologist, so I understand the lab side really well, and then in medical sales, so I am comfortable talking with physicians, being out on my own during the day, etc. However, would HH be a good base for a Nurse Practitioner career? Will I make enough contacts with physicians to find a job when I graduate? Will I develop a strong enough skill set? Does anyone know of the role of NPs in HH? Thanks for your help!

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I've never heard of NPs working in home health. I would think that they would be too limited in that specialty. You really should consider working before you start NP school so that you have a base of experience to start from.

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I will be working as an RN for about 3 years while going to school part time. I don't think I was clear on that in my original post! Will working in home health as an RN help me develop my analysis, critical thinking, and diagnostic skills more than med-surg would in preparation for working as an NP?

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Personally I don't think so. All the years I've worked in home health have provided me with routine care situations with stable clients. Very little problem solving on a day to day basis. I think it would be better for you to start with a solid foundation in med surg for a few years before you go into home health or the area where you want to specialize as a NP.

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i agree with the above post,,,get some good med-surg under your belt, home health is a whole different ball game., you have to have the skills, knowledge base before you can start. there are so many HH regulations and paper work to learn , it is very hard to do that along with learning nursing out side of a classroom.

best of luck to you.

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Specializes in ICU, M/S, PICU, Hospice, FNP school.

:nurse:Im in NP school and strongly think that HH is not a good base for advanced practice nursing. In an acute care setting you get an onslaught of all kinds of different things and throw in the labs, diagnostics, multiple comorbidities and the problem solving skills. Im a single mom as well so I understand your dilemma, but to be a good NP you really must rely on your experience well beyond the education you recieve in school. Experience is something you just can't gain through the education process, it needs to be gained, one patient situation at a time.

I would really explore your options. At least stay active in an acute care setting per diem so you can continually hone in on your skills and critical thinking. Plus be submerged in the environment where you can learn from others around you.

Best of luck to you!

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Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.

What about rehab? Many of the acute and subacute rehabs have some pretty sick patients. It would expose you to a wide range of patients and many facilities do 8 hr shifts. Good luck!

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What about Dialysis experience before an NP program? Also what is better, an IMC unit, Med Surg or ICU for experience needed before NP school? Thanks

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What about Dialysis experience before an NP program? Also what is better, an IMC unit, Med Surg or ICU for experience needed before NP school? Thanks

You might get better responses to your questions if you post this in the NP forum.

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Thank you I will!

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