being a home health nurse if you have allergies and asthma?

Kitiger, RN · Apr 23, 2016

I do private duty home health, caring for medically fragile children in their own homes. Most of these kids are respiratory; trachs and vents for the most part. These homes are usually clean, no smoking, etc. I have reactive airway disease, and dust mite & seasonal allergies, and seldom have any problem.

Libby1987 · Apr 23, 2016

We have patients of all demographics who smoke and I have had to ask some to put it out but they've all respected me enough not to smoke when I'm in their home. Perhaps our state culture has a lot to do with it but it never occurred to me not to insist. I think it also has to do in part with me growing up in home health being very comfortable and confident practicing in the home setting.

But still, there are smoky homes that will aggravate allergies.

djh123 · Apr 23, 2016

That's why I immediately ruled out home health nursing - the possibility of smoke. Dogs/cats I can take, but not smoke.

Christina12345 · Apr 23, 2016

I've done home health for years and have aquired the ability to smell mold and the presence of roaches (yes, it had a tell tale odor.) I have cat and mold allergies and some homes definitely overwhelm my allergra! I generally request that patients not smoke in my presence, but that doesn't mean that a spouce/ caregiver will not smoke while I'm there. And, there are times when the lingering smell of smoke in the air is NOT tobacco. If the house is particularly bad and I know in advance I will try to visit toward the end of my day, and we all keep febrees in the car to try to cut down on going to the next house smelling like a litter box/ ash tray/ snoop dog concert. I had a co worker with severe asthma, she would see pts in bad homes and then inform the office that she was unable to return to that home and the office would accomidate her. I understood, but I think some of her co-workers resented her handing off the less savory homes.

DeeAngel · Apr 23, 2016

Ive heard too many horror stories of filthy homes, full of bugs, animals and junk. I think you would quickly run into homes that you just wouldn't be able to go into. IMHO home health would not be a good fit for someone like you, I just don't see it working out in the end.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2016

Moved to the Home Health Nursing forum.

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Apr 23, 2016

I have both allergies and asthma. In order for it to be well controlled, I feel like a walking Walgreen's Kiosk. I have worked home health (private duty) in Florida off and on over the past 10 years. The agencies that I had worked with always had us go out to the home to meet the patient and possibly their families prior to accepting a case (so that the patient would agree to the nurse that they are trying to place with them).

I've been fortunate to never have a family that smokes (although some of the nurses did, but outside). One agency actually asked me if I would be okay taking a case if the family smoked outside (I had not informed them that I would not be able to be around smoke) but it was never assigned to me since they realized I only worked days and on the weekend. I've never had a dirty home and many of them are exceptionally clean because of how unhealthy the client was (Many of my patients were pediatric medicaid or adult private pay), usually pertaining to their own breathing issues.

I did have one that was a bit of a trigger because of the number of the animals that they had. Several cats and a few dogs and they were all indoor/outdoor. My asthma was okay, but the allergies were not happy when I was assigned to that case. The patient was a trach and due to other conditions that he had he was only in his room or the shower which the animals were not allowed.

If you really want to do home health it is possible. What cases you can take could be limited though. I'm sure there are some yucky home environments, I've just been really fortunate to not come across them while I have worked. Maybe discuss with the agency prior to assignment (the agencies in my area are so desperate for help they'll hire just about anyone with a license. I told one that I would have to come in after a couple of days when I could find someone to watch my 2 year old-this large, nationwide home health company told me that I could bring her with me to fill out the application and short interview and then later HR and even the onsite training. I took her with me for the application and short interview because they wanted me to come in that day but sheesh! A little short on nurses???).

PurpleDaisyðŸŒ¸ · Apr 27, 2016

I have severe allergies/asthma and do home health. I carry a rescue inhaler, benadryl and two epipens. I have asked pts to put out candles, not eat certain foods while I am doing a hands-on assessment and occasionally have asked to open windows if there were air fresheners or cleaners recently used. I have only *once ever* had to use a rescue inhaler, and that was when a pt had recently been smoking, prior to my arrival. I always speak up when I am concerned about a potential allergen and my patients are extemely accommodating and understanding.

eta: my coworkers are also understanding and would not send me to a house that is known to have heavy smoke smell.

Hhcna · Jun 28, 2016

If you truly want to do it try part time; however, I would make it clear about your ailments and conditions. You are walking into someone's home they typically have dust, animal dander, and other possible triggers. Though talk with an agency see if you can be put on a few patients to test it out.

margin261 · Jun 28, 2016

Just to reiterate & add to what PPs have said- I just left a HH job where I encountered homes that were filthy & smelled awful, had insect infestation issues (that's the nicest way I know to say it!), and most of my patients had pets.

I had several patients that chain smoked during my visit. And on that topic- you are in their home & they can do as they please in their home. I was told by a few of them that another nurse in my company had asked them not to smoke while she was there and they called the office & said she could not come back. So you can ask- but you may not like the answer!

Your best bet may the type of HH that provides private duty care for a single pt. you might would have a little more control over the environment you're sent to.

I would think that unless you worked for a very large company with lots of nurses, they would become frustrated making accommodations for you pretty quick- right or wrong.

And it wouldn't really be fair to your co-workers that they always got the dirty, smelly houses!!

Best of luck with whatever you choose to pursue!

NevadaFighter, BSN, RN · Aug 2, 2018

This is an old post, but I thought I would comment. I am a home health nurse of 1.5 years with asthma and a severe cat allergy. All of my employers have been aware of my allergy before I was hired. I have specified that I would prefer to avoid the cats, but in a pinch, I should be able to wear a mask. We all know that the state of the home environment is highly individualized; while this might be acceptable for a home that is pretty clean, if there is a hoarding situation or just generally unkempt, a mask may not be enough to avoid a trigger. In the few times I have been in a situation where a mask just wouldn't cut it, my employer would make exceptions and I would trade patients with someone.

In my experience, almost every nurse has had a patient that they would prefer to not see, for one reason or another. Accommodations need to be made on a daily basis for reasons like this.

I have found that home health is in such high demand, that there will plenty of patients for me to see that do not have cats.

If you really want to do home health, don't get discouraged. Just be honest with the employer. If it is something they really don't want to deal with or can't accommodate you with, they won't hire you.

I'm really glad that I didn't let my allergies keep me away from home health.

For your info, I take Breo, Flonase, Singulair, Ventilin, and I carry an EpiPen. I was taking allergy injections for years, but I would never be able to tolerate the full-dose without having an anaphalactic reaction.

caliotter3 · Aug 3, 2018

Once worked for an employer that had a policy concerning priority for placement on cases for extended care. They had a list of about 20 or 25 situations that could pertain. In order to be placed on the staffing priority grid, one had to sign the list indicating that they would take any and all of those situations. I distinctly remember the items concerning allergy triggers, cigarette smoke, cats, etc. While I agreed in theory that the employer could set criteria for priority placement, I never agreed that a person should be penalized because they could not work in a smoke-filled environment. The funny thing about this "priority" system was that when it came push to shove, it seemed to be only window-dressing anyway. The agency placed nurses the way they wanted to, just as all agencies do.