Home Health nurses - Please Help

I graduated in May as an RN and worked on a telemetry floor. I left the hospital recently because my husband's job is moving us to FL. (and I had to have surgery which requires 6 weeks off) I have always wanted to go into Home Health. I figure it is a good time to make the change because I will need a new job anyway. Will they hire a home health nurse with only 6 months hospital experience? In the hospital where I worked, there was a phlebotomy and an IV team so I did not get experience in that area. Or, do I need to do more time in a hospital? Should I take a phlebotomy class before even looking for a job? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Christine

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Lots of blood draws in home health and I would say you need to get some practice with that. The pumps are all different for IVs so when anyone starts they are on a learning curve for that. Can you work in the lab for a day/day off maybe?

renerian

[lyv33]

I only had 6 months of hospital experience when I went to home health 8 years ago. If you can get an iv started, you shouldn't have too hard of a time drawing blood. You will need to learn the different tubes and requirements for the labs. I keep a lab book from Quest Diagnostics with me for references. The only thing different about home health is all the paper work these days. It is mind boggling how much paper work there is. For the most part I have enjoyed home health, but I am ready for a change. I would like to find a job out of traditional nursing, at least for a while. I am a little burned out on pt care at the moment. As far as the pumps goes, you will find that there are probably a hundred different ones out there and just as soon as you get used to using one the infusion company will change their pumps. I usually just call the infusion company that sends the pump if I'm not familiar with it and they will talk me through the settings. Good luck, I think you will find the pt care refreshing after being at the hospital. I know with the agency that I work at all of the nurses are friends and we try to help each other out. That makes it easier to ask questions if you don't know how to do something.

[sphinx, BSN, RN]

In the hospital where I worked, there was a phlebotomy and an IV team so I did not get experience in that area. Or, do I need to do more time in a hospital? Should I take a phlebotomy class before even looking for a job? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Christine

The agency I am currently at does not do it's own blood draws( except from any type of cenral line)-we contract out to a lab that does peripheral home draws. So check with the agency you interview with. We do have IV's, but not all nurses do them...have to be qualified. Most nurses get qualified for PICC dressing changes and Central line dressing changes, but only nurses who work with IV patients on a regular basis get certified for PIV. (The reason we all get certified for the drsg changes is to be able to cover patients when the IV nurses need to pass off patients when their schedule is full). Some of our IV nurses are also qualified to insert PICC lines...only 4 of them though, and we are a large agency.

[DHnurse]

Thanks for all your help. I am going to send my resume in and wish for the best. Christine

[DHnurse]

I wanted to give you an update. I applied for a temporary job in Home Health until I move to FL. They seemed to really like me and said they will check my references, and get back to me this week. They do shifts at this agency. I am very excited! Hopefully, they call. After the interview, I went to their website and found out that they just opened an agency in the county I am moving to. Maybe with some luck, I will get the job and be able to transfer to FL. Do some of you do shift work or mostly visits?

Iyv33 - I am glad you responded to my question. When you said you had only 6 months experience before going into HH, it gave me the courage to call.

I'll let you know if I get the job.

Thanks to all of you, Christine

[lyv33]

I think you willl really like working in home health. I'm glad that I gave you the courage to call. What part of Forida are you guys moving to. I have a niece that just moved to Florida and my husband's niece has lived there for about 3 years.

[DHnurse]

Iyv33 - I am glad you saw my message. What kind of hours do you work? Does your agency give you additional training when needed?

I am moved to West Melbourne, which is on the Space Coast of Brevard County. My husband is already there. I will be going in June when the kid's school is over. It is really hard right now, but I am hoping we will love it.

Christine

[lyv33]

I work Monday through Friday from 8 am - 4:30 pm. We are on call every 7-8 weeks. I did receive 1 month of orientation when I first started home health. The skills part is not hard, because you should already know most of the skills. What you don't know you will learn as you go, that is how we all learn.

I know it was scary for me to first access a mediport or to draw an ABG, but my co-workers taught me how to do these skills and the other skills that I didn't know how to do. Feel free to PM me anytime you have any questions.

[DHnurse]

I just got a call from the HH agency. They don't have a case for me right now but she said that can change overnight. I am going to go to orientation this Thursday. I am very excited and hope a case opens up. They have two vent cases open but don't want me to start there. Christine

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Good luck! It is always nice to know how things turn out when someone posts!

renerian