home health versus med-surg

[jpsrn]

I have been a medical-surgical inpatient hospital nurse for 10 years. However, I have jumped around from job to job and have been in and out of the workplace to have the last two of my three children. I am now burned out and hate my job. I am in an acute care medical surgical float pool. I am very stressed at work. I frequently have to stay late to chart after the shift is over. I feel that after 10 years it should be easier. I do not feel like I have the time to give my patients the care I would like to give them. There are many tasks throughout the shift that I know I should do but run out of time. Going to work is also not as much fun because being in the float pool makes it hard to develop relationships with other staff. I am considering home health nursing but I am afraid of failure. I am weak on wound care-we have a wound care nurse in the hospital. I am afraid of being independent-there are so many people to help out in the hospital. I also don't know the disease processes well enough to do much patient teaching. My strengths are that I am willing to learn-I would like to take a wound care certification course, possibly become certified in medical surgical nursing. I am taking a chronic care professional certification course online now through the Health Sciences Institute. I have a job interview tomorrow with Signature Home Health. They still use paper charting. Another complication is the fact that my husband was laid off so I am going to be the only bread winner for our family of five indefinitely. If I fail at home health my family will be in trouble financially. Any advice on if I should take the home health job if I am offered it? Are you able to prepare patient teaching the night before your patient visit?