I am an RN in home health. A BSN isn't required but would it be a waste of money/time to get my BSN?

Specialties Private Duty

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So basically I plan to stick with private duty home health and school cases. That's what I like and feel more comfortable with. I am also considering SNF PRN or as travel assignment. I know things could change in the future to where I change my mind and end up working in a hospital. Just never know what the future holds. But I'm currently an RN in private duty. A BSN isn't required but is it a waste of time and money if I plan to stick with private duty?

Specializes in Home health.
On 1/4/2022 at 12:13 AM, Elektra6 said:

Private duty. You are right. They didn’t care about having a BSN. WGU took me 3 semesters working full time which is a year and a half.  

This is so hard because private duty is so peaceful ?. I've met so many RN and BSN who have left the hospital to work Private duty or to become a case manager at a private duty nursing agency. So you feel the BSN is worth it even if I don't choose a hospital? I just feel private duty homecare and school cases are so much fun. Versus how unhappy most  hospital nurses sound.

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.

 

4 hours ago, Ashlee59 said:

This is so hard because private duty is so peaceful ?. I've met so many RN and BSN who have left the hospital to work Private duty or to become a case manager at a private duty nursing agency. So you feel the BSN is worth it even if I don't choose a hospital? I just feel private duty homecare and school cases are so much fun. Versus how unhappy most  hospital nurses sound.

I hear you! I enjoy my job; it's fun. How many hospital nurses can say that?

There is something else to consider, though. Will home care continue in the same form? Or will people be pressured to place their family member in a group home? I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper for Medicaid. Home care is usually private duty, but in a group home, one nurse would take care of maybe 4 or 5 clients. Or more. 

We could end up with a bunch of mini-nursing homes.

Or, if we go to a single payer system, would it even pay for all those who need expensive care? For example, might they say that newborns with multiple medical needs should instead be given comfort care only?

I've worked private duty for most of my career, some 43 years. I've had a good run. But if you are young, you might want to be prepared to do other types of nursing, too.

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Specializes in Home health.
19 hours ago, Kitiger said:

 

I hear you! I enjoy my job; it's fun. How many hospital nurses can say that?

There is something else to consider, though. Will home care continue in the same form? Or will people be pressured to place their family member in a group home? I'm pretty sure it would be cheaper for Medicaid. Home care is usually private duty, but in a group home, one nurse would take care of maybe 4 or 5 clients. Or more. 

We could end up with a bunch of mini-nursing homes.

Or, if we go to a single payer system, would it even pay for all those who need expensive care? For example, might they say that newborns with multiple medical needs should instead be given comfort care only?

I've worked private duty for most of my career, some 43 years. I've had a good run. But if you are young, you might want to be prepared to do other types of nursing, too.

A mini nursing home is fine with me. I rather deal with a mini nursing home than go back to 50 patients at night and 25 during the day. I don't mind nursing homes as long as the nurse to patient ratio matches. But it doesn't always happen. I doubt they will get rid of PDN too many pediatric patients, too many parents who need relief to go to work, and the elderly population is increasing, and families are in fear due to to nursing shortages of even putting family in homes. Even if pdn were gone which I highly doubt will ever happen. Home visits are still around

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
2 hours ago, Ashlee59 said:

A mini nursing home is fine with me. I rather deal with a mini nursing home than go back to 50 patients at night and 25 during the day. I don't mind nursing homes as long as the nurse to patient ratio matches. But it doesn't always happen. I doubt they will get rid of PDN too many pediatric patients, too many parents who need relief to go to work, and the elderly population is increasing, and families are in fear due to to nursing shortages of even putting family in homes. Even if pdn were gone which I highly doubt will ever happen. Home visits are still around

You make some good points. I don't know which way it will go.

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Specializes in Home health.
1 hour ago, Kitiger said:

You make some good points. I don't know which way it will go.

Maybe it has to do alot with the culture here. When I lived in California seemed like putting your family in a nursing home was the go to. But I live in the south now and these people are more so fixed on keeping their family at home.

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Specializes in Peds.

I think nursing employment is moving toward outside of the acute care hospital model again. I read somewhere that hospitals are not the main employer of nurses anymore. 
 

The hospital based nursing employment is actually newer than you think. Most people prior to 1900 were actually taken care of in their homes. So home care is where most nurses were employed before hospitals became a thing. It’s the original  nursing specialty. 
 

The first private duty agency I worked for gave a really fascinating history of Pdn. It mentioned nurse registries and that families could call and hire nurses. It is really interesting. 

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Specializes in Home health.
On 1/29/2022 at 8:27 PM, Runsoncoffee99 said:

I think nursing employment is moving toward outside of the acute care hospital model again. I read somewhere that hospitals are not the main employer of nurses anymore. 
 

The hospital based nursing employment is actually newer than you think. Most people prior to 1900 were actually taken care of in their homes. So home care is where most nurses were employed before hospitals became a thing. It’s the original  nursing specialty. 
 

The first private duty agency I worked for gave a really fascinating history of Pdn. It mentioned nurse registries and that families could call and hire nurses. It is really interesting. 

 This was very informative thanks. So what's your take on the BSN? Do you think it's good to have or a waste of money?

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Specializes in Peds.
On 1/31/2022 at 6:48 AM, Ashlee59 said:

 This was very informative thanks. So what's your take on the BSN? Do you think it's good to have or a waste of money?

A good idea. Whose to say that homecare won’t move to an all Lpn model? 

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
6 hours ago, Runsoncoffee99 said:

A good idea. Whose to say that homecare won’t move to an all Lpn model? 

I'm an RN. I've had homes where I was only allowed to work if my agency could prove to Medicaid that there were no LPNs to take the case. I worked for ~ 2 years in one home, then got kicked out so it could be given to an LPN. Several years later, I was again allowed to work there.

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Specializes in Home health.
1 hour ago, Kitiger said:

I'm an RN. I've had homes where I was only allowed to work if my agency could prove to Medicaid that there were no LPNs to take the case. I worked for ~ 2 years in one home, then got kicked out so it could be given to an LPN. Several years later, I was again allowed to work there.

Was it due to having to pay more for an RN?

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Specializes in Private Duty Pediatrics.
7 hours ago, Ashlee59 said:

Was it due to having to pay more for an RN?

Yep

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