interview next week need help

[vidrine rn]

hello everyone,

i have an interview with a home health agency next week. i am very nervous.

i need advise on what questions to ask. i currently work in a hospital as a

charge nurse on a busy med surg floor. i am very interested in home health.

i want to make a good impression in the interview. any advise would be greatly apretiated. this job is in a town i am not familair with, it is a half an

hour drive. if i do get the job, i am very nervous about finding my way around.

i have no sense of direction lol.:chuckle . how good are home health agencys

with helping you find your way around? :sofahider.

[Hairstylingnurse]

hi, i just wanted to give you a few idea's. first thing is do you have a computer? because you will be able to look up directions to the pt.s house & print them out on mapquest.com

also you will keep supplies in your trunk, so you hopefully won't have to go into the office everyday. notes are usually required to be turned in within 48 hrs. that's my agency policy anyway.

i don't know if your planning on going ft or pt, but you have more control over picking & choosing your pts. with pt (prn), but you don't always get benefits with prn.

ask if your pts. will be within a certain mile radius(again prn is good because you tell them how far you will or will not drive).

do you have a cell phone??? when i was ft they provided the cellphone. it helps for directions, to let your next pt. know your running early or late and the 20 calls a day into the office or to the dr.office about your pt. condition, ect.

will they reimburse you for mileage or are you responsible for filing on your taxes????

i'll post more as i think of them. hh is wonderful though, lots more flexibility. you can truly provide one on one pt. care. being out and about instead of stuck on a hectic hospital floor. your med surg experience will come in very handy.

also ask if you can do a ride along (which is usually unpaid). a ride along is when your ride with a hh nurse on 2-3 visits and see if hh is something you would be interested in. you really should ask about any dangerous neighborhoods, and let them know if you arewilling to visit these neighbor hoods or not. if you refuse you won't be the first or last to do so.

best of luck and let us know how it goes and what you find out. try and do the ride along if at all possible'

[vidrine rn]

thank you hairstylingnurse, i wrote down some of the suggestons you mentioned. if i get the job, i will ask to go on a ride along first. this information will be helpful in the interview. ill keep you updated and let u know what happens. thank again.

[vidrine rn]

well i had the interview everything went well. i was offered the job. i called the agency the next day and turn the job down because i would be making the same amt of money and actually would be making less after gas and cell phone bill. and the coverage area is to large. so its medsurge for now.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

Yes that is what happens in home health. WE lose many nurses for the fact you ran into.

ren