Need advice about Home Health Career

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Specializes in general surgery/ER/PACU.

Hey Guys!

I'm a male RN with 6 years of hospital nursing experience. (3 years med/surg and 3 years emergency room) I'm really getting burned out with my job and have always had an interest in home health due to a great experience with a home health RN when my grandparents were still living. I worked as a private duty home health CNA when I was in nursing school, but that is the only home health experience I have. I really feel like it could be a good choice, but the problem is there are like a billion different agencies in my area and I have no idea what I'm looking for. I live in NC. I've looked at Advanced Home Care, Gentiva, and Bayada so far, but have not applied for anything yet. My schedule is such that I have to be home with my kids (1 and 2 year old) 3 days a week as my wife is also an RN in the same hospital and we work opposite days to avoid daycare. Could HH work for me and my family schedule? Any advice would be appreciated. Sorry this post is longer than I intended it to be.

Thanks!

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If you choose to do extended care, also called shift care or continuous care, you have more flexibility with your schedule. You can work as much or as little as you want. You can choose your shifts and days. You can choose between 8 or 12 hour shifts and can even come up with certain unique deals as long as the client and the agency go along. As for intermittent visits, the agency usually prefers someone with a full time set schedule or part time, set days. Little more difficult to come up with the flexibility. Decide first if you want to do shift work or intermittent visits and then contact the various agencies and see how they can accommodate you.

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Specializes in COS-C, Risk Management.

It's a lot easier to do home health on a PRN basis if you have set days that you can work, like Mon-Weds, Mon, Weds, Fri, etc. Just saying you can give a day or two here and there definitely doesn't work for Medicare home health. Your best bet is to interview with an agency, tell them your availability, whether you want to case manage your patients or just work PRN, and find out what they can offer you.

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Specializes in ER, L&D, ICU, LTC, HH.

You have the experience and everyone else pretty much answered a lot. As a emergency room vet myself. You will like it probably. Good Luck!

~Willow

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Specializes in general surgery/ER/PACU.

Thanks guys! I put in an application with Bayada last night. Hopefully I'll go for an interview and see where that leads. I'm just so afraid because I've only worked in a hospital and I'm always scared that I'm making the wrong decision for my family. :confused:

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Peds, Neuro, L&D, Home Health.

I worked with several other HHC agencies before finding Gentiva, and I have to say you will not find a better foundation in homecare than with them. The orientation and hands-on training you receive with them is the best I've seen. I started in homecare while my kids were younger so I'd have flexibility. It was the best decision of my career. I started off just working weekends, and totally fell in love with the opportunity to impact people's lives.

Check out Gentiva - Great Healthcare Has Come Home to search for jobs in your area. Good luck!!!

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