New Grad exploring HH

[barbaralynn]

Hi. I'm an RN looking for my first nursing job. It's been several months since graduation and I'm considering applying to home health agencies (in addition to acute care hospitals). Can anyone please tell me how difficult it is to get into home health without prior nursing experience? Last week I completed a 290 hour residency (facilitated by my nursing school) on a med/surge floor, and got some excellent hands-on experience under my belt,

however outside of this I've have no work experience in nursing. Does home health take new grads? And if so should I be somewhat wary of HH organizations that do (lack of certifications/accreditations)? Thanks!!!

[caliotter3]

Difficulty getting hired with no experience depends upon the circumstances and the agency. Agencies new to the area may hire anyone in order to get established. But in today's economy, even those agencies are telling applicants that they need a minimum of one to two years paid experience.

[smurfynursey]

I would not reccomend home health to a new grad. I started home health (ped private duty) after 6 months of experiance and I did okay, but the experiance I had was very intense prior to that.

Good luck

[jrivers]

Get your year in med/surg first. It will serve you very well for a career as a field nurse! I've been doing it for a few months now and LOVE it!