new grad and home care

Traveler · Nov 19, 2004

You said home care in the evenings. Is this private duty with one patient or home health? If it's home health, you are talking about after regular hours. This could be scheduled visits for IV's or prn visits I suppose. Since you don't have that much nursing experience, I would stay away from this if you are referring to home health. These would be hours when there would be the least backup available to you since the office would be closed. It would be hard enough to be out there on your own in home health knowing that you could call the office and ask for advise. In home health you never know what you are going to walk into. I think that with a little more general experience in the hospital, you would be much more confident.

kbettencourt · Dec 9, 2004

You said home care in the evenings. Is this private duty with one patient or home health? If it's home health, you are talking about after regular hours. This could be scheduled visits for IV's or prn visits I suppose. Since you don't have that much nursing experience, I would stay away from this if you are referring to home health. These would be hours when there would be the least backup available to you since the office would be closed. It would be hard enough to be out there on your own in home health knowing that you could call the office and ask for advise. In home health you never know what you are going to walk into. I think that with a little more general experience in the hospital, you would be much more confident.

I was a New Grad when I started Home Care, It's only been 9 mths. I work full time days. You will need to do alot of teaching, Teaching is huge! when your a new grad your are still learning to do things for the first time, but at the same time you need to teach your patient how to become independent in their own care, when a patient comes home with urostomy tubes, picc lines, IV meds, Wounds, new ostomy's, etc, from the minute they come home, your goal as a HH Nurse is to teach them how to manage these things at home independenlty. Ordering supplies, which supplies they will need that is best for them, Believe me, You need to have the answers, In Home care especially in the evening, It's just you and the Patient. I would work days at the beginning for support needed.

Good Luck.

akcarmean, LPN · Dec 9, 2004

I work home care b/c of the same reasons I starting soon after I got my LPN

FocusRN · Dec 10, 2004

I wouldn't recommend home health since you really just started. If you can handle it and they have it available try the weekend special at your hospital, or ask if they have one. It is basically you doing your 40 hours in one weekend (Friday, Saturaday, and Sunday). Sometimes for nurses they'll even allow you to do just 36 hours, and get paid for 40. Only dod it if you can take a few doubles in a short span of time though.