New Grad In Home Health

[gray07]

Hi I am going to start home health in 2 days, I'll be visiting 4 patients in 1 day but I have no clue on what to do since this is my 1st time and I dont have the 485's yet. Can someone give me insights on what to expect on doing the visits. Will I just assess, take vitals or is there any special procedures I have to do.. pls help

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

EEEK. If your employer is expecting you to begin providing Home Care without any training - it's completely inappropriate and may potentially be setting you up for violation of your nurse practice act re: accepting/performing care assignment that is beyond your competence.

Home Care is a completely separate area of clinical specialty. Of course, the patient illnesses/problems are the same, but the guidelines for nursing practice are very different. For instance, are you competent in "bag technique" that is used to maintain clean working surfaces/equipment? Do you know what environmental elements you should be assessing re: patient safety? What if they have medical equipment in the home? What are your responsibilities? Do you know what types of issues must be reported? To which agency? What about maintaining your own safety? Have you been trained in processes to ensure HIPAA compliance for home care?

Seriously, I understand you may be desperate for a job, but there are some essential realities that must be addressed with every job you accept. You may not be aware of them but your employer certainly should -- are they licensed?