New Nurse : HH prep - guide me please

caliotter3 · Jul 4, 2010

First of all, decide whether you will want to do extended care, also called shift or continuous care, or intermittent visits. Extended care is the easier area to start out in. Routine care for stable patients for shifts ranging from four to sixteen hours. You choose the shifts and days you want to be available for work and you choose the type of patients you want to work with. Pretty predicatable job with one nursing note for each shift that you do during the shift. Intermittent visits will require more effort from many standpoints. More tasks, more driving around from patient to patient, more paperwork, much of which might get done on your own uncompensated time. You will need a broader base of clinical skills, especially assessment skills, and a better foundation in general nursing care. People can literally walk in off the street and be "trained to the case" to do shift care and do a credible job for the easier cases. As for books, etc., for brushing up, I would look for anything on assessment and one of the picture books of nursing skills. There are also books that pertain specifically to home health care (I would have to find mine to provide the info). One is by Robin Rice. A search on the book websites should turn up some resources. I would approach the hiring agency and let them know that you will need a thorough orientation. Do not settle for being thrown out there. Get all the help you need and you should be able to deal with it. Good luck. Hope you enjoy home health.

Kyasi · Jul 5, 2010

I don't have any books to guide you, just a word of encouragement. I put my nursing career on hold for 4 1/2 yrs to have my children and then started back doing home care. I had a background in ICU, CCU, Cath Lab, and OB delivery. I started caring for a boy w/a trach and G tube. He had lots of equipment and required lots of care. It was a perfect way to get my 'sea legs' back. I went through some skill validation with the agency and the mother also stood by to help the first time I changed his trach and G tube. You will find it much easier to catch on then you think, since you have only one patient to deal with.

I think it was hardest for me was the charting. (I had been used to talking to babies and toddlers for over 4 yrs!) I had to really dig deep to remember some of the correct terms to use to describe things. You can't chart, 'Eric pooped or he has an ouchie on his butt". It must be Eric has a 1/2"x1" area of excoriation on his L. buttock, A&D ointment applied" etc etc....LOL!

I was very nervous about going back but it was a smooth transition and I think you will find that to be true too. It was 24 yrs ago that I went back and after 22 years taking care of high tech kids and doing intermittent visits, I am now Supervising a Home Health agency. So you really can find your niche in HH and also there is room for advancement if you desire that. Good luck to you!

Kyasi