Nurse Family Partnership

NGYSUN, BSN, MSN, RN · May 11, 2017

Hello,

I did my capstone clinicals with the director of the NFP in the city where I lived. And I got to observe the workflow that was like 3yrs ago. I had a good talk with the staff and also got to do 2 or 3 visits with them as well. I did not transition because my family was relocating.

For the NFP program I was with, the nurses were assigned a number of FIRST time teenage moms (mostly), mainly of low income, and the nurses will register the moms and the moms will select days and times that are suitable for them to be visited. If I remember correctly the new moms are required to be in the program for 24months. Well sometimes, some of them fall out of the prog, but those who remain do get incentives and awards.

The job involves a lot of driving to go and visit the clients, and I believe you are rewarded for your mileage. A lot of on the job training, and the nurses had iPads with videos used to educate the new moms on a wide variety of topics, from personal care to baby care to pregnancy and what have you. One of the nurses in that unit told me that she loved the flexibility. Some other said that it was a bit boring for her because she was an ER nurse who was used to fast paced workflow. So this may be something you may also consider. But if you love public health you will love the job.

ALso, be prepared to work with families with unusual dynamics, like we visited a family that had one of the kids doing drugs and stuff, and that was an issue for the teen mom and her new baby.. I hope this helps you!

Britrn04, BSN, MSN, RN · May 12, 2017

Thank you for the helpful feedback.

UrbanHealthRN, BSN, RN · May 16, 2017

I don't work for NFP, but I do work for a state-funded, short-term home visiting program for pregnant moms and young children. Part of my job involves making lots of referrals for families, including to longer-term home visiting programs such as NFP. I'll share what I know about NFP and what my own experience has been like doing home visiting.

Sometimes, I feel more like a social worker than I do a nurse because many of the families I visit have so many psycho-social-emotional-economic needs, and either their physical health is fine or it's the last concern on their list. On the one hand, I really enjoy doing such a holistic assessment of a family's health needs, but on the other hand, sometimes I just crave to use my pediatrics knowledge and have a more medical-based situation on my hands.

Successful home visiting depends a lot on your ability to connect with a family and develop a strong therapeutic relationship, otherwise don't expect to accomplish much. If you like working with clients long-term and getting to know them well, great! NFP enrolls pregnant moms by 28 weeks and follows them until the child is 2 years old, so you will have lots of time to get to know a person. However, if engaging with a client, sometimes by creative means, is a challenge for you, then you've got your work carved out with NFP. Also, sometimes, no matter how hard you work to keep a client in the program, you lose them, and that can feel frustrating. Committing to home visiting for two years is a big step for a lot of moms, especially with everything else that may be going on in their lives.

I like referring families to NFP because I like that it has a strong evidence base, and I like that it combines a set curriculum of health education with the flexibility to cater to an individual's needs. I think it's one of the better home visiting programs out there. Sometimes, I think about working for the program myself! I just really like home visiting, period, and think it can be a great fit for any nurse who is public and community health-minded.

Britrn04, BSN, MSN, RN · May 17, 2017

Thank you for your perspective on home visits. I did interview yesterday and got a lot of good information about the program from the field staff. It is very successful in my area. I can definitely see the benefits and obstacles moving forward.