Nurses who work in Community/Home care

If hospitals in your area are experiencing budget cuts, try applying to LTC ... many new grads start there. And I am a recent RPN graduate, and some people who graduated with me applied to home care and got interviews (although I'm not sure if they got the job)

Hi I just had a few questions for nurses who worked in Community/Home care. I like the idea of going from house to house and seeing patients.

I'm wondering for nurses who do this how do you like it compared to working in a hospital?

Are new student grades ever hired for community and home care? I have had family members who required nurses to come each day and I feel like this is something that interests me more then hospital nursing surprisingly.

I've worked in community since I was a new grad. I love it. I love the pay ($18.66-21 per visit, can see an average of two people an hour, no complaints). I love the hours (home for supper every night, works for me). I love the skill set I have developed and the variety of things I get to do/see on a daily basis. I love the different side of things you get to see by being in someone's home.

Most companies are fine with hiring new grads (truthfully, the turnover rate is lowest with new grads because those who transition from other areas often don't stay due to it being so different from what they are used to in a facility, not always but it is certainly a major issue that we run into). You are equipped with technology that makes communication a non-issue (I have a blackberry and an iPad from my company, we email all day. If I have a question I can email or call someone and have a response almost instantly).

I have really loved my time in community!

Now I'll let you know what I hate, because it's not perfect.

The new shift of focus from hospital to community means more and more things are being done at home. Chemo, IV, dialysis, you name it we can do it. It's great, but this MASSIVE increase in patient is not being met with a proportionate increase in funding, and we feel it, we feel it very hard.

The at home work. The charting is out of this world because of the requirements by ccac. I spend a great deal of time at home calling CCAC, typing up reports to send to ccac and my office, planning and arranging visits for the next day. It can certainly take a toll on your work/life balance.

However, no jobs are perfect. I love my job for the flexibility it offers me and that's usually what draws people in.

And patients that ten years ago were in the ICU are now being on the floor as part of a 4-5 patient assignment.

Money, it all comes down to money