Offered a Postition from a Home Health agency should I take it?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 4, 2014

JustBeachyNurse
No nurse should be cocky rather new grad or experience, always room for improvement, I would not accept a job that did not have the sufficent amount of training. I am willing to learn and want as much training as possible.No need to prove my knowledge I am coming into my job with an open mind and willingness to be taught.

And that attitude will bring you success and opportunity. Just empower yourself to ask for assistance or additional training if needed now or in the future. Many people forget that sometimes an extra class or review is helpful not a statement of lacking.

You would probably been either fully annoyed by or embarrassed for the nurse I mentioned. She was in a class where the nurses combined had more experience than she has been on this earth.

jaytee12003 · Oct 4, 2014

JustBeachy Nurse, I read your posting about the new grad nurse above, to me any nurse who can not listen and learn then they should be fired, some people are know it all for me I am going to use my opportunity to learn as much as I can so I will be able to perform my job in efficient manner. Not everyone is cut out for nursing it takes a lot humility because one mistake can cost your patient life.... I have been reading this post for years even when I was in school and some of the postings are amazing, new grads who 4 years latter are posting some of the some questions it make me wonder what have they learn in the field if they post some of the same questions four years latter. Nursing is progressive you gain more knowledge as you go alone if that is not the case something is wrong.

Shuggahs · Oct 4, 2014

Are you a LPN or RN? I am a LPN / ADN student. I currently work in home health and I love it. I like the 1 pt, less stress, down time, one on knee care by the book, employer support, shift flexibility and weekly pay. The fist time I started, I was scared & felt alone hit what I had to remember, if they were critical or unstable, they would be in the hospital. I took all my books & iPad & I'm good! Try, looks good for experience until you get what you want.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Oct 4, 2014

I accepted a private duty job because hospital jobs are so hard to find. I lasted 3 shifts! My advise is to make sure that they will give you a good orientation and that back u is only a phone call away. As a new grad without experience, I felt my license was at risk. I had a very high acuity infant with multiple co-morbidities, a feeding tube, a trach and it was on night shifts. I got one night orientation and then was left alone. My preceptor was supposed to train me for 4 shifts, after the first one she thought I was good enough to leave alone. First shift alone I had to call her and she clearly did not want to be bothered. I felt I was going to kill this kid!

Bottom line, if you are going to get enough training, then take it! But if not, you probably shouldn't.

Flatlander · Oct 4, 2014

Agree!

jaytee12003 · Oct 5, 2014

scaredsilly, Thanks for your advice and I agree, my position is not a private duty position it is for a LTC Home Health Care, I would not personally do private duty as a new grad because to me it is very hard to grow in that postion taking care of one patient one at a time versus, multiply patient a day with different needs builds nursing skills, also my new agency do provide training and more than a couple of days, they have orientation for new nurses...And on the job training for new nurses. Do not have an interest in private nursing I see a lot responses to this post are nurses who are in private duty.... I am working for a LTC Home Health Care Agency, not private duty nursing, there is a big difference in the two.

jaytee12003 · Oct 5, 2014

Shuggahs, I am a RN with my Associate Degree, I will be starting my BSN in November.

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Oct 5, 2014

I've never heard the term LTC home health. Traditionally there is skilled home health ( visits 30-90 minutes depending on patient needs, frequency 3/wk to 1-2x/month). Visits may be in a home or sometimes assisted living that only offers medication aides. Private duty is shift work ( most often pediatric medically complex kids) for shifts ranging 4-16 hours. Nurses may provide 1:1 care in private duty on the bus ride to/from school or even accompany during school day (costs paid by school district if medically necessary).

Many confuse the two since PDN is quite often in a home environment. Both my agencies do skilled intermittent, school and shift work. Because of the short term of intermittent skilled, new grads are only permitted to do shift work until skills are stronger as minimal time to train is available. Infusion and high tech (trach/vent) is limited to nurses with 1+ years experience in the agency or 1+ years trach & ventilator in another setting. This happens to be policy at my agencies.

Most skilled home health agencies will take patients newborn through senior. Most are Medicare certified.

scaredsilly, BSN, RN · Oct 5, 2014

jaytee, you are correct, there is a huge difference! But the situations you may find yourself in are not dissimilar! If you have good training and easily reachable backup then it is probably a great start to your career, if not then run away!

In home health, you are going to be able to recognize problems when they first appear before they get worse. I would request at least one day ride along with a wound nurse, and once you learn as much as you can from her, ask if you can send photos of anything you think may be the beginnings of a problem to her for her opinion. One of the biggies if you are dealing with an older or less mobile population are going to be pressure related and you need to be able to recognize the sings before you have a huge gaping ulcer to treat. Another problem is yeast, make sure someone can show you how to recognize it ANYWHERE.

The problem with new grads being on our own is that our assessment skills are still 'by the book', and one of the first things you learn as a nurse is that the patients didn't read the book! Early intervention is crucial and you just have to be able to recognize the signs. I was offered a home health job that dealt with mostly geriatric COPD patients and turned it down because I didn't trust myself and my assessment skills enough to be confident I could recognize the beginnings of an issue in time to save them a hospital visit.

jaytee12003 · Oct 5, 2014

scaredsilly, I agree I want to least have a couple of weeks of training riding alone with a experience nurse. Was offered a private nursing home health job and turned it down, I want the experience of gaining skills from treating multiple patients.