Personal Safety

You need to always worry about safety both in the homes and out on the road. If you are in an urban or a rural area will mean different things that you need to be concerned about. You learn to be very aware of your surroundings and always listen to your gut instincts. If you ever feel that your safety is at risk in a home, you get out. There are some homes where I don't feel unsafe, but I don't feel safe either. If you feel a little uncomfortable you learn to take precautions like making sure nothing is between you and your exit and not turning your back on anyone. Much of it is your demeanor and the attitude that you display (no matter how you're feeling inside). I have been in situations where inappropriate comments or things were tried. I have found that being firm and not acting rattled worked well. I would tell the patient or family member that I was there to help them and I expected the same amount of respect from them that I gave them and that I could leave at any time- this usually stops the behavior. But, I have refused to go back to one patient's home because I did not feel safe. In my area (rural), I always wear my ID badge and a uniform. People around here respect nurses and that seems to help. Since I do have to travel over sporificely populated dirt roads and we do have a meth epidemic here, I do have a handgun carry permit and keep it in my car.

I have been chased, had a gun pulled on me, had my bag stolen twice, had my car broken into twice......all on visits. Considering that spans a 15 year home health career, that is pretty good.

renerian

I agree with the previous posters. HH can be unsafe. In addition to some of what the previous posters wrote, I've had pet dogs growl at me and one tried to bite me. That's why I carried pepper spray in the home and had a "companion" in the car. I only carried what I needed in the home because there are also other issues like germ carrying pests. Despite this, I still like HH better than the hospital. I felt a certain freedom and autonomy I didn't feel in the hospital setting.

In the future I may consider HH as a career option for me. I have to admit that I am kinda paranoid about going to the houses of people that I don't know. Is this an issue for you. What do you do to help keep yourself safe? Have you ever been in a situation where you felt threatened? What did you do about it?

Hello Nellie nurse, I have been a HH nurse for the last two years. I started with an agency and recently became an IP (Independant provider). I really enjoy providing home care and my experience with home care has been better than any nursing home situation I ever worked in. I can honestly say that I had more "scarry" situations in the facilities than with HH. I do agree with the other posts and encourage you to give it a try. I will never ever go back to facility life, if you've been there you'll understand what I mean. Good luck!!