Planning a Home Health career

[Libby1987]

I've thought about this often over the years.

Nursing students tend to have an idea of what type of nursing they want to practice. Of course peds, CC and ER top the lists. And they might even set themselves up for that goal, like obtaining relevant work experience prior to graduation, obtaining certs to better their marketability, intentionally starting in Med Surg as a stepping stone, relocating to an area with prestigious university facilities.. Right?

What does anyone ever do to set themselves up for a successful and satisfying home health career?

Has or does anyone obtain home health aide cert to get experience with scheduling and working in the home setting, self start learning about home health regs and oasis, wound care courses, researching and relocating to an area that is driving friendly with a high retirement/Medicare population, sticking out that first two years to become marketable, savvy and choosy?

I've read post after post of terrible home health experiences but I've never once read a post from someone who planned their home health career. It's more of an afterthought, a plan b or even plan c after burning out on the floor or unsuccessfully obtaining an acute care job and then trying to make it work in a community after already setting up a household.

I didn't plan my HH career either, I fell into it for the same reasons stated above, but I did it at an early age, pre kids, stuck with it until I learned it inside and out, lived and willing to relocate to my patient territory and that has made it work out so well for me. It was very challenging at first but the more I learned and worked out, the easier and more satisfying it became.

Experienced home health nurses, especially case mgrs, are not common. Demonstrable home health knowledge and experience are very marketable and can land you a good gig if you plan it out.

If anyone reading is interested in what home health is about, inquire also how to go about setting up a successful career as opposed to trying to make plan c work without any accommodation. You can get lucky and it just happens to work out but there are aspects to home health to consider that can make the difference between a great job or one full of frustration and obstacles.

[ontnursec]

I planned mine, and it is still a huge, huge learning curve. In school, I intentionally got placements in home health nursing and urgent care to gain experience for home health. I also read all of the standards/guidelines for home health in my area, did a bunch of research on what makes a successful new grad in home health, how funding works here, etc.

What my manager said to me when I was hired really struck a cord. It doesn't really matter whether you're in med/surg or home health, there is still a learning curve. You'll have that anywhere. So long as you have the right attitude, willingness to stick it out and learn, supportive team, and excellent critical thinking skills, you have the potential to be successful.

[Libby1987]

I wasn't meaning to diminish the learning curve, it's indisputably huge.

I would be interested to know how many here strategically planned a career in home health and how many came to it for other reasons.

[gibsongirl]

I fell into it also. I am moving to Washington state soon and I wonder if I could handle full time. I know several seasoned homecare nurses who have worked between 20 and 30 years in home health and still struggle with productivity unless the cut corners.

[Libby1987]

I fell into it also. I am moving to Washington state soon and I wonder if I could handle full time. I know several seasoned homecare nurses who have worked between 20 and 30 years in home health and still struggle with productivity unless the cut corners.

I think some are more inherently organized with ability to adjust to changes on the fly, understand the documentation requirements without missing a beat and (I hate to this out of fashion term) multi taskers in their ability to assess/treat/educate.

I find full time easier to manage than part time because I've been the one managing my schedule and already have a plan for patients' needs and follow up, without having to start nearly from scratch every work day after having been off, or relying solely on others' organization and planning.

What has made a huge difference in both time and satisfaction is having a territory that I also live in. 5-10 min usually to first and from last patient, working from home without the distractions and disruptions of the office.

[sweetlilwolf]

I looked into it did an interview and shadowed and found its not for me... Maybe you can do that?

[Libby1987]

I looked into it did an interview and shadowed and found its not for me... Maybe you can do that?

Shadowing is great advice.

But no matter if the job looks like a great fit, believe that the first year is a huge learning curve. I haven't seen anyone yet who didn't underestimate.

I think if you can really believe that 1) it's going to be a rough first year 2) it gets easier 3) you'll be able to take that experience with you and negotiate a better gig knowing what to clarify and ask for.