ScalLVN

anikkid333, so i was working as a medical transcriber, before nursing school and I kinda just fell into it. One day the office was in need for a new medical historian and they asked if i was interested. They trained me and i worked for that medical group for 12 years. One of the ortho surgeons left that office and offered me a job to work for him, better pay, work from home but no benefits. It's a give and take situation, I think. I'm basically a contractor, self employed category. But it's super flexible and allowed me to go to nursing school while still making good money. Doctor's offices through the workers' comp industry hire a lot of medical historians. I've always been interested in home health. I think it's one of those things you either love or hate. I do shift care, which means i'm with one patient for an 8hr shift. I didn't like the idea of doing multiple visits per day, and driving all day long from home to home. So i decided to try shift care. I love it! I have one patient to care for versus 20-30 working in a facility. The nurse to patient ratio is crazy! I have the time to actually provide total patient care to my patient. Like in any job there are always pros/cons. It can feel a bit isolated, you don't have co-workers, pot lucks, no one to really bounce ideas with. I do have an awesome RN though. I can call him and ask any questions regarding my patient and the care plan. The agency also has a 24/7 oncall nurse for any help or question I may have. I've heard sometimes families and/or patients can be a bit particular or difficult. I feel so lucky that with my first patient, the family is super cool and chill! Sometimes you have to work in not the best conditions like cleanliness of the home, bringing your own equipment, no help with transferring and such. Finding the right fit between you and the family/patient is key!

I have 3 jobs, I work from home taking medical histories for an orthopedic medical group. I work about 20 to 30 hours, super flexible, great pay, but no benefits. I work for a home care agency part time 16 hours a week, doing shift care, super easy, decent pay, no benefits. I also work as a wellness nurse for an assisted living facility, 10 hours per week, they dont pay well but i keep in the loop with med pass, assessments, and insulin administration. I love the flexibility and not being tied down to one job. I was so tired of the mon-fri 8-5 which is one of the reasons i became a nurse. Lastly i live in S. CA, so expensive, so the extra income helps greatly. Yes, i agree with you, many nurses i know have more than one job!

I'm not in Texas, but I am a new LVN in CA. I received my license in September of 2018 and I too was having a difficult time finding a job. I totally understand how you feel about home care, I felt the same way, very scared. However in November of 2018 I decided to give it a shot! I absolutely love it. One patient to care for, shift care, pay is $24 and hour. It's super easy. Of course every patient/case is different. You just have to find the right one that works for you. You need to remember that that patient's in home care, are stable, otherwise they would be in the hospital. They require your skills as a nurse. You are there to perform those skills such as med pass, GT tube care, catheter care, trach or vent. The important thing is to monitor their status, recognize any change in their condition, which you will, by doing as assessment and taking vitals. Perform any nursing interventions within your scope of practice and report any change in condition. Also, you will have an RN supervisor, which is super helpful, you can call or text any questions. Home health care agencies always have someone on call. Let us know how it goes, best of luck!

Yes, I agree a home health agency doing shift care will likely hire you. I live in SB county as well. Home healthcare agencies that are always hiring are Premier healthcare services, Maxim healthcare services, and 24 Seven Home Health, just off the top of my head. There are many more. You can also reach out to Ensign Services, they staff skilled nursing facilities and are always hiring. If you are looking for hospitals, apply at San Antonio Community in Upland and Kindred Hospital also hire LVN's all the time. Dignity Health Hospital in SB also hires LVN's, I also know they offer internship opportunities, that always looks great on resumes. Good luck, I would love to hear how it goes for you.