RN276

I'm wondering what emotionally healing/comforting things to say to a patient that has just found out there is no chance to cure their disease and they are going to die?

I started in Home Health as a new grad 1 1/2 years ago. At that time hospitals were not keen on hiring new grads - hopefully things have changed. In the perfect world, I would have started off on a med surg floor and moved on from there, but these economic times changed my path. With all due respect to my far more experienced colleagues, I love Home Health and at this time in my life, can't ever imagine working in a hospital. Yes, there are times when I reach out to a trusted, more experienced nurse(s) for advice - but that's the key - know when (and who) to ask for advice. Know when a case is over your head and make sure management knows what your limitations are. Ask to do joint visits with nurses to learn new skills. Don't ever do anything unless you are absolutely confident about it. Ask for a mentor that you can contact in a pinch. Advocate for yourself as a new nurse.

I'm a home health nurse in need of a sturdy, accurate temporal thermometer. Any suggestions?

I completed nursing school at age 49. I will NEVER regret my decision to follow my dream. Walking across that stage to receive my nursing degree was, by far, the proudest moment of my life. BTW, there were several students older than me.

In nursing school I got into the habit taking time at the beginning of a shift to get organized. Today, I still take those few minutes to plan (as best I can) and it always pay off.

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Thanks for your input. How is it that RN's can work part time in home health and handle a caseload?

For those with Home Health experience, I was wondering what the difference is between a Home Health Case Manager and a Visiting Nurse. Does one have more responsibility than the other? Is the pay different?

kmd199 - Your job sounds like the job I want! LOL! I just wrote a post similar to yours entitled "where do I go from here." I'm in home health, like it but the paperwork is getting to me. I find myself in front of a computer more than in front of patients! I'm not as concerned about the $$ as I am about the type of job.

I'm a new grad (May 2010) and have found that I landed in home health. Although there is A LOT I like about it, the paperwork is overwhelming - especially admission paperwork (99 pages - yikes!). I already found myself wondering where can I go from here? In other words, what other specialty can I apply the experiences I've gained from home health? I'm not particularly interested in LTC or med surg.