tinderbox

When I got interviewed, I met with a 3 person panel with set pre-planned questions. Questions such as: What draws you to Public Health? Tell me a time when you were able to persuade someone reluctant to change (a co-worker, patient, MD, etc) to see things a certain way. Tell me of a time when you had to display leadership skills. And of course, the perennial favorite of interview questions: Tell me of a a difficult situation with a patient, co-worker, MD, etc. and how you were able to come to a resolution. There were a couple other ones that I can't remember, but those stand out. I was very nervous and didn't think I'd get called back, but I must've done something right because I got the job!

Thank you for your replies! That does clear things up for me, especially regarding travel time. It seems to me that public health nurses seem more satisfied with their jobs than HH nurses do. There is a lot to love in HH, but I constantly hear and read comments from HH nurses expressing burnout with the hordes of paperwork, unpaid overtime, charting well into the night at home, and wear and tear on our cars. It's all true, and I've had the same issues! LOL! Whereas in public health, it seems the common complaint is lower pay. I think I would enjoy public health, though, as I do enjoy promoting wellness and preventative care. I went back to full-time in HH, and we still have to work a weekend a month and some holidays (depending on who wants what off, according to seniority). The hours and the work of public health sound very appealing to me!

I currently work in home health and am thinking of making a change. I had considered wound care and even going back to acute care (temporary bout of insanity on my part!), but neither really hold an appeal to me now, especially not acute care. I really like educating my patients and the one-on-one interaction I get to have with them, but I'm getting really tired of doing hours of paperwork at home, after having seen my patients and also getting wary of constantly having to drive into bad neighborhoods alone. I also hate the amount of paperwork involved in home health. I mean, it is really ridiculous! Other than that, I actually do enjoy the work, and I thought public health nursing might be a good option. From what I understand, it seems to entail a lot of patient education and preventative care, both of which pique my interest, but not as much crazy paperwork and charting on your own time? Am I right? But it also sounds like some phn's go to people's homes, and that is where I get confused. I do see the major differences between home health and phn, but are there any phn's out there who can elaborate, especially on the home visits? Do you have to spend hours charting after seeing your patients? How much travel time exactly is there in ph nursing? I'd like to kind of steer away from traveling so much as well...

I also carry mace. I see patients in very bad neighborhoods. I work in a city that is consistently in the top 5-10 on the most dangerous cities list.

Sorry, but in a case where a call to 911 is necessary, unless it's in the case of a patient medical emergency, I am out the door. I do not stick around 10-20 minutes, if for example, I hear gunshots or if I feel in any way threatened. I'll leave my equipment if I have to, but I will not stick around. That is exactly what our supervisors tell us to do, too-- just leave and call the office after you're in your car (and in a safer location).

I know one of the greatest concerns of new HH nurses is safety. But how much riskier do you really think HH is compared to the hospital? I was listening to some friends who work in the hospital setting, and some of the stories were scarier than what I've experienced in HH, i.e., getting kicked in the head by a confused patient getting restrained, a manager getting beaten up by a very large agro patient, being threatened by gang members in the ED...also I remember myself getting swatted at, screamed at, spit at, and, yes, kicked by patients when I used to work in the hospital. Add to that with all the other hazards of hospitals (dangerous chemicals, machinery, small rooms, isolation patients, etc), how much riskier really, in total, is HH compared to in-patient acute/critical care, in terms of safety hazards to the nurse?The discussion just had me thinking of this issue in a different way..

Any case managers here who previously worked in home health? I realize that case managing exists in home health as well, but from I've heard, the two types are quite different. How would you compare your job satisfaction, hours, and work-life balance? Thanks in advance!

Just say no. And don't feel guilty about it. Guilt is a wasted emotion. Let some of the other nurses step up to the plate.

Good grief, well that is .. creative, I guess. Shoot, we were looking at luxury models. Sigh. I mean, not BMWs or anything like that. But maybe an Audi or Infiniti. We only have one car so we kinda wanted to spoil ourselves. We don't actually drive that much otherwise plus we live in the city.

Caliotter, You do extended care, right? Do you think it's because your car is parked in a spot for a longer period of time, it gave the perps more time? Shoot, sorry to hear that it happened anyway.

I only work part-time, though, and the number of miles I put in is nowhere near 38000. More like less than 10000. I think I drive less in Home health than some people commute daily to their jobs! I'm more concerned with anything happening to the car while parked when I'm inside a patient's home. I go to some pretty rough neighborhoods every once in a while. Am I being paranoid? I think it's my husband's influence.

I only work part-time, though, and the number of miles I put in is nowhere near 38000. More like less than 10000. I think I drive less in Home health than some people commute daily to their jobs! I'm more concerned with anything happening to the car while parked when I'm inside a patient's home. I go to some pretty rough neighborhoods every once in a while. Am I being paranoid? I think it's my husband's influence.

Any of you hesitate to buy a new nice car because you work in home health? And have any nurses who drive newer nice cars had any problems when going into the rougher neighborhoods?

Anyone out there with a history of migraines and works noc shift? I will be going back to acute care and will be on noc shift, but I started suffering from migraines this year. Yes, I know noc shift and migraines sound like a recipe for disaster, but the thought of waking up at 0530 am and doing crazy dayshift makes my head hurt, too. Plus all that noise, bright lights, constant streams of people, and chaos...aghh, I get anxious just thinking about it! I worked nights before and did pretty well. My last time in acute care was on dayshift, and I hated it.Anyway, I'd like to hear from those migraine sufferers who work noc's and how you deal with it.

Thank you all for your advice! I think I may need to review my resume. In the meantime, I will keep trying.