Are new grad RNs able to get a job in home health ?

I started out in home health/hospice and after a few years am now working in acute care. It can be done but is not the norm. It all depends on the hospital too. Having experienced this, I still believe getting a solid 2 years of acute care experience would be a good idea before going into home health.

No. The preference is to have acute care background before you are sent out in the field. Many Home Health companies don't spend enough time on Orientation, Medicare rules, etc.

Long Term Care would also be a nice prerequisite for working in Home Health.

But taking a new grad from school into Home Health is risky due to the inexperience and possible danger zones.

In addition, you would need to have enough assessment background with regard to understanding any changes or condition deterioration in your client. And you won't have machines to bail you out.

Best to start in Acute or Long Term Care first, get your knowledge foundation set, then go into Home Health if that is what you desire. Just my opinion.

What everyone else has said - you absolutely do NOT know enough fresh out of school to handle home health. You do NOT have the nurse "gut feeling" yet that tells you when the person is going to "crash" even though the vitals still look good and there is nothing concrete to put your finger on, but still......You as a new grad need someone there to fall back on for a few months fresh out of school. If a home health agency would hire you as a new grad and put you in the field, you don't want to work for them.

My friend was having a rough time getting a job in Hawaii. Her first job turned out to be home health. I think she's still doing it.

As long as you are a RN, you can work anywhere that hires a RN..given you have the required certs as well (BLS, ACLS, Pals, etc)

Whether they chose to hire you, is on them.

No. It's on you and don't you forget it.

Oh ok... I reread what OP said...Are they likely to? I guess not. But since I've been a nurse, I've seen every single specialty hire a new grad RN..except for maybe a procedure type like cath lab or nuc med..I haven't seen them hire new nurses.

Whether a job is offered is on the employer. Whether the job is accepted is on the individual nurse. If people need employees, they will hire new grads.

Near me, the home health companies have a very hard time finding RNs, because they cannot afford to pay what the hospital pays. For this reason, they have created new grad preceptorships and even have sim labs. It works out well for the ADN nurses, who are not as attractive to the hospitals. So, yes, you can do this.

They like one year experience usually. Hospital managers do not understand what HHC is about. Sometimes I think they just assume we go to patients houses to visit or read to them. They underappreciate the complexities of home care nursing and therefore do not give credence to the expertise it requires to be a home care nurse. I could write a book but won't.

Back in the dark ages, I heard "one year of acute care experience before HH."

I started in acute care, and I lasted about 9 months. HH was willing to hire me at that point, and I never had a problem. The two fields are quite different.

It really depends on the local market.

I would HIGHLY recommend a year or two before moving to HH or Hospice. I was fortunate to find my HH/Hospice job after only 6 months of being an RN. At the time I was already pursuing a BSN and was knowledgeable enough to convince the VIP of Clinical Services to hire me.

The first interview was TWO (yes, two) hours long and I had to have a second interview. I started in Case Management where I was able to only see 4 patients a day and I learned a lot because I asked a lot. You HAVE to be motivated to learn and understand, you're on your own 100% of the time.

I would recommend understanding your goals before going to HH. The turn-over is high and new nurses may feel lost.