Trying Home Health For The First Time

[nursejudy15209]

:bugeyes:i have just spent a few hours browsing through the posts about home health nursing. now i'm thinking what have i gotten myself into . ? at first all i could picture was one patient at a time -- now i see the "bigger picture" and i'm thinking about all of the "what if's" that seem to come up during the course of a fairly normal kind of day.

as a lpn i have moved away from the typical bedside type of nursing - mostly long term care-- to test out the waters in corrections and now for my last hurrah in nursing i choose home care. i must admit that i'm feeling like a fish out of water here. anybody try this without the benefit of that newfangled device called a gps? i haven't invested in that yet -- but i think it is right up there with getting my vehicle in tip top shape. i'm just a bit concerned that my skill level (rusty at best) will match the challenges out there in the neighborhoods.

as for dangerous situations, i can understand that money is the driving factor for these agencies, however it really bothers me that some agencies are willing to put their nurses at risk in unsafe situations, not to mention the poor patient that depends on home health care. things sure have changed since my father received home health care that included nursing type visits as well as physical and occupational therapy visits. i'm not expecting some miraculous words of wisdom here, but this is website has always been a comfort to me when i struggle with nursing issues. so, once again, here i am and i guess i'll hear back from some experienced folks or maybe somebody just like me who is trying this for the first time. either way, i look forward to the posts .

i extend my heartfelt thanks for all those posting, replying, and sharing stories. you nurses rock!

[caliotter3]

As far as dangerous situations go, you should have a discussion with the supervisor about the agency take on this. Not all personnel at all agencies will throw the nurse to the wolves when something untoward happens, but that doesn't mean one should not be prepared for the worst. You are ultimately responsible for taking care of yourself. It is somewhat surprising to find out the hard way, that your personal safety means nothing to the management at the agency. So do everything to keep yourself safe. If you want less stress on the job, take an extended care position rather than an intermittent visit position. Less fuss, less muss all the way around. Good luck with your new job. Hope you find that you like the different approach.

[nursejudy15209]

[color=sienna]thanks, calio for the reply!

extended care positions, while they do keep you in one place - have gotten very cumbersone these days. the amount of patients coupled with the business of docuentation are a bit much. to me, that's a whole lot of stress even without the involvement of a new admission, a fall, a sudden turn of events, or even a death. so, i have had my share of that stress and honestly think that if i hadn't read those posts, this particular job seemed like a better fit for me.

i thought i was taking on the role of a visiting hospice nurse but that may or may not be the situation. the agency talks a good talk about policies, procedures, and the whole "chain of command" when reporting unusual situations. i left there today feeling pretty good about the situation, but after reading these posts - it has left me pondering. i'm taking the leap of faith that things will be ok and i will certainly keep in mind that personal safety is most important.

thanks again for the advice and well wishes!

[nursel56]

I really like home health so far. It's nothing like I expected it to be, though. I work in private duty (only one home), and though the neighborhood is borderline I've never confronted a truly dangerous situation.

The thing about agencies is they are not all alike or even kind of alike in many cases. I worked for the giant nationwide chain agency and now I am working for a "mom and pop" nurse-owned agency that is small and holds itself to very high standards.

If you will be doing multiple visits in a day-- yeah a GPS navigator would probably be helpful. I still use the old-fashioned Thomas Guide and look at maps in advance, Mapquest will serve that purpose, too.

One of the hardest things to deal with is that there tends to be a complex of home environments with a person disabled by violence, a high needs child etc and a dysfunctional surrounding family. You wish you could rescue the patient and get the h out of Dodge, but you can't .

One thing I really do love about it is the lack of big-fish small pond supervisors breathing down my neck and we get to rely on our own judgement. We can make a huge difference for some vulnerable patients for just the reason they are surrounded by bad role models and family members who don't really care if the diabetic renal patient scarfs potato chips and soda all day. It's kind of like being out on the frontier.

These are just some rambling thoughts on it. After you work this field for a while, I hope you come back and share your experience with us!