What do you love about homecare?

[Mbg1109, BSN]

Hello all! Can you share what you love about being a homecare nurse? 

I have an interview coming up with the homecare department that is part of a very large health system in my area. 

It's FT M-F, one weekend a month (you get off 2 days during the week for those weekends). They said the pay is hourly, and you see 5-6 patients a day in zip codes close to your home, with flexibility in scheduling. The pay is $55-$60/hr (or $115-120k annually- here in NY) I like the idea of working independently and the flexibility in scheduling. 

It sounds too good to be true to be honest. I read a lot on here regarding negative aspects of home care. What do you love about it??

[Mbg1109, BSN]

I guess there's nothing to love ?

[toomuchbaloney]

Mbg1109 said:

I guess there's nothing to love ?

It's difficult to know.  I loved home Hospice more than medical home care. Not all providers are created equally.  Expectations sometimes outpace what is comfortable. My HC experience had lots of home care patients with psychological or psychiatric diagnosis who were not well managed.  Their care was often too complicated for the brief visits that many agencies desire.  Sometimes the work environments are unsafe. The travel can be unsafe.  I was involved in a serious automobile accident while on duty, the employer supported me by immediately drug testing me.

Home care can be good but much depends upon the employer and the area you will travel.  I was serving a large urban center in the Midwest.  

[HiddenAngels]

ha ha!  I like how you came back and responded to your own self! yesssss!

TMB - Wow about the car accident and the employer drug testing you right away! geez

I didn't have much experience maybe like a month or two before I landed something else.  You do have to go into people's homes and take care of their loved one in all kinds of environments (that's huge).  So, If Uncle Joe is smoking a doobie nearby well then, they're in their own home and yea, umm so there's that.  LOL. In my brief experience, most of the patients were separated at the time of my visit to allow me to conduct the care I needed to and then leave.  Again, I can't stress this enough tho, I was by myself going into unexpected environments and some of them I thought weren't safe for me to be in, let alone walking to my car some nights out and about by myself.  But everybody is different.

 

OH Edit - I forgot to tell you what  I loved..?

I liked the patients and I liked the independence sometimes

[B52, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'm a mental health intensive case manager. I do home, video and phone visits. I love the autonomy and not being stuck in an office 8 hours a day. After years of night shift, I love working 7:30-4 Monday through Friday, holidays off.