Thursday, December 10, 2020

How to Become a Home Health Nurse: Complete Career Path

The roles and duties of home health nurses are dependent upon their individual credentials. Based on their credentials, home health nursing staff perform a variety of tasks. Having a minimum of two years of med/surg experience will supplement your book knowledge and provide the hands-on bedside clinical experience that is needed. Resources and articles written by professionals and other nurses like you. Integrity Network members typically work full time in their industry profession and review content for NurseJournal.org as a side project.

how to become a home health nurse

Finally, home health nurses need to face the responsibility of providing safe and trusted care while respecting the patient’s privacy and dignity in their own physical space. It is an honor and privilege to work alongside clients providing them with safe and quality care in the comfort of their own homes. Master’s degree in nursing for additional or specialized training which could really have a large impact on career opportunities and earnings. You do not need to have a bachelor’s degree to be a home health nurse, but it will help advance your career and provide greater opportunities and earnings over the course of your career. According to ZipRecruiter, the national average annual salary for home health nurses in 2021 is $68,885, with the top three percent making more than $112,000. Pay can vary depending on the state and level of education and experience.

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If you are interested in becoming a home health nurse, there are many resources available to help you find a job in this field. A home health nurse is a healthcare professional responsible for providing one-on-one patient care to clients within the patient's own residence. They may be registered nurses, too, or RNs, but they can also just be entry-level professionals too. Their duties are vast but generally center around assisting and monitoring patients; helping with everyday activities, including personal hygiene, taking of medication, and general mobility. Furthermore, they tend to wounded and post-op patients and work with other healthcare professionals and physicians in order to coordinate and achieve the proper therapy for their patients.

how to become a home health nurse

Working as a home health nurse requires no certification and therefore there are no continuing education requirements for certification. At one time, a Home Health Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification was available, but it is no longer offered. Nurses who have already earned this certification and who wish to maintain it can renew it.

What is Home Health Nursing like?

Becoming a certified HIV nurse is not required for this role but may improve job prospects or salary potential. Home care nursing jobs are available through home health agencies, hospice organizations, retirement communities, and insurance companies. In addition, some government agencies hire public health nurses to visit vulnerable patient populations in their homes to help improve access to care. Individuals paid per visit get paid from private insurance companies or government programs.

We also have a guide on home health interview Q&A’s to help you land these roles. Many job postings that you see will refer to specializations such as palliative care, hospice, mental health, or even specific chronic conditions. Ultimately, for many of these postings, you will not need additional certification in the specialty mentioned. The specialization may be included in the title just to let you know what the focus of the work is.

Nursing assistant

Read on to find in-depth information on what services home healthcare nurses provide, education and training requirements, how to find a job, and more. They work with a supervising physician to create and follow through on a plan of care. They may also help bathe and dress patients and assist with other activities of daily life. They may check in with a few patients each day, or be assigned to work with one patient long-term. Other perks of being a home nurse include having more independence and autonomy than in traditional nursing roles, with the flexibility to pick your own schedule. While many in-home nurses are RNs, the job is also a great entry-level role.

how to become a home health nurse

While there are no certifications specific to a home health care nurse, there are general certifications for nurses that those working in the home health industry could benefit from. After passing the exam, it’s important to gain experience as a registered nurse. This is because most employers generally look for candidates who have at least one year of experience working as a nurse. To become a more attractive candidate, consider working in critical care environments such as an emergency room, critical care unit, or intensive care unit.

Explore new Home Health Nurse job openings and options for career transitions into related roles. Explore Herzing University’snursing programsto find the right pathway for you. In all cases, you need to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN), and there may be other licensing requirements in your state. Home health nurses should especially be comfortable and confident with life-saving skills, since they are often the only medical personnel on the scene in an emergency. Home health nurses may have to spend a good deal of time moving the patient around if they need help getting in and out of bed or out of the bath.

However, read the posting carefully to make sure that you are qualified or to learn if you can take steps to become qualified. As you near completion of your schooling, it’s a good idea to research employment trends for nurses in your area. One way to start is to use this Medicare.gov search tool to look up home health services in your zip code. Other options for learning more include local news websites, state or county employment websites, and advisors at your school. An RN has trained in higher education for 2-4 years and has passed the NCLEX-RN exam. RNs work directly with patients, performing the full range of skilled nursing tasks.

How to Become a Home Health Nurse

This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry, while also working directly with patients who need help. For those who are seeking to advance their nursing career further, anMSN degreeis a good option. Whatever your goals within the field of nursing, at WGU we're here to help. There are many education, certification, and experience requirements to become a home health nurse. Homebound patients must be assessed daily as they often have chronic or serious conditions that require constant monitoring. Home health nurses should be able to quickly evaluate patients and assess which type of care needs to be given in order to keep the patient comfortable and as healthy as possible.

how to become a home health nurse

Rasmussen University is not regulated by the Texas Workforce Commission. For additional information about Licensing and State Authorization, and State Contact Information for Student Complaints, please see those sections of our catalog. Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is authorized to operate as a postsecondary educational institution by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Hospice and Palliative careCare for pain and relief of symptoms for any stage of illness, including emotional and spiritual care at the end of life. Home health offers personalized care plans tailored to meet each individual’s needs while providing the opportunity to remain in the environment they know best – home.

Employers may prefer to hire nurses who have some previous nursing experience. In addition, a CPR certification is often required, along with a driver’s license and access to dependable transportation. Home healthcare may involve assisting patients with basic needs such as bathing and dressing, as well as more specialized services such as wound care, medication management, and IV therapy. What’s more, job opportunities for home health nurses are expected to rise. In fact, home healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S., and many home healthcare agencies are competing to recruit qualified nurses to fill this growing need.

Even if you don’t prefer it, it will give you the experience that you need in order to later do the job you really want. If the job market for nurses in your area is highly competitive, you may even wish to consider a temporary location change. In addition to the net costs in the table above, you may face other costs that are difficult to calculate. You’ll need to buy numerous textbooks and supplies, including scrubs. You’ll probably be affected by lost wages since participating full-time in both work and school/unpaid training hours won’t be possible.

How many years does it take to become a home healthcare nurse?

Some other common ailments home health nurses treat include diabetes, congestive heart failure and infections,” says Larissa Pourron, RN and nursing supervisor at TheKey®. Luckily, there are plenty of options for healthcare workers who don’t enjoy traditional medical environments. Nurses have the flexibility to use their talents in a work environment that not only benefits patients but also works well with their own personality, lifestyle and schedule commitments.

Home health nurses must be skilled at working one-on-one with individual patients. Providing personalized patient care should be their top priority and skill they've honed. If you're driven to lead, this online nursing degree will provide you everything needed to make that career a reality. If you don't currently have an RN and don't qualify for your nursing prelicensure program, consider getting our Bachelor's Degree in Health Services Coordination instead. This degree allows you to work inside the healthcare industry in a unique way. If you don't live in one of our prelicensure states or don't qualify to apply, consider getting our Bachelor's Degree in Health Services Coordination instead.

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