Would anyone recommend doing home health as a new grad? I’m currently applying to new grad programs but would like to start earning something since I do have pending bills to pay.

Absolutely not. You need a couple of years to hone your skills. Med-surg or one of the units would be your best bet. The acuity of home health patients has increased dramatically and you need a good skill set to be able to care for them.

I have to agree with Teresa and Gary. Being a home health nurse requires extensive knowledge and good assessment skills to be able to put signs and symptoms together if your patient is not doing well. You do work alone so you have no one to ask for help. I recommend 2 years in a Medical-Surgical floor to get some experience and develop your skills.
I traveled for 15 years and they won’t take nurses unless you have a year experience. I’ll tell you there was no way I would have been ready with just one year and so I did not start until I had 2 years under my belt and was confident in making decisions and trusting my judgement. I still ask questions and also for help. As a nurse you are always learning.

I highly recommend home health as an option it may not be where you want to be but its a good way to start.

Hi, I've been a nurse for 25+ years, and I do understand you wanting to start work. I've done ICU, ER, And recently did home health. The one thing I found that concerned me about that was that you are on your own. Of course you have a phone, but even after lots of experience, sometimes I had wished I had someone else with me to confer with. It was a good job, lots of flexibility, but you do not know what you are going to walk into.

If you are new to nursing entirely, home health might be really stressful as you are in the field solo and there isn’t someone else to rely on. If you are confident in yourself and can problem resolute through things you don’t know you might be ok

Absolutely. You are able to complete assignments while at work. less stress.

I would not recommend home health as a starting point. In home health, you are often on your own out in the field seeing patients. Yes, there is usually other nurses you can call on when you are unsure and maybe a Doctor, but as a new nurse, you need to hone your skills first. I have been a nurse for over 30 years. I tell all new nurses do at least 1 year on a med/surgery floor to gain those skills. On med/surgery, you get all kinds of patients with all kinds if problems. This experience will help you grow your skills and have the ability to be confident in working independently.

I have been a ICU/ED nurse for 23 yrs and my recommendation would be “NO”. You need to get some bedside experience to even know what you are doing. School is great. You learn the basics, but bedside is where you learn to be a nurse. I’m sure you would questions about your pts care that you just don’t understand yet. Don’t stress yourself out, because it will. If you can get in a new grad program that’s great. Pick up overtime then.Good Luck!

Your patients need your experience and intuition to detect subtle and profound changes in their health. I missed things even with20 years of critical care and travel nursing.

The documentation alone is overwhelming.

You deserve to feel confident and prepared for anything..including doing cpr on an HIV patient on his dining room floor during your first intake visit…it happens..

I am a nurse with 35 years of experience and have managed many nurses over my career. I strongly recommend you do not start in this setting. Everyone expects you to be inexperienced at this point and need help with your basic assessment skills. This is the time you take advantage of that and learn under the guidance of experienced nurses. Your new job everyone will expect you know what you are doing and home health is not the place to learn.

No, not until you have enough experience to practice alone. There's no one to ask questions of so get some experience under your belt before you try to go it alone.

I wouldn’t. You will not learn or maintain many basic nursing skills if doing home health. There is nobody to ask for help out in the field and while there is support from the office and manager… you are in the home alone to handle any situation that may come up. I would recommend at least a year bedside in an acute care setting first.

I’d suggest not. A lot of home health is individual care and you’re always on your own. It’s better to start where you readily have nurses available for advice and in areas that give you situations to learn from.

This fully depends on the acuity of your patients. You can easily be a new grad home health nurse if the company prepares you for your patient and you ask questions. My home health company taught me extensive wound care, trach care, and ostomy care.

I applied to home health the day after I got my license number. I needed income until my hospital job started which was 6 weeks off. They train you and I did both jobs for 2 years.

It is best to work in a hospital setting, one that has teaching and training.

It really depends what kind of support and mentorship you're getting as a new grad doing home health. Will a more seasoned nurse be with you initially during your orientation period? The responses offered so far is assuming that bedside inpatient clinical nursing has the resources and support necessary for a new grad to learn. However, the landscape is also changing and transition to ambulatory and home care (hospital at home initiatives) would put new grad nurses in settings other than bedside care to learn and expand on their skills. It is really worth exploring what kind of support you will have and ensuring that that support system is available to you when you need it.

Home health is a very rewarding pathway. You will learn a great deal about chronic health conditions, wound care, surgical recovery from joint replacements, lab draw techniques, relevant pharmacology management. No other field of nursing is so diverse. Your patients appreciate being able to stay in their homes while getting treatment. They are so grateful for our care. It will prepare you for nearly any specialty you may choose in the future.

I graduated may 22 started working sept 22 a
Have been a hospice nurse. It will be a year in Sept23. I did it

Home health care can be a great way to keep up with some basic skills and learn how to interact with patients and their families on a closer level than you would in a hospital setting. The pay is not the highest in nursing but would at least allow you to earn some immediate income. Many home Heath care agencies are looking to hire and there is a need for nurses so finding a position should not be hard. I currently work for Maxim home health which is a good company but always recommend looking at all your options.

If you were planning your career as a home health nurse it would be ok, but if not I would not recommend it at all. I worked 32 years in a hospital setting and I went into home care…. If you’re confident in your abilities you would be fine, but I worked with someone who needed more hand holding and it was a struggle for them. It is definitely a different kind of nursing, some people love it.

Go for it. I do pediatrics home health and I love it! If you don't like the client or their family you can switch clients. Sometimes home health pays way better too. Try it and see if you like it. Remember you are all alone though, but you can always call into the office for help. Home health makes you more confident and betters your nursing judgement since you are the only nurse on duty with the client. You will receive training and if you aren't comfortable training just simply ask for more training. Best of luck!
I work for Bayada Home Health. If you go with them please tell them Katherine Redmon sent you. :)

My first job out of nursing school was pediatric home health. I had worked as a home health aide while In School and it was a natural progression to take on the nursing role. If you are a self starter and can think on your feet without a ton of input, and know when to ask for help or input, then I’d say yes, it’s a fine place to start. ,

It depends on how you feel with your nursing skills. There is a lot of wound care in home health. A lot of education too. If you find an agency that is helpful and is willing to teach you the skills you haven't learned yet it's not bad.

Yes! I started doing home care right after getting my RN and continued while getting my BSN and MSN. The flexibility is what attracted me to home care. I have been home with my kids for a few years and decided I was ready to get back out there so I just started back with a home care agency to get my “feet wet” again before deciding what I want to do.

Yes because I love take Care of patients

Yes absolutely a good way to earn good amount and polish your organization skills.
I have been doing home health care for past 14 years.
Feel free with any additional questions.
Mohsin

Not a good idea. You're on your own and you have no experience.
Work bedside for at least a year or 2, then venture into home care. Good luck!

No, you have to learn serious time management skills to cram everything into a day in home health. You should get a year at a Hosp, hone in on your skills then go to the road if that’s the type of nursing you want to do. Good luck!!

Most home health agencies have policies in place that they will not hire nurses without one year’s experience, they need that to draw from, I suggest any ICU or ER but I’ve also had good experiences hiring from other places. I’m a long time home health nurse, 30 years worked my way up through the system and have been in management for over 20 years and would not change a thing! That’s where the money is too!

I would recommend to work in hospital as a Me-d- Surg Nurse or Rehab facility at least 6 to 9 months.

I know that agencies do hire new grads, but if I were a new grad, I would feel very insecure with no bedside nursing experience. I worked in home care for 15 years, and started after 13 years of hospital-based experience. There are surprises everyday with so many patients. You are alone out there dealing with the acute and chronic issues your patients are experiencing. You have minimal assessment/clinical skills, technical skills, organizational skills, etc.
You can "pay your bills" with a position in acute care, long-term care, or any other supportive environment that gives you the opportunity for ongoing education. Good luck!

I did Home Health for a total of 15 years. Would not recommend it. On call after hours...extreme amount of documentation. Lots of mileage and productivity. Regulation changes frequently and there is more and more documentation. Not worth it. Takes up too much of your free time.

No. I wouldn’t recommend this. I’ve been a nurse for30+ years. The last 16 in home health, including management. Home health is ortho for 30 minutes, cardiac step-down the next, followed by psych, then neuro, followed by Diabetic education, followed by pulmonology, where you’re the only nurse on duty, without a pharmacy or central supply, where the Dr. On call never calls back.

It is 80-90% teaching on med and disease process as you do wound care. MDs don’t know wounds, you have to be able to request what you need. The home health assessment is not like assessments you were taught in school. It takes months to become competent at it.

I have hired a handful of new grads. 1 lasted 3 months. Most less than that. It is the hardest job you will ever love. It is the most real nursing you will ever do. Go get 2 years of acute care. Get your time management and education skills primed, then come join us. It’s the best.

Home health is a great way to work when you can and make a living. I do see advantages to having some nursing training under your belt as we say when going into home health as sometimes your nursing judgement is a big factor on the care you provide and when to call the provider. If you do want to try it I would recommend that you see what the position entails. Questions to ask might be what are the hours and is there always a senior nurse or manager to call with questions or protocol that is appropriate. Or when do I can the provider, some examples of when that is appropriate. I would also purchase your own malpractice insurance no matter what type of nursing you do. Hope this helps.

Just to add onto my post, even if you get the skills at the beginning of your career, you will not stay marketable if you do not continue in a job that you’re actively doing those skills. I think the most important thing is to decide where you want to be in your career, down the road. It may be more convenient right now to do Home health but it will not serve you in the long run if you want to advance in your career. You will be stuck doing home health more than likely. There are some home health agencies that do more critical care. I actually did patients on ventilators for a while, I did injections and IVs. But again due to my schedule I ended up going into public health and we definitely don’t do those kind of task. If you are perfectly happy with working 30 40,50 years without doing a cute skilled task, then you can go for it. Otherwise, I would not advise it (posts dictated).

No. I wouldn't recommend it. You need a good foundation as a new graduate nurse and to establish that I'd strongly recommend working on the floor. Home health is good, but not enough exposure to patient care, it limits to what you can do as a nurse. And you're not as marketable as you would if you work in the hospital.

No.
Right after school you need to get ALL of the experience you can.
Sometimes you have to start with a nursing home, but that will prepare you for heavy med passes and time management.
After 8 months I moved to a hospital on a surgical floor and just soaked in all the knowledge I could get!
After about 25 years I did the home care thing, but right now you need to keep learning.
38 years and I still learn something new every day!
There is no such thing as a stupid question.
Ask, ask, ask!!!!
Good luck 🍀!
Go get ‘em!

Yes. In my opinion, home health is more laid back than working on the floor. I think the pay may be a little more than a floor nurse.

Absolutely not. Some hospital experience so you can sharpen your nursing skills. School is book work mostly so hands on grounds you.

I think it would be very difficult. Need to work a med/surg floor for at less a year. Get experience and knowledge of what you are looking at. Wounds, skin disease, labs to put it all together to make your next job as a home health nurse easier for you. Being left alone in a persons home to figure it out will be overwhelming for a new nurse.

Mosthome health agencies do not take new grads I would suggest er or something with geriatrics as you need a wide based knowledge in home health

Best to get a year of med/surg or telemetry experience. It gives you a broad base of skills and knowledge learned from others. I’m home health, you are out there on YouTube ur own, acting mostly autonomously. There may always be someone to call for assistance, but better to have your own skills and troubleshooting abilities to rely on.

Absolutely not. I am retiring after close to 40 years in a career. I started out in the hospital and I had goals of doing flight nursing, ICU, critical care, etc. Adrenaline-based nursing. I then ended up pregnant and needing to be home with normal hours, being able to be home on the weekends, evenings, nights and holidays. It was very important to me. I transitioned into private duty nursing, and then public health nursing. It basically was a daytime, weekday job. Within a very short period of time, I no longer was marketable. I could do some tasks that were only appropriate for nurses to do. Overall as the time went by just was not marketable anymore. They would prefer to hire a new grad with fresh skills over someone that had been in the field for years that hadn’t done hospital work. My options dwindled dramatically. I just recently touched base with a hospice company to pick up some on-call hours after I retire, and even though they did not laugh in my face, it became apparent that was needed was doing IV therapy and being able to start difficult IVs, much more nursing hand on current skills and available graveyard, and 24/7 on-call.
Another thing that was apparent back when I got my nursing degree, was, we were always told that unless you were going into policy, management, not wanting to do acute care, do not bother, wasting your money, or time on an advanced degree. That is not the case anymore. You may get an entry job that you will not be marketable for long.

Most, if not all, home health agency’s will not hire new grads. That is a setting where you have complete autonomy and must be comfortable and skilled in all aspects of nursing. Take some time and find a good med surg or telemetry floor and get experience. Then home health may be the next step in your career if you want.

👎
You need to jump into Nightshift make your money and do a side study at work. Take all the CE credits that are free and stay engaged in the hospital u til you feel confident.

I went back to school at 50 and got my nursing license. Have been a pediatric home health nurse since then. I love it. So much calmer than a hospital. You only have 1 patient. But you have to remember if something comes up you are the only one there, there is no rapid response, respiratory or any one to help besides the parents. But most of the time the patients are pretty stable or they wouldn't be home and you would be surprised how much the parents have learned over the course of their childs life. I believe there is a nurse out there for every reason and if you feel like you want to do home health then try it😊 Also it is a great start if you are still continuing your education because you do have down time usually with your patient

No too risky, don't put your license on the line, home health has many pitfalls and as a new nurse you need to learn and adhere to your scope and know the laws.

I agree w the others. Home Health requires extensive skills and you are almost always on your own doing home visits. It’s better to gain hospital experience and improve assessment, treatment skills prior to doing HH, HOSPICE, PALLIATIVE CARE, ETC.
I’ve been a RN, now NP for 40 yrs and would have never thought of doing any type of home visits at that time. I started out in Critical Care and learned so much, it really prepared me for almost anything.
Good Luck!

👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️👨🏼‍⚕️Hello there… Definitely get yourself exposed to the Med-surgery first… I worked as a Medical Assistant for over 20 years and the doctors knew that my goal was to become a NP, therefore I got lots of exposure to a multi-clinic where I gained lots of experience. When I I got my BSN I appealed to my NETWORKING and I got a job as a CVU’s Nurse (yup, I had an interview and my skills In cardiovascular was great… I guess!) All my transferable skills helped a lot!!!!!! Now, I work at the CVU and I pick up extra hours at the telemetry and med-Surg… Also, I work for an amazing agency doing HOME HEALTH NURSE (again, my transferable skills has helped me combined with my current experience as a critical care nurse!)

Btw, I decided to go back to school at age of 47 and I’ve been a RN for a year and the knowledge that I acquired are amazing!

Best of luck and always remember that you worked really hard to get your license!!!

No, in my opinion you need to work in the hospital setting, getting as much hands on experience as possible. Your hands on skills are your most important asset!

Huge learning curve for an inexperienced Nurse. Best to work inpatient setting for a year or 2 first.

I understand your need to earn but home health is not the place for a new grad. You would be put into too many situations that you’re not experienced to handle. Good luck in your nursing career!

No way! In home health, you have to have an abundant skillset and know when somebody is sick. Be highly educated on disease processes and be willing to do ALOT OF paperwork. It will take you a long time to learn a new charting system....... You will put yourself behind the 8 ball.

Good Luck!
Brent

PS There's always a night shift somewhere without a name.

I worked bedside and home health part time as a new grad. I did work as an ICU Texh prior to nursing so I felt comfortable doing so. You see a lot and you learn fast to think on your feet. I say work in a hospital setting first to get some basics down and then pick up home health part time/PRN.

I would highly recommend starting in med/surg. Maybe not the most glamorous but you’re in a supportive environment with a wide variety of demographics, personalities, medical/surgical conditions, complications …
Having done home health care I drew on my past nursing experiences for the confidence and problem solving situations required for a home health care nurse.

As long as they have a strong 6 week orientation and mentoring program for you.

Absolutely not! You have to be vetted to do Home Health successfully and safely. You are pretty much solo and need excellent assessment skills, can access resources seamlessly, be comfortable enough to go into some home environments that are very uncomfortable and make independent decisions with little if any back up!

No, I would not recommend you seek employment in home health as a new grad. You will be far more successful with a couple years of acute care experience. You are out in the community alone. You need to be able to identify a problem quickly and know what to do about it. This is very difficult when you haven’t seen disease process in motion. In addition, most home health agencies won’t hire new grads. Set yourself up to be successful and get acute care experience first!

I have had former students who went into home care right out of school and were not happy nor did they feel secure in their practices, even with good preceptors. You really need a year or two in a hospital, busy clinic or other acute care situation to polish your skills and allow the "book learning" from school to mesh with reality and developing nursing judgement.

No, I recommend starting out on a med surg unit as you need to develop your nursing skills and this will provide you with that experience.

I’d recommend at least a year in a hospital setting, even a small community hospital. I would say a year on a medical/surgical floor. After some experience, home health will be easier for you.

Yes. Did you have home health or hospice in any of your clinical rotations? Many colleges and universities are starting to offer a Home Health/Hospice/Community Nursing track. If you did complete a home health clinical rotation, put it in your resume. I would also try to meet with a home health manager to discuss the skills and knowledge you need to qualify. Many agencies and hospitals are now requiring a BSN or in the midst of completing this degree which many consider to be the entry level into nursing. Good Luck to you.
Gloria Blakeley, EdD, MSN, MHA, RN,

It is a good start however i wouldnt b recommend it for too long especially if u want to get into acute care. I would recommend med-surg floor to learn organizational skills and medications.
Then if u decide to get into specialize care you have a foundation. Best to you!

Personally, I'd suggest you work in a clinical area in order to keep up with the rapid changes in treatment and medication. You might use home care as an extra source of income, but keep up with the pace of hospital nursing or it will be more difficult to make that adjustment after you've been away for a period of time.

No. As others said you need to have strong assessment skills, have confidence, be knowledgeable to answer questions patients may have. You are on your own out there in the field. Your patients depend on you and often go to you before calling doctor or going to the hospital. You have to be able to triage and guide them in the right direction.

No. You need experience to do home care. You could walk into anything & you are on your own.

No, you need time under your belt working with doctors, other nurses, etc... you have to be quick thinking, know meds, side affects, interaction. Have to know what to look for in changes of condition, how to find answers as to why. A doctor is not available to just call. The process is quite different than a nursing home or hospital. Families as all kinds of questions you are expected to know

Home health seems like an easy job. 1 patient at a time, all the time in the world, etc. But what people do not realize is that you are ALONE with that patient, so having strong assessment skills, critical thinking skills, and knowing your resources when there is an alteration in your assessment is so important. I recommend some time in an acute care setting to ensure these skills are developed before taking care of patients in the home.

What ever you feel is to your liking is a good place to start. Its a long life and career so do what fits for you. if you decide to change later you can certainly do so. Nursing is a huge umbrella many specialties. So dive in and learn and grow and make your money, some people never work in a hospital, some never touch a patient, its all up to you. You get to design your own path. jmb

I have seen many jobs posted for new grads in the Twin Cities- where I live. Maybe you can find something other than Home Care to start your career. I agree that it’s not the ideal job for a beginner. Good luck!!

Actually, I would not recommend doing home health as a new grad. You just don't have the experience under your belt. Should an emergency occur, you don't have the knowledge that a seasoned nurse has. You would be better off getting a little experience prior to doing home health care.

Home health is definitely not the place to start out as a new grad. Better to start working in a hospital setting to get experience for a year or two then if you are interested in home health, you will have the experience to practice independently in the home health setting. A lot of home health agencies will not even consider new grads or even experienced nurses who have been away from direct patient care as I have been working from home as a phone triage nurse.

I wouldn't recommend only because you don't have the assessment skills and background needed and it also would be better to go to a hospital or at the very least a rehab facility to build on what you have learned from school and help with time mgmt skills.

Explore liability issues with home health care.

I would not. As a new grad you are not going to be able to assess the patient appropriately. You need some hands on experience before trying to handle a patient one on one.

Personally, I would not unless you will be actively still job searching. I was in a similar situation many years ago and getting into a hospital became harder and harder the longer I was out. I loved my first job outpatient but once I finally entered the hospital setting it still took me some time to get on track. Right now there are a lot of hospitals willing to hire and train new grads so keep looking. The experience of being in the hospital is unmatched and the training you will get there will help you set up your skills to then work anywhere you like as a confident and experienced nurse.

Home Health is NOT where you want to go. For starters you NEED acute care (hospital) experience. No one will hire you without it EXCEPT home health care employers because no one wants those jobs and they’re always looking. In 25 years of nursing I’ve never met a nurse that stayed in home care. Get the hospital experience you need - it will pay off down the road. If you go anywhere else, besides a hospital after graduation, it will be near impossible to get the hospital experience once you’ve realized you needed it. If you go into homecare fresh out of school, then you realize you didn’t like it. Six months later, a hospital will be more reluctant to hire you, then someone who just graduated.

Not sure if you’re a graduate nurse but in my opinion I feel as a new grad you need experience either in a hospital setting preferably. You need the experience in a medical facility then if you decide to work elsewhere you will be better prepared. You have so much to learn and experience as a new nurse. Good luck

I would not recommend home health nursing to a new grad. As a new grad, you don't know what you don't know. Home Health is extremely flexible, but it is not for beginners. I'd recommend picking up SNF shifts via agency. You'd still have the flexibility and you can hone your skills while having other nurses and staff around for support.

I would encourage you to work at an inpatient facility first. This will give you a chance to hone your skills in real life and have the support and resources you need to develop time management and communication skills that are essential to quality patient care. You are pretty much on your own in the field with home health which, in my experience, is difficult for a seasoned nurse. Even if you start in long term care it gives you a chance to learn in a supported environment.

As a Home Health Nurse there is quite a variety of clients. Many could have unusual birth defects and or live 25+ miles away from your home. Mileage is usually not reimbursed. Depending on the payor source the pay in the midwest may be in the range of 25-35 dollars per hour. These clients want things done their way on their time frame. Frequently you must accommodate their time schedules. So you can delineate the hours and days you are available. I suggest you inquire about the documentation that is required and if it is on the computer or on paper. On General Health Evaluations, a multipage document and the Nursing Assessment there are many pages involved. The rule seems to be no matter how long it takes you to complete the documentation you only get paid for 1 hour. Therefore suggestion is to fill out many of the pages with the basic information you already have to save time at the client's home. RN from KC, MO.

I have done home health. It depends on how comfortable you are with your assessments. Depends on the type of patients and the different situations of the patients. Home health can be very rewarding as well as less stress. Taking care of one person and having a case load may be better, but sometimes the caseloads are very heavy because of the nurse shortage. I would try it. You have to start somewhere and this might be of interest to you. I used it as a stepping stone for experience and moved to a specialty I like a better. Good Luck to you and your decision.

Nope I would not say you are ready. As a new grad you have no in field experience. In home health you are put in a place to handle problems of patients that you have to know what you are looking at. As a nurse of 14 yrs who worked home health for 4 years, it's hard. You need hands on work in a facility where you have some one there to ask questions and a second set of eyes. I had to call doctors several times
And be ask what do you think is going on
Its all up to you.

I would not recommend home health as your first job. It is quite fragmented, people coming at you from all sides correcting everything you do because there is not enough orientation. It’s not structured enough for a beginner. It’s a ton of computer tech in addition to a long day of driving and visits. I recommend long term care as it is so much more acute these days you get as much experience as in the hospital, with a little more support, and you really learn time management. Good luck!

I have read through many of the responses, and Home Health is truly for the seasoned nurse who has some ICU/CCU under their belt along with floor nursing/ER nursing or telemetry experience.
The reason being; is depending on the Home Health Agency - they may just be looking for a "body to fill the open shift" and depending on the home situation - sometimes you are faced with doing some therapeutic procedures or providing some kind of care - that is NOT listed in the MAR; but you know it will work, have used it previous practice and the patient flourished and it may just be something simple that will provide comfort to your patient(s). That comes with experience - and know exactly where you can push the bounds of nursing.....
That said, needing to pay bills is important, so maybe working in the capacity as the "tech" alongside the nurse, to gain experience?? However, you would be paid as a tech and not as a nurse.... depends on your situation and the kind o0f experience you are looking for-
Good Luck and Welcome to Nursing - it was all I ever wanted to be! I hope you enjoy it too!!

If you were an LPN before it may be ok. If not, I don't recommend it. There is so much you need to learn before being on your own in the field. If you do decide that's the way you want to go, find a mentor.

Absolutely not. Home health nurses require very sharp assessment skills. When you are in a home health situation, it is your experience that will help you assess your patients and know when a doctor should be called or when they need to be sent out 911. A new grad nurse should depend on a good two years in an acute or skilled nursing setting before going out into home care role.

Hi there! As a home health nurse, I don’t advise to go into home health as a new grad. The reason is, as a new nurse you are by yourself. There is no doctor or follow nurse to help you if problems or questions arise. I rely heavily on my ICU and medical background when seeing patients and without that experience I wouldn’t be able to do my job well.
As a home health nurse you are wearing many hats! You are a case manager, IV nurse, ostomy nurse, wound care nurse. You are changing Foley catheters, teaching about medication and healthy lifestyles. The list goes on! In addition, you are driving from one home to another. Some homes are very nice and others, you feel like taking a shower afterward.
Home health is a specialty just like ICU or OR. Don’t walk into it unprepared, you get overwhelmed and most likely fail. But if you have a solid medical background and like to be on your own, it’s a great place to be.
I hope this answer helps you in your choice of seeking the right place of employment. Good luck!

Absolutely not… new grads are best seasoned when paired with the teachers in the field. Home heath is often Nothing like school, and you have only you to rely on!!! Not to mention you didn’t ever want to give anyone any reason to doubt your skills!!

Home Health is a great area to go into, but be very mindful because home health allows a lot of flexibility. So, if you plan on going into a hospital setting it can be a little rough readjusting.

No, i do not recommend this move. To be honest, it’s best after graduating from nursing school to work a MedSurg floor for about 2 years, get your skills down pat, get your feet wet and practice all you’ve learned. Then, go.

Congrats on being a new grad. I honestly would not recommend home health for a new grad. It’s very important to understand the complications that patients can have. I have a former classmate who is doing home health, and the patience can be very heavy. If you can get in to a hospital, to learn your medication‘s, and even your IV drips, as some patients do have IV medication‘s that they receive at home, I think that would help you. You can ask them if they have a new grad program, and that would be beneficial to you as well. Good luck in your search.

I would not. You need years of experience to manage home health.

I would not recommend going into Home Health until you have some Medical/Surgical experience. Most Home Health patients are Medical/Surgical patients and may include many conditions such as Intervenous medication at home, colostomy care, all types of medications and dressing changes just to name a few of the conditions one may encounter. Taking care of these patients also includes making judgement calls of which one may have limited experience since the only background you have for a resource is Nursing School.

Depends for confident and comfortable you are. With home health, you are pretty independent so must need to feel comfortable working alone and making decisions independently. A lot of home health care places do hire without previous working experience, but if you have one that is willing to train you, it might be worth checking into!

NO
A lot of Education is involved in home health. Get clinical experience first.

I feel the more experience you can get and see in a hospital setting g or rehab will help if you have not taken boards. Plus it us important to have medical experience no matter what field thought want

It would not be a good idea. Doing home health means you are alone. At the hospital, you would have resources that a new nurse especially needs. You need to have experience under your belt before going it alone. It would be similar to traveling as a new grad. Not a good idea.

No, I would not- there is too much autonomy and experience based decision making in home health that may have you overwhelmed and may be unsafe for your patients. You need to build skills and learn competency side by side more experienced RN’s that can mentor and support you. You find that in more traditional settings that will allow to learn from peers who can guide your professional growth. Overwhelmed new grads without solid support frequently leave the profession, thinking they are just not cut out for nursing. Give yourself a chance to learn nursing at the bedside, in a acute or non- acute facility to reinforce your training to date before you venture to home health.

Yes

Carrie
I work as a hospice nurse seeing patients in their homes. We also have home health. Pro’s: you will get experience with a lot of things! Wounds, colostomies, catheters, etc. you will have autonomy and potentially more flexibility with your schedule. Cons: you will work alone. There’s usually someone that can answer questions/help, but you are expected to do your job and do it well on your own. No Close coworker relationships/or they are harder to create anyway at first.
I love the flexibility and learning opportunities! Best of luck

Your all by yourself in home care. It would be better if you were around other nurses for learning. I may depend on the amount of training offered. If they train for 12 weeks it could work.

Probably not. I managed a home health agency for a bit.you are pretty much on your own in the home. Experience will help you make decisions for your clients and how to limit the amount of time with each client. Most days you will be expected to see at least six clients and do all the documentation. I would recommend 3 to 5 year’s hospital experience. Good luck

I agree that this is not a good idea for a new grad..I've also done home health after years in a hospital setting. You must be mindful that you are " it " in home health..whatever goes wrong is for you to provide interventions, not the family member, until EMS arrives. Split second decisions are made by you and there is noone to yell down the hall or call the charge nurse to get answers or help..Home health is also a multi-use supply environment, not
like the hospital with single use. Also, documentation is different. Best to get some floor experience.

I did it but did not learn a whole lot, while I loved it I would advise med surg or ER to get a good foundation first. At least for a couple of years

Hello,
Unless you were a nurse's aide in an acute care setting during nursing school, I would not recommend home health. Nursing schools clinical time is not enough to develop the instincts and experiences you need for home health nursing. Even if you were an aide in an acute care setting during school, I would be hesitant to suggest going into home health nursing as a start.

I feel working in the hospital for a foundational experience is best before you look at doing homecare.

Hi, I would advice you to go for hospital experience at least you get a chance to learn/differentiate practical theories. From Rehab to LTACH, from Acute to ICU then try re-evaluate yourself again is home health services is for you? Considering money, career advancement and time management between families or yourself only.
Home Health Service is meant for having the basic instinct knowing what patient needs after hospitalization and re hospitalize again.It’s not about a simple assessment per visit but the instinct and care that he/she needs to see consultation again.

I would not recommend this type of a position as a new grad. Get a few years of experience behind you 1st. With home health you are dealing with multiple, diverse situations. Med/Surgery, 1-2 years, then try this type of nursing.

If you want $$$ then you should apply for new grad inpatient programs. Home health does not pay as much. Your earnings will also increase quicker working in patient especially with differential pay (ie:evening/night shift, weekends)

No. Not necessarily but it would depend on your background and your personality to be honest. There are too many things that you just don't know as a new nurse and going out into the homes by yourself is hard enough when you DO know what you are doing. There is alot of wound care, assessment skills are super important, and you don't know you are over your head until you are already drowning usually. The training is practically non-existent, the biggest focus is making sure that you know how to use their charting system. Once you have nursing experience, Home Health can be a rewarding career of they pay for where you are. Good luck

If u do home health to augment ur earnings, make sure u have a seasoned MA with u, these gals really know the ropes and can make the visits eversomuch easier.

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I would not recommend home health as a new graduate. Home health requires alot of autonomous decisions which means you need a firm grasp of practical knowledge to stand on. Especially med- surg knowledge. You are the one thing standing between your clients and a hospital bed at times. Try inpatient med surg instead

I would not recommend home care as a first job. Your assessment skills will improve as you actually work in nursing, especially in a hospital setting where you have other supports available. Home care requires a lot of confidence, and time management skills. Managing so many cases at a time can be overwhelming. Good luck!

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I would not recommend going to work home health as a new grad. Honestly, I’m not even sure if they would hire you with no experience. I would recommend a good two years of medsurg experience before going to work in home health, however; the home health company made accept you with one year experience. Keep in mind it took you a lot of work to get through nursing school and pass boarda and you don’t want to end up losing your license because you make a mistake. Working in home health requires you to have a great deal of autonomy and know exactly when you need to call a provider or escalate a patient’s condition. Remember that what you learn in school is simply foundational. There are many instances the school does not prepare you for and can only come from experience.

I do not recommend it just because you haven’t seen enough questionable infections or rashes or illness symptoms to accurately decide when to call 911 versus send them into private practice or monitor at home. There’s no one there as a second set of eyes and judgments.

I always advise new grads to get a good med/surg hospital base. This will provide with the most experience and skill set. You ca then take that knowledge and skill set to any other setting. It has served me well following that advice from a nursing instructor

I worked in HH for 5 years, then supervised and did clinical education 3 years , then informatics 3 years at the same organization. I wouldn’t recommend it. In those years only one new grad stuck with it. Being totally independent with a day full of snags and emergencies without assistance at the drop of a hat was too much for most. If you want to sink your teeth in, you might love it. Good luck!

I would not recommend home health as a new grad simply because working on the units would give you more of the fundamentals of nursing such as a better understanding of med passing, basic wound care, IV insertion and management, how to multi-task safely as well as manage your time better but I understand having bills so if that's where you have to start go for it.

You do need experience to back up your knowledge as home health nurse because you are representing the agency in delivering of best care to your clients.

I was a bedside nurse for 50 years and I would suggest you get some bedside experience and critical care thinking before home health. Best Wishes to you!!

Med Surg is the way to go for new nurses

I would absolutely recommend it! I was a private duty nurse in the home setting and worked in a doctor's office prior to getting a job in the hospital, any experience is experience and all the skills you learn will be applicable in various ways down the road no matter where you end up

I do not recommend. As a new grad you should get hospital experience or at a facility with a subacute and rehab department to put into practice your skills. Also,in the hospital or facility you have seasoned nurses/staff to help if you need it. When you are in home health…in the home,you are on your own. Yes,there is a RN Coordinator that you can call if you need to. Some Home Health companies require at least one year experience. May not be at this point post CoVid causing a shortage. Welcome,Good Luck and Best Wishes in your new role in Nursing. 🩺 DLB

I did home health as a new grad while working my full time job. I would say only take cases that involve skills that you are comfortable with.