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Started By
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Home health nursing...pros and cons
Posted on 9/18/17 at 8:52 am
Posted on 9/18/17 at 8:52 am
I've been doing inpatient care at the same place for 7 years, but I've been offered a home health job that I'm strongly considering. I don't have any home health experience and would like to hear some of the pros and cons from those who have done it. TIA 
9
Posted on 9/18/17 at 8:58 am to SW2SCLA
Pro... you don't have to deal with everyday hospital work...
Cons, you may be taking care of someone in the middle of the hood...
Cons, you may be taking care of someone in the middle of the hood...
This post was edited on 9/18/17 at 8:59 am
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:00 am to SW2SCLA
I've done it for PT several times.
Pros: You can make better money and somewhat schedule your day to your liking.
Cons: the oasis is a pain in the arse to fill out and becomes very monotonous. If you're opening a lot of cases you're not seeing as many patients and spending all day doing paperwork. In terms of PT the patients can be very fickle and cancel often which screws up your day if you're doing a large territory, with nursing may be easier because I know the follow up visits can be a lot shorter than ours. It can be a royal pain in the arse trying to actually reach doctors if a pt really needs something as well.
Also if you have a family you better get your paperwork done before you get home because it can pile up very fast and then you're spending all night doing it which to me isn't very satisfying.
Ortho patients are by far the best for home health. They're motivated, straightforward, they progress and you can DC them
Pros: You can make better money and somewhat schedule your day to your liking.
Cons: the oasis is a pain in the arse to fill out and becomes very monotonous. If you're opening a lot of cases you're not seeing as many patients and spending all day doing paperwork. In terms of PT the patients can be very fickle and cancel often which screws up your day if you're doing a large territory, with nursing may be easier because I know the follow up visits can be a lot shorter than ours. It can be a royal pain in the arse trying to actually reach doctors if a pt really needs something as well.
Also if you have a family you better get your paperwork done before you get home because it can pile up very fast and then you're spending all night doing it which to me isn't very satisfying.
Ortho patients are by far the best for home health. They're motivated, straightforward, they progress and you can DC them
This post was edited on 9/18/17 at 9:02 am
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:01 am to SW2SCLA
Depends where you live because you will go in the worst areas, Medicaid is a big player in this field.
My sister is an Director of a Home Health Company but still goes out in the 5th ward at times if needed.
You will be changing diapers and wiping up shite
My sister is an Director of a Home Health Company but still goes out in the 5th ward at times if needed.
You will be changing diapers and wiping up shite
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:05 am to St Augustine
I'd be doing psychiatric home health. They want me for my experience and because I'm board certified.
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:13 am to SW2SCLA
My wife hated it.
Depends a lot on the territory you are assigned. She was new to it and got a shitty area of town. Also, the paperwork is substantial.
Most, like my wife, will likely miss the OR if transitioning. It's definitely not for everyone.
Depends a lot on the territory you are assigned. She was new to it and got a shitty area of town. Also, the paperwork is substantial.
Most, like my wife, will likely miss the OR if transitioning. It's definitely not for everyone.
This post was edited on 9/18/17 at 9:15 am
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:14 am to SW2SCLA
I've been doing home health for 10 years.
Pros: No set schedule. I have to wake up to an alarm one day a week.
Money is good.
You are not under anyone's thumb all day.
Cons: The paperwork for an RN in HH is brutal. If you are full time you will work 2 or 3 hours a night during the week and several hours over the weekend. It's nothing for me to do paperwork for 8-10 hours on Sunday. Alot of admits and stuff fall more at the end of the week and you take a lot of paperwork into the weekend.
Pros: No set schedule. I have to wake up to an alarm one day a week.
Money is good.
You are not under anyone's thumb all day.
Cons: The paperwork for an RN in HH is brutal. If you are full time you will work 2 or 3 hours a night during the week and several hours over the weekend. It's nothing for me to do paperwork for 8-10 hours on Sunday. Alot of admits and stuff fall more at the end of the week and you take a lot of paperwork into the weekend.
This post was edited on 9/18/17 at 9:17 am
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:15 am to SW2SCLA
My wife made the change from inpatient to home health two years ago and loves it. It allows her flexibility in scheduling her day and it pays more. She's in a relatively small territory, with maybe 10 -15 minute drive between stops. Not always the best settings, but she's not going deep in the hood or anything terribly bad.
My SIL has been home health for a long time. She gets a little frustrated with the wasted drive time, but she cover 3 parishes - but would still prefer that to inpatient.
Both are PT's.
My SIL has been home health for a long time. She gets a little frustrated with the wasted drive time, but she cover 3 parishes - but would still prefer that to inpatient.
Both are PT's.
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:16 am to SW2SCLA
It's great if you get put on the right case, which is a small percentage of home health cases. You can be placed in some really rough areas and sometimes dealing with the family members can be worse than dealing with anything from the hospital.
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:20 am to SW2SCLA
Don't be as concerned with working in "rough areas." People are very nice to you in places you would consider rough. I've never been in a hairy situation in 10 years. They know you are there to help someone and no one gives you any trouble.
Posted on 9/18/17 at 9:22 am to SW2SCLA
If you are doing psych nursing for home health it's a piece of cake. Simple documentation compared to straight nursing visits. After spending many years in home care admin and doing nationwide record audits, I'm often amazed that HH psych visits are even seen as a real skill that needs reimbursement by CMS. That said, it's an autonomous, enjoyable care setting and many agencies do not take Medicaid visits or accept patients in dangerous areas - so check the individual agency.
Posted on 9/18/17 at 10:55 am to Nynna11
Thanks for the feedback everyone
Posted on 9/18/17 at 11:48 am to SW2SCLA
My wife worked home health for years.
Pros:
You can make your own schedule, with some limitations.
The money can be pretty good if you are efficient and can keep a full patient load.
Cons:
As mentioned earlier, you will likely have to go into some pretty shady places from time to time (high crime areas, roach infested houses, etc.). This is the largest drawback to me. And typically the new person gets assigned the worst area.
You may be required to spend lots of hours at night charting and calling patients for the next day, which you won't get paid for.
Some patients can be ridiculously difficult in scheduling.
There will be ebbs and flows over the course of the year. Your paycheck can have some pretty drastic differences. Not a big deal if you are good at budgeting or have plenty in savings, but it's something to be aware of.
Pros:
You can make your own schedule, with some limitations.
The money can be pretty good if you are efficient and can keep a full patient load.
Cons:
As mentioned earlier, you will likely have to go into some pretty shady places from time to time (high crime areas, roach infested houses, etc.). This is the largest drawback to me. And typically the new person gets assigned the worst area.
You may be required to spend lots of hours at night charting and calling patients for the next day, which you won't get paid for.
Some patients can be ridiculously difficult in scheduling.
There will be ebbs and flows over the course of the year. Your paycheck can have some pretty drastic differences. Not a big deal if you are good at budgeting or have plenty in savings, but it's something to be aware of.
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