How to Become a Home Health Care Nurse


Home Health Care Nursing Information and Overview
Home health care is allowing the patient and their family to
maintain dignity and independence.

According to the National
Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million
individuals in the United States in need of home health care nurse
services because of acute illness, long term health problems,
permanent disability or terminal illness.
Home Health Care Basics
Nurses practice in a number of venues: Hospital settings,
nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home health care. Home
health care nursing is a growing phenomenon as more patients and
their families desire to receive care in their homes. The history
of home health care stems from Public Health Nursing where public
health nurses made home visits to promote health education and
provide treatment as part of community outreach programs.

Today
academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home
health care nurses with ailing individuals and their families
depending on the nurse's experience and qualifications. In many
cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the
academic institution.
Many changes have taken place in the area of home health care.
These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance
reimbursement and documentation.

It is important for the nurse and
nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these
rules and regulations resulting from these organizations.
Population and demographic changes are taking place as well. Baby
boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for
the home health care industry. Technology and medical care in
hospitals has lead to shorter inpatient stay and more at-home
rehabilitation.

Increases in medical outpatient procedures are also
taking place with follow-up home care. This has resulted in the
decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care
has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that makes
the need for home health care nursing a greater priority.
Home Health Care Nurse Job Description
Through an array of skills and experience, home health care
nurses specialize in a wide range of treatments; emotional support,
education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury
for young children and adults, to women who have experienced recent
childbirth, to the elderly who need palliative care for chronic
illness.
A practicing nurse must have the skills to provide care in a
unique setting such as someone's home.

The nurse is working with
the patient and the family and must understand the communication
skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in all nursing
positions, but working in a patient's own living space needs a
different level of skill and understanding. There is autonomous
decision making as the nurse is no longer working as a team with
other nurses in a structured environment, but is now as a member of
the "family" team. The host family has cultural values that are
important and are different for every patient and must be treated
with extreme sensitivity.

Other skills include critical thinking,
coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.
Home health care nurses also specialize in the care of children
with disabilities that requires additional skills such as patience
and understanding of the needs of the family. Children are living
with disabilities today that would have resulted in mortality just
twenty years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical
impairments, and injury are just a few.

Many families are familiar
with managing the needs of the child, but still need expert care
that only a home health care nurse can provide. It is important
that a home health care nurse is aware of the expertise of the
family about the child's condition for proper care of the child.
There are many complexities involved, but most important, a
positive attitude and positive reinforcement is of utmost
importance for the development of the child.
Medication coordination between the home health care nurse,
doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the exact
science behind giving the patient the correct dose, time of
administration, and combinations.

Home health care nurses should be
familiar with pharmacology and taught in training about different
medications used by patients in the clinical setting.
Many advanced practicing nurses are familiar with medication
regiments. They have completed graduate level programs. Home health
care agencies believe that a nurse should have at least one year of
clinical experience before entering home health care.

Advanced
practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses
understand the home health care market and teaching.
Employment and Salary
According to the United States Department of Labor, there were
2.4 million nurses in America, the largest healthcare occupation,
yet many academic and hospital organizations believe there is a
gross shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in
2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010.

The average salary for
hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the
hospital. For home health care, the salary is $49,000. For nursing
care facilities, they were the lowest at $48,200.
Training and continuing education
Most home health care nurses gain their education through
accredited nursing schools throughout the country with an associate
degree in nursing (ADN), a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing
(BSN), or a master's degree in nursing (MSN).

According to the
United States Department of Labor, in 2004 there were 674 BSN
nursing programs, 846 ADN programs. Also, in 2004, there were 417
master's degree programs, 93 doctoral programs, and 46 joint
BSN-doctoral programs. The associate degree program takes 2 to 3
years to complete, while bachelors degrees take 4 years to
complete. Nurses can also earn specialized professional
certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.


In addition, for those nurses who choose to pursue advancement
into administrative positions or research, consulting, and
teaching, a bachelor's degree is often essential. A bachelor's
degree is also important for becoming a clinical nurse specialist,
nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S.
Department of Labor, 2004).


All home health care nurses have supervised clinical experience
during their training, but as stated earlier advanced practicing
nurses hold master's degrees and unlike bachelor and associate
degrees, they have a minimum of two years of post clinical
experience. Course work includes anatomy, physiology, chemistry,
microbiology, nutrition, psychology, and behavioral sciences and
liberal arts. Many of these programs have training in nursing
homes, public health departments, home health agencies, and
ambulatory clinics. (U.

S. Dep. of Labor, 2004).
Whether a nurse is training in a hospital, nursing facility, or
home care, continuing education is necessary.

Health care is
changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments
enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities,
continuing education programs, and internet sites, all offer
continuing education. One such organization that provides
continuing education is the American Nurses Association (ANA) or
through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Conclusion
There are many rewards to becoming a home health care nurse.


Some rewards include the relationship with a patient and their
family, autonomy, independence, and engaging in critical thinking.
The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges.
We must meet these challenges head on - there is an aging baby
boomer population, a growing morbidity factor due to increased
medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in
nursing care.
Becoming a home health care nurse today is exciting and an
opportunity to make a difference one life at a time.

With clinical
experience and proper education, a home health care nurse will lead
the future of medical care.
By Michael V. Gruber, MPH is a contributing author to My Nursing
Degree Online, providing articles and resources for nurses looking
for continuing education online. With a Masters of Public Health
and two years of medical school, Michael provides a unique
perspective on the current nursing shortage crisis on the Nursing
Career Blog as well as comprehensive articles about nurse education
and advancement.


Find more information about becoming a Home Health Care Nurse
including certification and job openings at
My
Nursing Degree Online.
Article Source:
.earnmydegree.com/nursingeducation/home-health-care-nurse.

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Kristin developed My Nursing Degree Online as a guide to career
success in nursing through continuing education. The site provides
free information for RN to BSN and RN to MSN degrees online,
nursing career blog, headlines for healthcare professionals and
library of articles on continuing education for nurses.

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