In-Home Nursing
As the population ages, and more people live longer with chronic diseases, there is an increasingly greater need for in-home nursing. The National Association for Home Care estimates that there are greater than 7 million patients needing home health care. The number of people needing this kind of care will continue to increase.
In-home nursing may keep some people out of the hospital. Problems can be identified and treated earlier. Injections and other therapies that could be given in the hospital, instead are administered by the home health nurse. This also keeps many people out of extended care facilities.
Patients are being sent home from the hospital earlier and earlier, but many of them still need nursing care. If it is possible, most would prefer to get that care in their own home rather than at a nursing home. In these situations, in-home nursing is replacing extended care stays for these patients.
For other patients, they just cannot get to a doctor's office without great difficulty. These patients appreciate being seen in their home. A nurse doing a home visit will also learn more about the patient. The patient's level of functioning can be assessed, as can safety in the home.
Working in a patient's home will not necessarily just be administering medications and changing dressings. You may also be helping with some activities of daily living, such as bathing. It depends on the patient's needs and what your training prepares you to do. If you are a registered nurse, there may be an aide in the home that you supervise.
Home health nurses usually work for home health care agencies. Depending on your qualifications and interests, you may be an administrator, or you may be working directly with patients. You do not have to be a home-health specialist to do in-home nursing. Nurses can also specialize in geriatric care or life care planning, for example. Or if you have specialized in a disease like diabetes and you want to do in-home care, you would probably see multiple patients a day. You would help them check their blood sugar and take their insulin or other medication. You would also be able to check them for diabetic complications such as loss of sensation in the feet that can lead to infections the patients are unaware of. If you are certified as an infusion therapist, you may also be going to many homes to deliver medication.
On the other end of the spectrum, hospice nurses work as in-home nurses, if the patient and family have chosen to do hospice at home. A hospice nurse would be assigned to work with just one patient over a period of time. Hospice care is delivered to people who are not expected to live more than six months. Families and patients often do not request hospice care until near the end of the patient's life. In that situation you would be working with one patient (and family), trying to keep the patient comfortable during his or her final days or weeks of life.
Registered nurses who want to specialize in home health nursing can get their RN in any of the three usual ways, by diploma, with an AD, or a BSN. However, if you get your BSN, you will have more chances for advancement in the future. Home health nursing pays well. You can expect to make, on average, $54,190 a year. Of course this depends on where you live and how long you have been working.
Advanced practice nurses can also train in home health care. The salary for advanced practice nurses working in home health can average $65,000 to $75,000 a year.
Doing in-home nursing and working for a home health agency can be a good choice for nurses who want to do hands-on care, but not in the hospital. Not only does it pay well, but it is also rewarding. Your visit may be a highlight of the day for many patients.
Published: 2009-10-14
