Home Health Nursing

Have you ever wondered who’s in charge of patients who can’t visit a hospital or even a community center?

This chunk of nurses upholds an integral part in the healthcare field, the Home Health Nurses. In fact, statistics show that it is the fastest growing expertise among all nursing specialties; the main reason? increase in demand.

But does it mean people are becoming more and more lazy? Not really.

Let’s take a look:

Home health nurses are in charge of providing care to (obviously) those who are confined at home; to those who are too sick to visit a hospital or those who were just discharged from one, or even to individuals who can’t even afford a visit. (Yes, that’s a thing. In many countries where social security is not that secured… ironic.)

This is what a day of a Home Health Nurse looks like:

Many countries promote this field in Nursing; it is practiced to reach the people located in Geographically-isolated and Disadvantaged areas (GIDA) such as in the Philippines, where they started with the RN Heals Program (Registered Nurses for Health Enhancement and Local Services) to train nurses in providing care services in a community setting or homes. At present, the country is running the Nurse Deployment Program (NDP) which encompasses broader health programs and services for the people.

And hey, they’re not all work and work. Remember the 2016’s viral Mannequin Challenge? They’re on it! Check this out:

They receive an annual salary of 322,536PHP ($6,412). Not as much as the salary in the U.S. of $68,450 but the Nurse Deployment Program provides a lot of opportunity for the Filipino nurses.

In the United States of America, nurses are required to have certifications and experience qualifications in order to practice independently as a Home Health Nurse. One should:

1. Obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
2. Pass the NCLEX and obtain professional nurse license.
3. Practice and obtain experience, preferably in the areas of Medical or Surgical Nursing, Emergency Room Nursing or Telemetry.
4. Advance your career by obtaining your MSN degree.

A Home Health Nurse should encompass the following:

1. Can work independently and competently.
2. Critical thinking ability.
3. With good communication skills in order to assess concerns appropriately.
4. Can establish good rapport with client and their families as you will be working with them in a long-term period.
5. Excellent physical stamina as this include a lot of field work.
6. With excellent organizational skills to make sure patients receive on-time holistic care.
7. This job puts you into a lot of stress so you must be emotionally stable.
8. Compassionate with the job – in providing care and relating to patients.

Thinking of becoming one? Share us your thoughts here! 🙂