Home healthcare is allowing the patient and their family to keep dignity and independence. According to the National Association for Home Care, there are more than 7 million individuals in the United States needing home healthcare nurse services due to acute illness, longterm health conditions, permanent disability or terminal illness.
Home Health Care Basics
Nurses practice in numerous venues: Hospital settings, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and home Casa Healthcare. Home healthcare nursing is an increasing phenomenon as more patients and their own families desire for care in their homes. The history of home healthcare stems from Public Health Nursing where public health nurses made home visits to advertise health education and provide treatment included in community outreach programs. Today academic programs train nurses in home care and agencies place home healthcare nurses with ailing individuals and their own families with regards to the nurse's experience and qualifications. In many cases there is a shared relationship between the agency and the academic institution.
Many changes have got place in your community of home health care. These include Medicare and Medicaid, and Long Term Care insurance reimbursement and documentation. It's essential for the nurse and nursing agency to be aware of the many factors involved for these rules and regulations caused by these organizations. Population and demographic changes are happening as well. Baby boomers approaching retirement and will present new challenges for the home healthcare 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 happening with follow-up home care. It has resulted in the decrease of mortality rate from these technologies and medical care has lead to increases in morbidity and chronic illness that produces the need for home healthcare nursing a greater priority.
Home Health Care Nurse Job Description
Through an array of skills and experience, home healthcare nurses specialize in a wide variety of treatments; emotional support, education of patients who are recovering from illnesses and injury for small 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 an original setting such as for instance someone's home. The nurse is dealing with the patient and the household and must understand the communication skills for such dynamics. Rapport is evident in most nursing positions, but employed in a patient's own living space needs a different degree of skill and understanding. There is autonomous decision making while 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 very important and will vary for each and every patient and must be treated with extreme sensitivity. Other skills include critical thinking, coordination, assessment, communication, and documentation.
Home healthcare nurses also specialize in the care of children with disabilities that requires additional skills such as for instance patience and understanding of the needs of the family. Students are managing disabilities today that will have resulted in mortality just 20 years ago. Genetic disorders, congenital physical impairments, and injury are just a few. Many families are acquainted with managing the needs of the child, but nonetheless need expert care that just a home healthcare nurse can provide. It is essential a home Casa Healthcare nurse is aware of the expertise of the household in regards to the child's condition for 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 healthcare nurse, doctor, and pharmacist, ensures proper management of the precise science behind giving the patient the proper dose, time of administration, and combinations. Home healthcare nurses must certanly be acquainted with pharmacology and taught in training about different medications employed by patients in the clinical setting.
Many advanced practicing nurses are acquainted with medication regiments. They've completed graduate level programs. Home healthcare agencies believe a nurse must have a minumum of one year of clinical experience before entering home health care. Advanced practicing nurses can expedite that training by helping new nurses understand the home healthcare 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 disgusting shortage in nursing staff. The shortage of nurses was 6% in 2000 and is expected to be 10% in 2010. The typical salary for hospital nursing is $53,450 with 3 out of 5 nursing jobs are in the hospital. For home healthcare, the salary is $49,000. For nursing care facilities, these were the best at $48,200.
Training and continuing education
Most home healthcare 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 even 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 also can earn specialized professional certificates online in Geriatric Care or Life Care Planning.
Additionally, for anyone nurses who decide to pursue advancement into administrative positions or research, consulting, and teaching, a bachelor's degree is usually essential. A bachelor's degree can be essential for becoming a medical nurse specialist, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners (U.S. Department of Labor, 2004).
All home healthcare nurses have supervised clinical experience in their training, but as mentioned earlier advanced practicing nurses hold master's degrees and unlike bachelor and associate degrees, they've no less than 2 yrs 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. Healthcare is changing rapidly and staying abreast with the latest developments enhances patient care and health procedures. Universities, continuing education programs, and web sites, all offer continuing education. One particular 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 learning to be a home healthcare nurse. Some rewards include the relationship with an individual and their family, autonomy, independence, and doing critical thinking. The 21st Century brings with it many opportunities and challenges. We ought to meet these challenges at once - there is an aging baby boomer population, an increasing morbidity factor because of increased medical technology and patient care, and the growing shortage in nursing care.