Home health nurses are in high demand! In fact, home health care is one of the fastest growing healthcare fields. Why? As our population continues to age, there is an increased demand for taking care of the elderly. Home health nurses have the unique and exciting opportunity to work in the healthcare field as a registered nurse without the stressful pressures of a hospital environment. Sound appealing? Then keep reading! Here we’ll be discussing some of the benefits of being a home health nurse. Trust us- there are plenty!
Five Benefits of Being A Home Health Nurse
1. Personalized and Flexible Career Schedule
As a home health nurse, your average day will look a bit different than a traditional nurse working on the hospital floor. Instead of spending a 12-hour shift in a busy hospital environment you will likely be working more independently. As a home health nurse, you will probably be hired through an agency. These agencies allow for you to draft your perfect schedule, letting you decide on your weekly assignments. Ultimately, being a home health nurse can help you have a more flexible, open, and customized career.
2. Workplace Independence
As a home health nurse, your normal workplace atmosphere will feel much different than working amongst a busy team of doctors and nurses. Home health nurses travel from patient to patient assisting them in any needed way. Because of this, home health nurses must make difficult decisions quickly and independently. As a home health nurse, you are given greater autonomy in your day-to-day responsibilities, and quickly learn to manage and assist patients based on your recommendations. Therefore, home health nursing can be an extremely challenging yet personally rewarding career. This unique work atmosphere propels your ability to take charge, manage clients, and find personal independence in the workplace.
3. Competitive Pay
An important factor of any job is pay. Perhaps a common fear among nurses is that home health nurses receive lower pay than traditional nurses. However, according to PayScale, home health nurse make $38,022-78,268 per year. This salary is comparable to traditional RN’s who make between $47,421- $89,748. Though the salary for a home health nurse is slightly below that of a traditional RN, there are a few contributing factors as to why. First, home health nurses maintain manageable work schedules. RNs often face burnout after a few years of constantly working 12-hour shifts. As a home health nurse, you can expect a work schedule that will be eventful yet practical and manageable. Additionally, home health nurses typically care for one or two patients at a time, while traditional nurses have a rotating list of patients to watch over, which may have an impact on your pay.
4. Lower Stress Environment
Another important benefit of being a home health nurse is the low-stress environment this career path provides. Perhaps you have a passion for helping others, however, the high stress and intense environment of the emergency room isn’t how you envisioned living out your dream career. Home health nurses have the exciting ability to practice their profession in a low-stress yet professional atmosphere.
5. Develop Meaningful Patient-Nurse Relationship
And finally, one last benefit of being a home health nurse is the ability to form meaningful and lasting patient to nurse relationships. As mentioned above, being a home health nurse is a lower stress work environment. This allows for better patient to nurse interactions and the ability to form rewarding friendships. Many home health nurses can attest that one of the biggest rewards of this profession comes from the people they meet and the relationships they form!
Home health nurses- what are some other benefits of being a home health nurse that are missing from the list? Share them in the comments below!
January 22, 2019
I actually don’t have a comment but a question. Should home health nurses have an AED or a defibrillator as part of their equipment in case of emergency? What about a portable EKG machine? I ask because I was offered a job as a home health nurse and was told many of my patients would be cardiac patients and am unsure whether to buy one or nut as they weren’t clear on the interview.
January 23, 2019
Great post! This ought to encourage many of the nurses out there.
Thanks for sharing this!
July 28, 2019
Being a home health nurse case manager is the best job in nursing I have ever had…. 15 years and with exception of a few issues (all administrative) it’s the BEST!!
you get to see an end result and assist patients and families live in their homes and be the best they can be?
August 3, 2019
I’ve been doing home health for 10 years love it
August 23, 2019
I’m. An LPN can I work in home health care!?
August 25, 2019
Home health is the worst and most stressful job i have EVER had and ive been a nurse for 24 years. The burn out rate is high for a reason. Dont let these people fool you. The charting demands are crazy. The overloading of your schedule. You can also get into some scary, uncomfortable, and gross situations. Your higher ups dont care about you just the numbers. Make sure and talk to people who have done home health. It actually burnt me out on nursing. You dont get to clock out and be done for the day. Your family watch you charting on computer all evening while you try to catch up on charting. Patients wont let you come at times you need to because you have 6 patients and you are going to 6 different towns driving 4 hours and i work 8 hour shifts. What a joke! All i did was work. I had no life. It blew up my relationship. Thats just a few of the things. I was miserable for the 2 years i did this. I had a sign on bonus so i had to finish out. Now I’m doing floor nursing which I dont like but it is 100 times better than home health. Hopefully i will get back to something that i like. If i could afford to do something else besides nursing I would! I’ve been a nurse for a long time so now my pay is good. I just want to get back to a job i like and hang in till retirement.
August 30, 2019
Hello Michael, you should be able to work in home health care if you’re an LPN.
September 2, 2019
It’s true that can burn u, especially if you do a lot of drinking. With being a homehealth nurse, allows y to be flexible but you have to learn how to plan your schedule to allow time for chatting. It’s especially great for those w children who can manage their time well while still caring for patients.
September 24, 2019
Thanks for your feedback, Victoria!