A home health nurse travels to patients’ homes to deliver basic care. Patients might be recovering from surgery, experiencing chronic illness, or requiring end-of-life care. A home health nurse’s job is to administer medications and treatments, provide emotional support and education, and record health statuses and progress.
Nurses play an integral role in the health of their patients, but the setting and scope of care vary depending on the specialty and role. As a home health nurse, you will meet patients where they are most comfortable to deliver one-on-one care.
Utica University’s comprehensive Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) and Advanced Standing in Nursing programs prepare students to become competent nurses in any specialty. Designed for applicants seeking a second degree, Utica’s ABSN and Advanced Standing in Nursing programs leverage your previous college education so you can earn your degree in as few as 16 months, ready to start working as a home health nurse.
But what does a home care nurse do? Let’s explore the duties, daily tasks, qualifications, and essentials to succeed as a home health nurse.
What are the Primary Duties of a Home Health Nurse?
As a home health nurse, your role involves going into patients’ homes to provide care directly. These patients might be elderly, disabled, or chronically ill, or they might be recovering from an injury, surgery, or accident that requires ongoing treatment.
As a part of the care you’ll provide, your duties will include:
Clinical Care
While home health nurses have a wide range of responsibilities, patients typically receive a standard level of care. In your role, you will administer medications, injections, and treatments; manage medical equipment like IVs and catheters; and monitor your patient’s vital signs and overall health status.
Patient Education
The best way to combat your patient’s uncertainty is with knowledge. As a nurse, it is your job to educate patients and their families about their health conditions, medications, and the necessary care practices. Teaching patients about beneficial lifestyle changes and routines might even prevent future health complications.
Care coordination
Unlike the physicians, therapists, and social workers who might make up a patient’s healthcare team, home health nurses interact with patients frequently, so they play an important role when creating and implementing care plans. They are also the best resource for patient progress updates to the healthcare team.
Emotional Support
Not every patient in your care will be on the road to recovery. Some patients will be coming to terms with a difficult diagnosis, and you might need to address concerns about your patient’s comfort and care to ensure everyone has peace of mind. Offering emotional and psychological support to patients and their families through kind words and patience goes a long way toward easing discomfort.
Advocacy
Patients occasionally struggle to speak up for themselves, so it is part of a nurse’s role to recognize signs that their patients have concerns about their care. A home health nurse should prioritize open communication between patients and the healthcare team.
Does a nursing career outside the hospital appeal to you? Discover 10 alternative careers for nurses outside the hospital.
What Does a Home Health Nurse Do on Their Visits?
While the treatment and needs of each patient will vary, there are several general tasks a home health nurse might complete during visits. These responsibilities include:
- Monitoring vital signs
- Collecting blood samples
- Recording patient’s recovery progress
- Administering medications and treatments
- Performing head-to-toe assessments
- Responding to emergencies
Beyond the listed duties, home visits will allow patients and their families to ask questions about treatments and conditions as they receive care.
What is the Goal of Home Health Nursing?
Home health nurses work with patients of all ages, including children and newborns, and those with a range of health conditions. They can also perform end-of-life care. Regardless of the reason for care, you will have a few different goals to strive for with your patients.
- Support Health and Recovery: Enable patients to attain better health and functionality throughout chronic illness management and after hospital stays.
- Promote Patient Independence: Boost patients’ abilities to manage their health and functionality through recovery and education.
- Administer Accessible Care: Provide medical care in your patient’s home, eliminating the need for repeated hospital visits.
Career Outlook and Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t differentiate between nursing specialties when calculating the job outlook for nurses; however, the BLS anticipates a 6% growth in nurse employment between 2023 and 2033. This is projected to result in about 194,500 job openings annually.
The BLS also reports that, as of 2023, home healthcare nurses, on average, made $87,430 annually. This wage varies depending on experience and geographic location, but the BLS reports home health nursing as one of the industries with the highest employment levels, so this salary is absolutely attainable.
Ready to become a home health nurse? If you have prior college education, you may be eligible for Utica’s second degree nursing program in New York.
Required Qualifications and Certifications
Home health nursing is a rewarding career, but like any other nursing specialty, it requires a certain level of proficiency. Luckily, a simple three-step process to becoming a home health nurse exists.
- Start by earning your nursing degree, either an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). On average, ADN degrees take less time to complete, but according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, recent data shows employers prefer BSN-educated nurses. Plus, through Utica’s ABSN program, you can graduate in as few as 16 months.
- Next, you must pass the NCLEX. This examination tests nursing students on their general nursing knowledge, critical thinking, and clinical reasoning. It is a rigorous exam that students begin preparing for months in advance. Learn more about the latest iteration of the NCLEX exam.
- Finally, gain experience. Many healthcare organizations prefer that home health nurses work for several years in a hospital setting before attempting patient care in the home. To gain the most relevant experience, some employers ask that home healthcare nurses work for several years in the critical care specialty before applying.
A home health nursing certification is no longer required to start working in the industry. Nonetheless, earning your home health nursing or an adjacent certification can be a good way to increase your expertise and boost your resume. Here are a few certifications relevant to your career:
- Home Health Nursing Certification (RN-BC): Provided by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), this certification enhances knowledge and skills specific to home healthcare nursing and accredits a nurse’s ability to administer competent care in home settings. Currently, this certification is only open for renewal but may be reopened for new applicants in the future.
- Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN): Provided by the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC), this certification bolsters the credentials of nurses who care for patients with serious illnesses or at the end of life, including in the home.
- Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN): Home health nurses frequently encounter wounds with patients recovering from surgery or other conditions. This certification, available through the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Certification Board (WOCNCB), ensures wound care expertise.
- Geriatric Nursing Certification (GERO-BC): This certification, offered through the ANCC, focuses on care for elderly patients, who comprise a significant demographic in home health nursing.
Time to start preparing for the NCLEX exam? Learn everything you need to know about the Next Gen NCLEX.
Start Your Future at Utica University
Nursing is a vast industry with an array of opportunities. At Utica University, our ABSN and Advanced Standing in Nursing programs offer a hybrid online learning experience, so students have the flexibility to get the most out of our programs. Bolstered with in-person skills labs and clinical rotations, students learn the skills to become confident nurses and make connections that will benefit their careers.
Contact us today to learn how Utica can help you achieve your dream nursing career.
