What is a Home Health Nurse?

Are you interested in joining the medical field on a more Independent and close-to-home level? Well, you might consider becoming a Home Health Nurse.

Home Health Nurses allow patients and patient families to maintain their dignity and class. A census by the National Association for Home Care shows that there are over 7 million US residents in need of home care because of debilitating diseases or terminal illness. By being available to come out to the patient’s home, Home Health Nurses allow these individuals to carry on their lives in comfort and with their loved ones.

Home Health Nursing is a growing profession and with that comes growing responsibilities. Home Health Nurses are often required to be on-call on weekends, and are expected to handle patient and doctor calls that are received. In addition, many Home Health Nurses work with a variety of patients in differing locations.

Those enterprising individuals wishing to be Home Health Nurses are expected to have outstanding communication, clinical, and personal skills, in addition to being able to teach others simple self-sustaining daily routines. Home Health nurses must be able to see signs of oncoming conditions or complications, and will need to alert a physician if changes in treatment are needed.

On a more personal level, Home Health Nurses must also be highly independent, competent, and respectful of the patient’s home and family. Cultural and ethnic respect are also expected of those individuals aspiring to be Home Health Nurses.

The average Home Health Nurse makes around $48,990 per year. They practice in a variety of settings from hospitals to nursing homes to the patient’s own home. There are no special requirements for Home Health Nursing beyond the normal nurse licensing procedures.