The job market is smiling on home health nurses. Their jobs can demand anything from personal care services to skilled home-health care and primary medical care, all at the homes of patients. Home-based patient care is expected to become increasingly common in the years ahead. Some forecasters even foresee the deployment of a “hospital-at-home” model of medical care.
Nurses who provide home-based care can provide continuous, holistic care and address patients’ medical and social issues in ways other settings cannot match, according to Bruce Leff, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and Director of the Center for Transformative Geriatric Research. Leff predicts that home-based medical care someday will be “mainstreamed into the U.S. health care delivery system.”
Instead of working at a hospital or outpatient facility, many nurses choose home health, not only because they can visit patients where they are most comfortable, but also because home healthcare nurses control their own work schedules.
Home health nurses require, at a minimum, the same education and training as a registered nurse. Fortis offers associate degree programs to become a registered nurse at select campuses. The nursing programs at Fortis teach students the technical skills and bedside manner to start careers as practical nurses and registered nurses.
Individuals who are considering a career as a home health nurse should be aware of the challenges involved. Meeting one-on-one with patients in their homes without a medical backup team can be daunting. Home health nurses often must be more innovative than their counterparts at hospitals, and the creative range of their jobs can be rewarding. Home health nurses also work with a variety of patients of all ages, not a specific demographic or disease.
If you’re interested in becoming a caring, compassionate home health nurse, check out our nursing program page today to learn more about the world of options.
