When graduating with a nursing degree, one of the things you will hear the most is how versatile a career as a nurse can be. The options are endless, including career opportunities in hospitals, nursing homes, doctor’s offices, and schools. But one of the fastest growing and appealing positions to explore as a nurse is the field of home health nursing. With all of your job choices at your fingertips, look below for some of the reasons why a career in home health nursing is becoming the first and best choice for so many nurses.
One of the first, and many see it as one of the biggest, draws to home health nursing is the flexibility. Working with clients in their home offers a schedule that is much more fluid than having to adhere to a schedule in a hospital or doctor’s office. Once you have established your caseload as a home health nurse, you develop the treatment schedule according to what works best for you and your clients. This is very appealing to many nurses, because it means you have much more control over the hours you work and your days off. Many nurses find that this flexibility, along with a much less stressful working environment than an acute care setting, leads to much less stress and burnout, therefore providing more career longevity.
Another huge benefit to home health nursing is the relationship it allows you to build with your clients. Working with clients in their home gives nurses the chance to form relationships with clients and their families that most likely would not be able to take place in an acute setting, such as a hospital. Many home health care contracts are for weeks or months at a time, giving the nurse a chance to become a trusted and familiar face to their clients and their families. Home health care nursing is unique in that when a nurse is with their client, they are providing one-to-one care, as opposed to hospital settings which have nurses caring for six to nine clients at once. Being able to focus care on one client at a time for the duration of their contract gives many nurses a sense of personal fulfillment, as they get the opportunity to see firsthand the positive outcomes of their care over time.
Another aspect of home health care that is very appealing to nurses is the variety of clients and diagnoses you can encounter. Working with clients of all ages and different health conditions provides a diverse range of experiences and challenges that you may not get to encounter in other clinical settings. Another aspect that is unique to home health nursing is the opportunity to work independently and make decisions without constant supervision. This autonomy and exposure to many diverse groups of clients can definitely strengthen your skills as a nurse and make you more marketable for future endeavors.
Lastly, one reason to consider home health care is that the industry is growing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing careers in home health alone are growing at a rate of 15% and show no signs of slowing down. This growth in home health care means that there are opportunities for different nursing jobs all over the country. Also, as demand for home health care continues to rise, better pay and other unique benefit packages are following suit. All of these reasons, along with those listed above, are excellent reasons to look into a career in home health nursing and pursue your own happiness in a job with more flexibility, autonomy, and fulfillment.