Top Reasons to Choose a Career in Home Health Care

When beginning your nursing career, if you were like many, you imagined working at a hospital, a clinic, or in a doctor’s office. That may have been the case years ago, but today, the variety of clinical settings has expanded, and nurses have more choices than ever.

One of those choices that every nurse should be considering if they feel the need to make a change is Home Health Care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing careers in Home Health are projected to grow at a rate of 15% over the next ten years. Let’s take a look at things you may not have considered to see if it is the right move for you.

Why Home Health?

  • Home health care is booming. If you are a clinician looking for a new opportunity or just a change in scenery, Home Health Care is the perfect place to be. As noted by the BLS data above, the growth in Home Health Care means that there are fantastic opportunities all over the country. In most cases, if you have at least two years of experience, you can make the move to home health.
  • Home health care features relationships. If you do choose Home Health Care, you will be in a position where you can make a great difference in the lives of your patient. You will be able to establish personal relationships with your patients and have more face-to-face time with them.
  • Have more flexibility. One of the greatest benefits of a career in home health is having more control over your schedule. You get to manage your own hours and patient schedule.
  • Become a better nurse. In home health care, you are on your own, but in a good way. Typically, you are alone with your patient and learn to be extremely resourceful. Having this much autonomy in your clinical life leads to sharper nursing skills.
  • Helping your clients in the comfort of their home. Whether you are caring for an elderly patient, helping someone recuperate after an injury, or manage a chronic illness, they are able to do so in their home because of you. Given the opportunity, most people prefer to be at home when they are ill or injured, and you will have the satisfaction of making it happen for them.
  • Better pay and other perks. With the demand for Home Health Care nurses continuing to rise, better pay and other benefits are following suit. For example, at Supplemental Health Care, home health clinicians get paid for drive time and a guaranteed salary based on hours instead of units.
  • Access to the latest technology. As home health care continues to grow, more technology is being developed for people to recover and be treated at home. Home health nurses typically have exposure to this new technology before those in traditional settings.
  • Specialization is possible. In home health, clinicians have the opportunity to focus their careers on something they are more passionate about. You can focus on treating a particular type of patient or patients with similar medical needs.

While the benefits of a career change to home health easily exceed any detractions, there are some to be considered. When you become a home health nurse, you will immediately notice the documentation requirements are far greater than anything you may have been exposed to in other settings. Most clinicians have to learn to develop a process that allows them to chart and document promptly. Documentation should be completed during the visit to avoid having to cut into your home or personal life.

If you like to be autonomous and want more control and flexibility in your schedule, a home health career may be right for you. Supplemental Health Care has an exclusive Home Health Division with hundreds of opportunities available right now. Reach out to homehealth@shccares.com or contact an experienced recruitment professional today.