When you first took the plunge into nursing, you were likely stoked beyond belief to work in a hospital, caring for so many people every day. Flash forward to now—work has taken its toll on you, and maybe you’ve even begun to think of switching gears into home healthcare. But, how can you know if it’s the best career choice for you?

Home health nursing isn’t for everyone, but certain qualities can help you determine if you’re a good fit, including care and respect for patients, a love for autonomy, and the necessary skills to be successful in a one-on-one clinical setting. Giving home healthcare a try could be beneficial if you’re on the fence. It can often be a rewarding job that allows even the most independent people to thrive in the industry. 

Take it from me: after six years in the home healthcare industry, I’ve learned that home health nursing certainly has its advantages—but it also has its disadvantages. To give you a better idea of the nitty-gritty that is home healthcare, I’ll dive deep into the pros and cons and discuss whether the career path is suitable for you. 

Let’s jump in!

What do Home Health Nurses Do?

Home healthcare nurses take on the same role as your average nurse. However, rather than assisting patients in a clinical setting, home health nurses provide care to patients in the comfort of their own homes—hence, the title. Patients requiring care in these settings can range from those who need elderly assistance to those recently discharged from the hospital or require post-operative care.

The job isn’t facility-based, so home healthcare nurses manage their own schedules, oversee documentation, and take on a lot of responsibility as they assist patients one-on-one. Home healthcare nurses provide care wherever patients are comfortable. In some cases, these professionals may even meet with clients in public spaces like parks so that the client can have more mobility during treatment sessions. General tasks are similar to those of a bedside nurse in a hospital, including treating injuries, monitoring vitals, performing tests, and administering medications. 

Because home health nurses treat patients from their homes, it’s often necessary to be comfortable and familiar with various cultures and lifestyles. Not to mention, home health nursing often entails physical exertion, like lifting and moving patients who need help. 

Regardless, the job responsibilities can vary depending on the level of qualifications a nurse has. Different credentials allow nurses to provide different care. So, the role of one home health care nurse might look a tad different from another.  

Typical Education and License Requirements

Since it’s a nursing specialty, home health nurses need the same educational experience as any other registered nurse (RN) in the field. The job is a choice for nearly anyone in the nursing industry, depending on certifications and licensures. For example, let’s go through the steps you need to take to become a home health nurse:

Step One:

You’ll first need to finish the required schooling for an associate degree in nursing (ADN), which takes two years. But, moving up in the home health world generally requires a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), which takes about four years.

Step Two:

Here is the fun part: studying. After receiving your degree, you’ll have to take the National Council Licensure Exam that all RNs in the nation have to pass in order to be certified. The exam takes about six hours, covering all things medicine, nursing, communication, and legal matters of the healthcare industry. A license within your state may also be necessary to practice. And, for home health nursing, it can be beneficial to get a license that allows you to cross state lines and practice elsewhere.

Step Three:

But it doesn’t stop there. Because home healthcare is such an independent and autonomous specialty, it typically requires at least a couple of years of experience in a clinical or medical nursing setting to move forward by providing one-on-one care.

Whether you’re a nurse looking to transition into home healthcare or you’re on the path toward nursing and want to find your specialty, don’t let the education requirements for home health nursing hinder your decision. Just like any other healthcare position, it requires knowledge and skills to effectively help people, but it’s well worth it in the long run. 

Pros of Home Health Nursing

Let’s face it: we both know that you have what it takes to be a home health nurse. After all, you can make anything possible. Regardless, I understand the struggle of not knowing enough about a job before diving in headfirst. You want to know if you’ll enjoy the job before moving forward with it. And, if you’re on the fence about home health nursing, it’s beneficial to know the ins and outs.

Good news! With my expertise in the home healthcare field, I’ve compiled a list of what I have found to be some of the best parts of home health nursing to give you a bit of insight into the advantages of the job.

1. More Career Flexibility

Home healthcare is much more flexible than your average clinical, bedside nursing. Adhering to strict schedules and dreading the fast-paced environment is not loved by everyone. 

With home health nursing, after getting your caseload, you set your own schedule. Depending on what works best for you and your patients, you can decide when to work and when not to, which gives you plenty of flexibility. Nurses who may not love waking up at the crack of dawn to go to work, or those who have a busy personal life, often find that home healthcare offers the perfect amount of freedom. Not to mention, you can take a bathroom break whenever (unheard of, right?).

2. Independence

Most jobs claim that eligible candidates need to be “team players,” and nursing is no exception. But, that’s nearly impossible. Not everyone loves to work with a team. And, for introverts like myself, home healthcare is the ideal position.

The autonomy is an awesome little treat for those who merely don’t enjoy excessive amounts of socialization. When you head to a patient’s home, you head there alone. Nobody is constantly looking over your shoulder, pointing out each time you make a mistake. Instead, you get the opportunity to learn new things by figuring them out on your own. 

3. Work One-on-One with Patients

Spending a lot of alone time with your patients allows you to form relationships with them, ultimately giving them the care that you know they need, instead of just sticking a bunch of needles in their arms and calling it a day.

Each patient is a human being with stories, interests, and feelings, and when we’re running around from bedside to bedside in a clinical setting, it can be easy to forget that. Working one-on-one with patients for longer periods allows you to learn more about each of them and find more extensive insights into their health assessments than you normally would. 

4. The Pay

As much as we all think we’re not greedy, money plays a huge role in career advantages. Home health nursing pays similar to that of hospital nursing. But, some home health nurses prefer salary pay, while others get paid per visit. Often, home health nurses find that when they’re paid per visit, they can fit in more patients and earn more than they would in a clinical setting. Home health makes it possible to pick up extra visits when you want instead of an additional 12-hour shift to pay the bills. 

5. Less Stress

Running all over the floor for hours on end in a stressful environment takes a major toll—not only on our emotions but also on our knees. Home health nursing still has its stressors (i.e., paperwork and overwhelming visits), but it’s more common to find that treating patients in their homes is much more laid back.

Not to mention, driving to and from a patient’s house gives you some time to relax before and after a visit—it’s even better if you aren’t a road-rager. And, we all know that belting Celine Dion between appointments is absolutely necessary for keeping stress levels low. 

6. Patients are Happier when They’re Home

It’s only natural to get a bit grumpy when you’re not in the comfort of your own home (at least that’s what I tell myself). Most patients loathe the hospital, especially after too much time cooped up within its four walls. I don’t know any nurse who enjoys being cussed out for no reason when faced with an uncomfortable patient.

Taking care of a person’s medical needs in their home is a vastly different experience. With home health nursing, patients are generally much more comfortable, leading to an overall happier experience. They’re also more likely to show appreciation, which can significantly help your self-esteem as a nurse. And if we’re being honest, when they’re happy, we’re happy. 

7. Considerable Nursing Experience

It might seem intimidating at first, but the autonomy in home health nursing forces you to use your brain and apply your clinical training. You’ll learn new things and use the skills you gained in nursing school almost every visit.

Since you’re working independently, you have to be resourceful and rely on your critical thinking skills more often than you would in a hospital with physicians waiting around every corner. Being on your own enables you to hone in on your clinical nursing expertise and gives you plenty of hands-on experience that you’ll likely use in the future. 

8. Form Bonds and Deeper Connections with Patients

Even if you’re not a social person (ahem, me), spending a lot of time with patients and building long-lasting bonds with them is super rewarding. You’ll be able to learn more about their lives, hear stories from their pasts, and even see inside of their homes, which all help form deep connections.

As a home health nurse, my patients feel like family that I get to visit as often as necessary. Instead of waking up at 4 o’clock in the morning, dreading your next shift at the hospital, the relationships you’ll make with your home health patients will make your job that much more enjoyable. 

Cons of Home Healthcare

But, while home healthcare has plenty of benefits, with every advantage comes a disadvantage. No career is perfect—work is, well…work. That said, to help you make an informed decision about home health nursing, we’ll also look into some of the job’s cons.

1. Potential to Feel Unsafe in Someone’s Home

While it’s fun to visit a patient’s home and connect with them through their lifestyle and environment, it’s also essential to keep in mind that, as a home health nurse, you’re going to be visiting a lot of different places. You’ll likely end up in a few not-so-safe neighborhoods, and you may even feel uncomfortable in someone’s home depending on the circumstances.

Home health also requires nurses to spend time around a patient’s family, and we all know that people don’t always vibe well with each other. That said, you might feel uncomfortable or even unsafe in some situations. For some, walking into the unknown on a regular basis is a dealbreaker, but others may do just fine—it’s largely dependent on your personality. 

2. Organization and Time Management is Vital

As I mentioned before, home health nursing is super flexible, which can be perfect for some. But, it requires a ton of organization and time management skills. Setting your schedule means you’re responsible for keeping that schedule and ensuring that all of your tasks get done on time and accurately. Managing your caseload might seem like a simple responsibility, but it can quickly become overwhelming. Make sure you’re ready for the challenge if home health is the path you want to take.

3. There is a LOT of Driving

If you’re not a fan of long commutes to your typical nine-to-five, you probably won’t enjoy the driving that comes alongside home health nursing. Part of the job is commuting, and you’ll probably feel like you’re on the road all the time, which isn’t the ideal place to be if driving makes you frustrated. You’ll need a reliable form of transportation, and a bike won’t cut it. You’ll also need to prepare for all the bad weather that you’ll potentially run into. Regardless, traveling for home healthcare isn’t as easy as walking down the hall to your next patient’s room.

4. You Might Drown in Paperwork

Having so much autonomy as a nurse requires plenty of documentation after each visit. You might not be strapped down to any one facility, but you’ll certainly have enough to chart. If you stay on top of the paperwork, it’s simple to keep matters under control; however, if you let it pile up, it quickly becomes an overwhelming sea of papercuts waiting to happen. 

5. It’s Easy to Feel Isolated from Colleagues

Nursing in a clinical setting allows you to chat with colleagues, stay up-to-date on the latest news, and get plenty of socialization in. But home healthcare isn’t necessarily the best avenue for making work friends or connecting with coworkers. You’re alone most of the time, and it can begin to feel like you’re isolated from other nurses in the field, especially when you’re used to working side-by-side with your pals. Nonetheless, if you’re anything like me, isolation might not bother you one bit.

Is Home Health Nursing the Right Fit for You?

If you’re still wondering if home health nursing is up your alley, there are plenty of benefits to the career path: you’ll feel good about helping others while still getting all of the adventure opportunities and experiences that come alongside forming relationships with patients. Not to mention, you can say goodbye to all of your late nights at the hospital (unless that’s your thing).

It may not be as easy to stay on top of things as you would in an office or hospital setting, but it’s up to you how much work you’re going to take on and when. If you love to stay autonomous and are looking for a job that will allow you the freedom of scheduling your work when it’s best for you, home health nursing might be a great fit for you.

If you feel that your personality will work well amongst the many responsibilities and you’re comfortable with the variety of challenges you may face in the field, home health nursing can be a completely rewarding career path that you’ll enjoy every step of the way.

How to Find Success as a Home Health Nurse

I understand the struggle of pursuing a new career path. But, knowing the most valuable traits for the role can help you be successful as a home health nurse. To give you a leg-up, I’ll summarize a few key qualities that can help a nurse thrive in this specialty:

• Confidence in your abilities
• Independence
• Excellent time and task management
• Quick documentation abilities
• Problem-solving
• Experience with patient issues and illnesses
• Communication skills

Bottom Line

Home healthcare, although completely useful for many patients to receive care from the comfort of their own homes and rewarding for nurses, is not for everyone. Nonetheless, the advantages of working in home healthcare typically outweigh the negatives. Fortunately, you can give home health nursing a test drive by taking on a few visits without quitting your current job–you’ll quickly learn whether it’s the right path for you.

Need additional advice? Your success matters to me, and I’d love to connect with you to help get you on the right career path.