If you are planning to work at a home health agency as a home health nurse, there are some things you may want to consider. Some of these things are obvious while others are not. This series of posts will go over some things you may need to consider if you plan to work for home health.

Commute Time

As a home health nurse, you will be driving a lot. Your commute time can vary depending on the distance from one patient to the next. Unlike a hospital or a skilled nursing facility where all your patients are on the same building, your patients in home health will have a lot more distance between them so your daily commute time will vary depending on how many patients you have scheduled for the day and how far apart they are from each other. Traffic, road construction, road closures, etc can and will affect your commute time.

Visit Time

The length of time that you will spend while at the patients home depends on the patient’s status, the care that the patient needs, the teaching/education needs of the patient and family, the skilled nursing task that you need to perform, etc.

Time for Documentation

As with other types of nursing practice, you will need to perform documentation on the care that is provided. Most, if not all, home health agencies now uses electronic medical records. Some home health documentation software are web based that you may be able to access as long as you have a computer and internet connection. Some are accessible through your phones as well. You can choose to do your documentation in between patients or do them at your home but make sure to finish your documentation after seeing your patient and do not procrastinate. The amount of documentation you will need to do for home health can pile up quickly if you procrastinate.