The job outlook for home health nurses is positive. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that registered nurses are expected to see a growth in employment by around 15% by the year 2026. Home health in particular, is a field of nursing that’s been growing with every passing year. This is owing to the fact that a large number of people are entering their senior years, and opting for home care over hospital stays.
If you want to succeed as a home health nurse, then there are some skills that you’ll need to have. Let’s find out what these are.
What Are The Skills You Need To Become A Home Health Nurse?
There is a degree of overlap between the skills required to be a general nurse, as well as a home health care nurse. This is because the primary focus of both is to provide quality nursing services to patients. However, as a home health nurse, you will be caring for patients in their homes. This means that you won’t have access to the same facilities that you would have, in a hospital setting.
This is why you’ll need to develop your skills in ways that a nurse working at a hospital doesn’t need to. You should know how to respond in the event of an emergency and should be capable of caring for the patient without needing additional help.
Skills Related To Clinical Nursing For Home Health Care Workers
All nurses need to have great clinical skills, even those who specialize in home care. You should know how to:
- Observe situations and make assessments based on what you see
- Know how to dress wounds, as well as how to care for them
- Know how to administer injections
- Know how to monitor IV
- You may need help with tube feeding
- You could need to insert or monitor a catheter
- You should understand tracheostomy care
In addition to these, you should also be comfortable with administering medicines. Finally, you should have knowledge regarding how to care for patients, as a caregiver.
Do You Need Interpersonal Skills To Be A Home Health Nurse?
It’s vital for home health nurses to have great interpersonal skills. You should be comfortable with communicating with the patient, and should also be capable of understanding what they are saying to you. You should be capable of observing a situation in order to assess important information about the condition of the patient.
With the help of your interpersonal skills, you can develop relationships with your patients, as well as their families. You can develop trust with your patients, and build relationships that are positive. This will help you improve the quality of care that you provide to your patients.
In addition to this, you should also be good at active listening. Not only should you pay attention to what your patients are telling you, but you should also study their body language as well. Sometimes, patients can use nonverbal cues to let them know that they are feeling unwell. You should be capable of identifying what your patient needs.
Active listening can help your patients feel like they are understood, which can in turn improve your relationship with them. Also, consider getting home health care insurance coverage. This is because working as a home health nurse exposes you to certain career risks, such as getting sued by unhappy patients. When you have home health care insurance coverage, you ensure that your career is protected against various career risks. Protect your career as well as your finances with home health care insurance coverage. To learn more about the of advantages working in the home health care industry, click here.
Do You Need To Have Critical Thinking Skills To Be A Home Health Nurse?
As a home health nurse, you’ll usually find yourself working alone, caring for the patient in their home. This means that you’ll need to know how to work in an independent manner. This is why having critical thinking skills is so important. You should know how to use the information being presented to you, to analyze the situation. This can help you isolate and identify problems that the patient might be facing, which can in turn help ensure that their needs are met.
You’ll also need to show a degree of creativity as a home health nurse. This is because you won’t have access to the same tools and facilities that you would have, in a hospital setting. This is why you should know how to observe the surroundings you’re in, to make the most of what’s available to you when serving your patients.
Conclusion
Working as a home health nurse can be a rewarding experience, but it can also be very challenging. You’ll need to have everything from critical thinking skills to interpersonal skills, to excel in this career field. This guide discusses what the essential skills a home health nurse needs are, and why.
Also Read: Reasons Why You Should Use a Travel Nursing Agency to Find a Job
