Home health

OK- I've been at this job for 3 weeks now. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to like it or if it is going to be a "tolerate" situation. There are good points and bad points

Good:

1) The fact that I'm not on my feet for 12 hours straight.

2) The control over my time

3) Being able to spend time teaching a patient something they need to know without being interuppted to take care of something for your other 8 patients

4) the independence

5) the pay

6) the flexibile hours



Bad:

1) Going into some NASTY NASTY homes. Did I say NASTY homes? Food sitting out for obviously days, pathways through the clutter and garbage, etc

2) a never ending stream of dressing changes to be done on awful ulcers. Not my thing at all!

3) Driving through some less than desirable areas of the city. I just try not to think about it too much while being sufficiently cautious at the same time



I suppose the good outweigh the bad at this point. I think the job will be fine.... I hope!



Wendy

[houseelf]

It sounds like a really interesting job and that these patients need you more than an average patient. Please let us know what your ultimate decision is.



Kelly

Wendy,



My mom did home health for ten years.....initially she had a similar reaction to you but eventually she began to really enjoy the freedom that the job provided her. She was able to do home health part-time and study, wasn't tied to a hospital's time clock and really enjoyed the teaching aspect. She eventually became certified as a wound care specialist as well...not her favorite thing, but there is a lot of wound care in home health



She went back for her NP and is still sort of doing home health....she works for a geriatrician and does home visits and visits to assisted care facilities and nursing homes. She isn't always crazy about the condition of some of the nursing homes or patients homes and working with demented patients is something that really wears her out...but she is so used to being able to plan her own days now that she feels that she couldn't go back...She can schedule a dr's appt, go out on a lunch date with a friend, etc etc...as long as she gets her patients seen each day she can schedule the day as she pleases...



Don't give up hope.....It might work out great with your studies!



Kris

[DCJenn]

Wendy-



What have you decided? It is soooo true about the extreme nastiness of other people's homes. UGH. Just thinking aobut some of my experiences as a SW intern gives me the willies.



How's it going this week?



Jenn

Honestly, I'm feeling a little freaked out right now. I drove over to my "region" to take some pictures for my class yesterday afternoon. It was around 4:30. It was a much different, much scarier world that time of day. These 3 teenage boys slowly strolled by my car touching the front of it as I was stopped at a stop sign. They didn't say anything and didn't do anything else, but it scared me. I'm thinking if it's like that during the daylight hours, what is it going to be like after dark. I have to work the afternoon/evening shift every third weekend, so there will be times that I am in that region after dark. Everyone tells me that they've never had any trouble, but I'm still feeling pretty freaked out. I'm pretty sure I can handle things during the day in that region, but I don't know about during the evening. I'm going to talk to one of the supervisors this week.



I'm just not sure what to think. I like the job fairly well, I love the hours and the flexibility. The weekend part is a very small part of the job and not every weekend hour would be spent in those areas after dark. It really isn't as easy as telling them I can't do it- it's part of the job and everyone has to do it. Maybe it's just a bigger deal in my mind than it is in reality, I don't know.



Wendy
Edited by: wkelley2001  at: 10/9/01 4:06:50 pm

[mebeauty]

It's sound really very intersting!!

[Ladybug]

I wouldn't risk my personal safety and well-being over it. I'm a nurse and I've considered home health. It plays a critical role to those who can't get care independently and maybe need it the most. I would either bring someone with me or request an escort, police officer, etc. I couldn't live the outcomes of a negative experience.

[SoonerTexan]

I wasn't even in high school when this thread was originally posted

[Ladybug]

I wasn't even in high school when this thread was originally posted

Whaaaaa?

how did it float back up?

P.S. I can't belive you're that young ST! I was post-college, married and pregnant with Lucy!

[spotty_dog]

I wasn't even in high school when this thread was originally posted

I was a few months graduated from college.

[SoonerTexan]

Yep 8th grade.

It got bumped

[Meenah]

I won't even comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Momo]

Mebeauty, has been posting one liners to old threads. Are you for real or a bot?

[Meenah]

I think a bot!