Home care nursing is perhaps the most holistic, patient-centred care a nurse can provide. If you’re considering home care as your next career move, be aware that this speciality demands a certain mindset and a strong foundation of nursing skills coupled with good interpersonal skills.
We have listed our top benefits of being a Homecare nurse:
Homecare nurses work independently and generally through an agency. This gives them full control over the hours and schedule they work on a daily and weekly basis.
Most agencies give nurses the autonomy to work as they see fit. Depending on the care you are providing, you could work flexibly, allowing your working schedule to fit in with your family / personal life.
Homecare nursing allows for a more personal relationship; the nurse has the freedom to get to know both patient and the patients family and friends in a way that is not possible in a hospital setting. As a home care nurse, you get to really understand and know your patient, in turn building a level of unconditional trust, giving your patient the feeling of being secure and well cared for. Sometimes this alone can help the speed up the healing process. Patients can continue their care in the privacy of their own home knowing that medical care is at hand when needed.
Working in a one on one environment ensures the patient receives a tailored personal approach to their care on a daily basis. Nurses can take as long as needed to teach their patients the skills they need for self-care and/or independence.
An element of Homecare nursing is teaching patients self-care techniques to help them gain independence. Seeing your patient recover and gain that confidence and independence is truly rewarding. An interest or passion for enabling patients to be their own carers is important to finding this speciality rewarding. However you are still a nurse and you will need to carry out blood draws, IV insertions, advanced wound care techniques, and can use ventilators. Having mastered these techniques and skills is critical to being successful in this job.
Let’s not underestimate that all nursing roles come with an element of stress. However being a homecare nurse has a lower level of stress. Perhaps you have a passion for helping others, however, the high stress and intense environment of the emergency room isn’t how you envisioned living out your dream career. Homecare nurses have the exciting ability to practice their profession in a low-stress yet professional atmosphere.
As a homecare nurse you can sometimes work continuously with a patient that has a specific medical condition e.g. dementia. Working closely everyday with a dementia patient allows a homecare nurse to really understand the nature of the condition; the symptoms, triggers, best treatments, how to keep a dementia sufferer calm all areas that you would not have learnt with minimal time with the patient like in a hospital setting. The potential skills, experience, knowledge and understanding available to a homecare nurse is plentiful.
At Cavendish Homecare we offer support, training and professional development to all our nurses so that they can provide the superior quality of homecare we give our clients and gain more knowledge and confidence. We are always available to support you and your journey, so you have the confidence to deliver expert service to our clients.
If one thing is for sure, home healthcare is a very fulfilling career that allows you to make people’s lives better – now what can be more meaningful than that?
Speak to our team today to discuss available roles, requirements and your next career steps on 020 3008 5210.