The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of the Home Health Nurse. A home health nurse is a professional who cares and provides services for patients in their homes. The role of a home health nurse is described in the paper by describing this nurse’s educational background and licensing. It also explains the certification and experience required to qualify as a home health nurse. It also identifies the patient population that can be served by the nurse and the setting or environment for helping the people. The paper also explains the professional duties of the home health nurse role with the inclusion of other professionals who may collaborate with the nurse to serve the patient population. Finally, the paper explains the importance of the projected home health nurse needs for the future and concludes with a conclusion.
Educational Background, Licensing, Certification Required and Experience Needed
Every employer will have unique requirements for education and experience, but qualifying as a home health nurse requires either a Diploma in Practice Nursing, an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). After having the necessary educational qualifications, the nurse needs to get licensed as a registered or practical nurse. Licensing requires the nurse to take the National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN) or Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). To receive a license to work as a nurse, one must pass the NCLEX. There is no requirement for the home health nurse to get certifications. This role requires the nurse to have experience of three or more years, which provides skills. It requires practical experience working with patients in a healthcare setting. However, it is more beneficial for a home health nurse to gain experience in home health settings. Additionally, volunteer experience in-home care can also be helpful.
The Patient Population Served, Including the Setting/ Environment
The primary patient population that home health nurses will serve is ageing people. The ageing population is at risk of falls due to reductions in vision, hearing, mobility, and balance; thus, being in unfamiliar surroundings like healthcare settings increases the risk. Due to this risk, home health nursing is essential because this population is served in a home environment where they know well (Möckli et al., 2021). Additionally, home health nursing is helpful to the ageing population because it provides cost savings. Giving care at home reduces some costs incurred when in a healthcare facility. Approximately the home health nurse will reach five aged people. The setting and immediate environment of serving the ageing patient population is home. Home is where the aged can be reached without inconveniences since they are near their family members, which gives the nurse flexibility in serving others.
Professional Duties of the Role, Including Additional Professionals Who May Be Part of the Interdisciplinary Team
The professional duties of a home health nurse are; travelling to the patient’s homes and managing their care plans according to the instructions given by the physician. They collaborate with doctors and other healthcare professionals to develop care plans for these home-based patients. Another role is administering the prescribed medications and completing the necessary tests, such as blood pressure, glucose etc. In the ageing patient population, the nurse has the role of discussing with the family members the health concerns associated with this group, such as falls, changing sleeping patterns, mental health and cognition. They also change dressings and clean the aged population to maintain hygiene. Also, the nurse has the role of monitoring patient progress and compiling reports for the physician. From this monitoring and assessment, the nurse recommends tools and devices or gives suggestions to the physician and family members that may improve the quality of the patient. Home health nurses play many other significant roles in ensuring quality and safe care and educating patients and families on proper home health care procedures and strategies (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2019). The aged are at risk of chronic diseases like heart problems, diabetes, arthritis and cancer; thus, there is a need for the nurse to educate them and their family members on how to prevent these diseases.
Home health nursing needs collaboration between nurses and other healthcare providers to deliver quality and safe patient care. The home health nurse needs to collaborate with other professionals in serving the ageing population at home (Andersson et al., 2017). Some of the professionals are physicians, therapists and social workers. The physician gives instructions and medication prescriptions to the nurse. The nurse then administers the medication or therapy to the patients as per the instructions. The nurse then reports on the patient’s progress to the physician for further decisions. The therapist has the role of understanding the patient’s physical or mental problem, developing the treatment plan and working collaboratively with the nurse they help to find a solution. The social workers have the role of recognizing those in need of support and reporting to the nurse.
Importance of the Role and Projected Need for the Future
The home health nurse has the role of patient advocacy; they promote patient safety and quality care by protecting them, being their voice, providing quality care, ad educating them. This role helps ensure that ageing patients receive quality care and that their physical and mental needs are responded to effectively. Reports show that by 2030, the size of the older population will be one in every five residents. By 2030 more people in the United States will be older than sixty-five or younger than five (Fulmer et al., 2021). By 2030, 20.8 million Californians will be older, making up a quarter of its population. This projection shows that there will be an increased need for home health nurses to serve this population at home by providing quality care. This projected population means that there will be more healthcare and social needs; thus, there is a need to strengthen the role of Public health. Congress needs to prepare funds for health agencies for this. There is also a need to create efficiently prepared workers and equip them.
Conclusion/ Summary
To sum up, home health nurse plays a significant role in providing care services for patients at their homes. A home health nurse must have a diploma in Practice Nursing, an associate degree in nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). They should also have a license pass the NCLEX and then gain experience. The patient population that needs to be served by a home health nurse is ageing people who are to be served in a home setting and environment. This role has responsibilities like being an agent of the doctor, administering medications, collaborating with other professionals to develop care plans for the patients, monitoring their progress, educating the family members on a care plan and providing reports to the physician. The nurse collaborates with other professionals such as physicians, social workers and therapists. Reports show that the number of aged people will increase by 2030, which shows the need for more home health nurses. In conclusion, the home health nurse’s role is significant, especially in the ageing population. States must create an adequately prepared population and strengthen the public health sector before this projected ageing population increases.
References
Andersson, H., Lindholm, M., Pettersson, M., & Jonasson, L. L. (2017). Nurses’ competencies in home healthcare: an interview study. BMC nursing, 16(1), 1-8.
Fulmer, T., Reuben, D. B., Auerbach, J., Fick, D. M., Galambos, C., & Johnson, K. S. (2021). Actualizing Better Health And Health Care For Older Adults: Commentary describes six vital directions to improve the care and quality of life for all older Americans. Health Affairs, 40(2), 219-225.
Möckli, N., Simon, M., Meyer-Massetti, C., Pihet, S., Fischer, R., Wächter, M., … & Zúñiga, F. (2021). Factors associated with homecare coordination and quality of care: a research protocol for a national multi-center cross-sectional study. BMC health services research, 21(1), 1-14.
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2019). Public health nursing e-book: Population-centered health care in the community. Elsevier Health Sciences.
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