Home Health Employment with a Nursing Assistant Certification

Many individuals who are certified as a Nursing Assistant become discouraged with the medical facility environment. They often have to work on holidays, deal with internal problems with co-workers, desire more pay for the work they are doing, and feel under appreciated.

Home health care offers a wonderful alternative to Nursing Assistants who want more flexibility as well as the opportunity to get to know those they are caring for more personally. Home health care offers basic assistance to those who need it in the privacy and comfort of their own home. Nursing Assistants in this environment will be helping with many of the same duties including feeding, bathing, and dressing the patients.

Most Nursing Assistants wanting to work for home health look for employment with a home health agency. These agencies work directly with the patient or their family to offer them services to be able to stay in their home rather than moving to an assisted living facility.

However, Nursing Assistants should understand that some home health care agencies generally offer added services that they will be required including paying bills, running errands, picking up medications, and taking the patient to scheduled appointments. In addition, it's possible for there to be cooking and light housekeeping involved.

Many Nursing Assistants love home health care because it gives them the opportunity to develop a flexible schedule and they get to know their patients. Home health care generally allows you to create your own schedule. Your supervisor will review it and check with the patient. Every effort is made to please all involved. It is possible to schedule around holidays and other events, giving you certain requested days off.

Knowing your patients personally while doing home health care is an added benefit you don't often get in a medical facility. Even if you work in a long term care facility, the time is often limited and Nursing Assistants have to rush to finish the workload they are given. Getting to know the patients in home health care can make the job much more rewarding.

Since home health care takes place in a person's home with very little supervision, the background check is much more intense that that performed in a medical facility. This is for the absolute safety of the patients. You will have total access to their home as well as spending time with them one on one. Therefore any concerns with your background check can prevent you from being employed in home health care.

It is necessary to prepare for your references and past employers to be contacted. Home health care agencies will be seeking more details than just the length of employment and your skills. They will want to question your ability to be organized, motivated, and able to work on your own without constant supervision. They will be asking about your promptness as well as how often you missed work, as well as the possible reasons why.

This is because home health care agencies don't have the volume of staff to cover your patients if you should not show up on time or miss a visit. This can cause a patient and his family to become upset when the needs go unmet, which could ultimately result in patients choosing to end their contract with that home health care agency.

Nursing Assistants have a better chance to earn more at a home health agency than in a medical facility. On average $2.25 more per hour. They are also more likely to be treated courteously by their employer and co-workers. They want employees to be feeling content as this will help keep them as valuable employees. Patients do not find it acceptable for their assistant to continually change. They don't like having so many new people having access to their home. The home health care agency has to appropriately balance keeping both the employees and the patients pleased.

Before accepting a position with a home health care agency, be sure to research them with the Better Business Bureau and state Medical Board. Be careful not to involve yourself with any agency that does not practice the proper procedures for care of their patients. Any such issues should be reported immediately.