A report by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) states that in 2007 there were 1.5 million Americans receiving some form of home healthcare, up from nearly 1.4 million in 2000, according to Healthcare Traveler. By 2050, that number is expected to rise to more than 27 million people according to the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Department for the U.S. government.
A travel nurse experienced in providing care in a variety of scenarios could quickly find herself serving patients in their homes. While a travel nurse or travel therapist would traditionally be assigned to a clinic or facility, more and more are being asked to serve in home healthcare scenarios. There is an expected increase in nurses, speech-language pathologists, as well as physical and occupational therapists visiting and evaluating patients at home.
Home healthcare provides the opportunity to assess the overall health of patients and the situations they are living in. A travel nurse can get to know the patient over a period of time, enabling deeper connections. The average length of service for a home healthcare professional is 315 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Kimberly Bare, RN, BSN, CWOCN, decided to make a life and career change and joined the ranks of travel nurses for adventure and new opportunities. Instead of serving traditional facilities, she decided to try home healthcare.
“You see the whole dynamic of what is going on and how you can adjust to give better care,” Bare, the certified wound, ostomy, and continence specialist, told Healthcare Traveler.
Home healthcare assignments may be longer or shorter than the average travel assignment of 13 weeks.
Every home healthcare assignment is different, depending on the patient’s need and the speciality of the travel nurse or travel therapist.
As a dialysis nurse, Lori Danford, RN meets with patients for extended periods of time at sometimes infrequent intervals.
“I did not go into patients’ homes every day. Rather, our purpose was to train them and their family in the home dialysis modality to give them as normal a life as possible,” Danford told Healthcare Traveler. “If patients experienced problems, then we would go to the home and assess the situation. They also came into the clinic if needed. Because of how the program was set up, you really got to know your patients and their caregivers. It’s almost like they became an extended part of your own family.”
Home healthcare is a growing field and may offer travel nurses or therapists the career environment they are seeking.