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Home Health Care as a Starting Point for a Career in Medicine

The home health care industry offers a wide range of professional opportunities, many of which are ideal for entry-level professionals and those who are seeking the best place to start a new career in the field of medicine. Education and training requirements are often minimal, especially when compared to other more technical positions. Most training courses can be completed in less than a semester and some accelerated programs may even be available that will allow students to complete their studies in a matter of weeks. The opportunity to quality for a more rewarding, better paying and more satisfying career could be closer at hand than many prospective students and future medical professionals might have imagined.

Benefits of Working in Home Health Care

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Many home health care professionals often site the reduced need for course work, class room time and other training qualifications that may be required in order to begin working in the industry as one of the major benefits of the job. While more accomplished positions, such as nursing, IV therapy and phlebotomy or working as a licenced or certified nutritionist may offer superior pay, such positions often require multiple semesters of training or several years of school before students may be able to qualify for a position or begin work in their chosen field. Professionals who need a better-paying job now and those seeking to begin building their medical resume while they complete a degree or finish training for a more advanced medical career would do well to consider all that home health care has to offer.

Getting to Know the Home Health Care Industry

Nurses, nutritionist and other medical professionals who lack a basic understanding of the industry may find themselves at a real disadvantage. Working in home health care while learning the skills needed to become an LVN, RN or a phlebotomist or IV therapy technician helps to provide professionals with a better understanding of the industry as a whole. From finding the best hospitals, health care facilities and prospective employers to identifying which field of medicine may offer the most long-term career satisfaction, industry professionals who got their start working in home health care may be able to benefit from superior experience, insight and greater understanding.

Learning the Fundamentals of Good Patient Care Through Home Health Care

There are a number of aspects to caring for a patient that can only be learned through first-hand experience. Class room courses, skills labs and other training opportunities are not always able to provide students with the real-world experiences that come from working with patients directly. Home health care can provide future medical professionals with the chance to develop a superior bedside manner or to cultivate a better understanding of various illnesses, some of the most common and serious medical conditions and even the treatment options that patients have to choose from.

Education and Training in Home Health Care

Career Timeline

The time and training needed to become a home health aide, tech or a certified nursing assistant (CNA) typically varies depending on state requirements, employer-mandated training needs and other factors that students may need to take into account. The class room training, testing and other requirements needed to become a CNA are often far more strenuous and time-intensive than those that may be needed to become a simple home health care aide, tech or other position that may not require formal certification. Most programs can be completed within a single semester and students can expect to complete even the most robust CNA programs within 80 classroom hours.

Additional Home Health Care Training

While rudimentary training and basic certifications are often all that is needed to qualify for a position, additional training and continuing education are issues that would-be medical professionals would be wise to consider. Education and training programs that extend well beyond the basic skills needed to begin working in the industry can allow home health care aides to enjoy superior career advancement or to qualify for a wider range of positions and opportunities. The basic blood draw and phlebotomy skills needed to collect samples or to perform fluid and IV therapy on patients can often be learned in just a few weeks and other courses, such as emergency management or dietary and nutritional theory may also have a great deal to offer.

Continuing Education, Certification and Licensing

Refresher courses and continuing education are essential concerns for any medical professionals and even a CNA is typically required to complete a set number of hours in order to keep their certification current. Whether it’s maintaining a CPR certification or mastering the advanced skills needed to qualify for other jobs and positions throughout the industry, medical professionals are required to seek out ongoing training and continuing education resources long after their initial training has been completed. The continuing education requirements of a position or certification can differ and students would do well to outline what will be required of them in the days to come at their earliest opportunity. It’s never too early to begin taking stock of different options when planning for the future.

Increased Salary and Superior Job Security in Home Health Care

Balancing Work and School

Trying to make ends meet on the limited salary of an entry-level position can be all but impossible. Many workers and professionals who may be dissatisfied with their current position or the lack of options that stem from having little to no job training or education often find that the tuition costs as well as the time and effort needed to qualify for a higher paying job can be a major obstacle. The relatively low-cost and limited classroom time needed to become a qualified home health care aide can make the position an ideal solution. Working in home health care can provide professionals with the surplus cash and more flexible schedule they need in order to complete a formal medical degree or to pursue another training program that might have otherwise remained out of reach.

Flexible Scheduling and Hours

Working with patients who live at home often allows home health care workers to escape the limitations of the fixed shifts that are more typical within hospitals and assisted-care facilities. Being able to create and maintain a more flexible schedule can be of paramount importance for professionals who may be struggling to balance their work and home life. From having more time to deal with family obligations to being able to complete additional courses, programs and classes with greater ease, the benefits of flexible scheduling are not something that should be overlooked. The option to take on as few or as many patients needed in order to fill out a part-time or full-time schedule can provide aids with a degree of flexibility they would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

Medicine and Health Care is a Growth Industry

Anyone who has ever been downsized is no doubt well aware of just how difficult it can be to survive during tough economic times. With a patient population that is only expected to grow in the years to come, medicine is an industry able to provide workers with a greater degree of financial security than most other sectors. Skilled nursing assistants and aides will always be in demand and those who may be considering home health care as their next career move may be pleasantly surprised with just how much job security their new position may be able to offer. The right training and work experiences can allow professionals to pick and choose their employers with far greater ease.

Career Satisfaction in Home Health Care

Making a Difference

Income is not the only metric by which to measure a career. Many professionals turn to medicine in their search for a job opportunity that will allow them to make a difference through their efforts. Providing patient care for those in need and offering home health care services to those who might otherwise be forced to relocate away from their preferred surroundings can make quite an impact. Workers who are tired of the endless rat race and professionals who have grown bored with using sales figures and quotas in order to give meaning to their careers would do well to learn more about how a medical career may allow them to make a bigger difference.

Helping Others

Meeting the needs of a patient and ensuring that clients that require home health care services are able to enjoy the comfort, superior level of service and level of care that will afford them the best quality of life possible can be a hugely rewarding undertaking. Home health care provides plenty of unique opportunities for techs, aides and other professionals to get to know their patients. Unlike an in-hospital position or working for an assisted-care facility, home health care allows professionals to become part of their patients lives. For professionals who value personal relationships and those who are seeking the chance to from more lasting and significant patient and client relationships, home care options can often provide the best opportunities.

Creating a More Rewarding Career

While the healthcare industry has much to offer, choosing medicine for a career path may not be without its downsides. Caring for patients can be a difficult and labor-intensive undertaking and many new students and even novice professionals who may be fresh from the classroom are often surprised to discover just how stressful that working within the industry can be. For motivated workers and those who remain committed to making a difference, home health care opportunities may prove to be as rewarding as they are challenging. Those who have grown bored with their current position and professionals who need a challenge in order to achieve their full potential often find that medicine is an ideal career path, one that will lead to a brighter and more successful future.

Specialty Care Services

Assisted Living vs. Total Care

There are many different types of home health care services, some of which may require professionals to undergo additional training in order to better meet the needs of their patients. One of the major differences that workers will discover is the distinction between an assisted living patient and those who may require total care. Assisted living is a term that is typically applied to more functional patients and those that may only need occasional assistance. Total care patient populations are often bedridden or suffer from one or more medical conditions that requires them to seek constant assistance or to be supervised closely.

Special-Needs Patients

Home health care workers frequently deal with dual-diagnosis patients and those who may have special needs that set them apart from the general patient population. Neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s or dementia as well patients who suffer from mental illness or who suffer from a developmental disorder often be quite challenging to care for. There are many home health care services that specialize in dual-diagnosis patients, memory-care patients and other clients who may have special needs. Learning more about various home care services and employers and what training and educational background applicants may require in order to qualify for a position can provide prospective students and professionals with plenty of useful insight.

Building a Strong Foundation of Skills

Using a home health care position as the stepping stone to something greater can have many important benefits. The skills needed to successfully interact with patients never change and whether their long-term career goals involve nursing or other professional achievements or just the chance to enjoy greater success within the home care industry, working with patients directly is essential for ensuring that professionals are able to develop a strong foundation for their future career. Even the most well-qualified healthcare providers and medical professionals could find themselves handicapped should they lack the most basic skills. Home health care positions are often perfect for career-professionals who are seeking to get a foothold within the industry while they finish their studies and career education.

Finding and Selecting the Right Training Options, Class or Program

Finding and selecting the right job-training or certification program is often the first and most important step towards getting a job in home health care. From class times and scheduling to tuition costs and certification requirements, students will have to consider a wide range of details before making a choice. Not every training option, class or program may be equally respected within the industry and those who are serious about starting their new career off on the right foot stand to benefit by making the right choice.

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Read More: Home Health Care: How It Can Work for You – Vibrant Life Tulsa