What Is a Home Health Nurse? Understanding the Different Qualifications of In-Home Nurses and How to Hire

Nurses in home care provide tailored medical support to patients in the comfort of their homes. Many seniors wish to stay at home instead of moving to an assisted living community or a nursing home. Whether your parent is seeking support while rehabbing after surgery or requires specialty treatments for an illness, home health care nursing services can meet their wide-ranging needs.

Home health services have a medical focus, though they’re often easily confused with home care services which lean more toward personal support options like housekeeping, meal preparation, and companionship. Home care services generally don’t require the educational or medical background required for home health nurses.

Can a home health nurse help my loved one?

Many people benefit from in-home nursing care. Most seniors who seek out home health care services are either critically or terminally ill or have a significant medical issue that makes leaving the house especially difficult. An in-home care nurse can also support patients who are recovering from an accident, surgery, or injury. Home care agencies partner with patients, their families, and their doctors to craft specialty care plans.

Common job responsibilities and duties found in a job description for a nurse in home care include:

• Assisting with activities of daily living (ADLs) like bathing, toileting, dressing, and eating
• Managing and administering medications including intravenous therapies and injections
• Treating wounds from surgery or illness
• Monitoring vital signs and performing regular physical assessments
• Providing specialty care for patients with specific conditions like dementia and cognitive impairment, diabetes, cancer, and more
• Coordinating care with primary doctors or therapists
• Educating families on how to care for their loved one

If your parent could benefit from support in any of these areas, hiring a home nurse could be a great option. Bringing in an expert can reduce the family caregiver burden and allow you to spend quality time with your loved one instead of managing their advancing medical needs.

In-home care agencies will work with families to understand their situations and pair them with a professional whose skill set matches their unique needs. Nurses for home care have different education levels, medical backgrounds, and certifications.

Before you’re ready to hire in-home care, understand the different levels of services that home health care nurses can provide.

• Certified nurse assistants (CNAs) are entry-level health care workers who can help with ADLs, mobility, and general monitoring. CNAs work closely under licensed nurses and provide basic nursing support.The requirements of becoming a CNA include completing a weeks-long nursing assistant training program and successfully passing a state-certified CNA exam. The average salary for a CNA is around $30,310 per year.
• Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPNs and LVNs) are certified to provide all the basic services that CNAs can, along with more advanced nursing care services like medication management, wound care, catheter monitoring, and more.To become an LPN or LVN, one must first receive a Practical Nursing Diploma and then pass the National Council Licensure Examination. The average salary for LPNs and LVNs is $48,070 per year.
• Registered nurses (RNs) have the highest qualifications, allowing them to create plans of care in collaboration with a patient’s physician. They’re trained to perform diagnostic tests and administer medications, and they often educate families on how to care for an ailing loved one. Registered nurses can oversee and direct the work of CNAs, LPNs, and LVNs on their care team.RNs must have an associate’s degree or a bachelor of science in nursing. After graduation, they’re required to successfully pass the National Council Licensure Examination and any additional statewide RN tests. The average salary for RNs is $77,600 per year.

The salaries above reflect 2021 averages, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.^[01] While these salaries are most frequently paid by the home care agencies or hospitals that employ the nursing staff, this information gives families an idea of how in-home care nurses are compensated. If you’re looking to hire a private caregiver, these figures will help you anticipate costs.

Read more:Home Health Care Aides: Who They Are and How They Can Help Your Family

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Some home health services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, and private insurance plans. However, certain strict requirements must be met. Some families adopt a mix-and-match approach when paying for home care, using a blend of personal savings, retirement funds, and long-term care insurance.

For home health services to be covered by Medicare, a senior must meet the following eligibility markers:

• They must be under the supervision of a health care provider who has ordered home health services.
• They must meet Medicare’s definition of homebound (meaning a patient is unable to leave home without serious effort or help or isn’t recommended to leave home because of their medical condition).
• Services must be provided intermittently (fewer than seven days a week or less than eight hours a day) by a Medicare-certified home health agency.

All insurance plans are different, so be sure to check your parent’s policy to see what, if any, home health services are covered. Seek to find out if nurses, home care aides, or other in-home caregivers are included in their coverage. Contact your health insurance company directly or work with a home care agency to learn more about payment options.

As you make a plan for hiring an in-home care nurse, consider your loved one’s health care needs, and talk to their physician about what level of nursing care they’d recommend. Families can hire a nurse for home health services with the help of an agency, or they can hire support independently.

Hire an independent caregiver

If you plan to hire an independent caregiver, you’ll need to create a job advertisement, set up a payroll system, and manage the hiring process. As you begin writing a home care nurse job description, consider the following suggestions:

• Certifications or licenses. Identify if you want a CNA, LPN or LVN, or RN to provide care. This will depend on what level of medical support your loved one needs.
• Salary. Consider the average home health care nurse salary for each different level of care, and make sure you’re offering a competitive wage to attract the best candidates.
• Schedule. Determine how often you’d like someone to be in the home, and identify specific times when your loved one needs support. During interviews, be sure to share your expectations to make sure candidates have appropriate availability.

In addition to the job-based requirements, talk to your parent about what kind of person they’d feel most comfortable having in their home. Nurse care can provide a sense of peace and comfort for families, but you’ll want to feel at ease with the person you end up hiring. When conducting interviews, seek to understand how trustworthy, personable, and reliable candidates seem.

Use a home care agency

Home care agencies can help you find professional and trusted caregivers. You’ll work closely with the agency’s representatives early on to establish what kind of medical or home care nursing support your loved one needs so they can make a proper aide placement. Because they often employ many nurses with a wide range of experience and availability, agencies usually can find you a care nurse quickly, and they also handle all the background checks and hiring paperwork.

If you’re ready to hire a home care nurse to meet your loved one’s unique needs, we can help. At no cost to you, A Place for Mom’s Senior Living Advisors can offer personalized support throughout the hiring process. Our experts will work to understand your situation, will provide a list of recommended home care providers near you, and can even set up interviews with home health nurse candidates. With a network of more than 2,000 home care providers, we can help find the right fit for your loved one.