Nursing Education in a Home Health Care Practicum

Abstract

As our health care delivery system has undergone profound change in the past decade, providers are expanding services from inpatient facilities to a variety of alternative settings, including home health care. Academic programs offering nursing education are recognizing the need to parallel this trend and have been placing student nurses in community-based and home care settings for clinical experience. Careful attention to curriculum development and effective management of students in a home care practicum can help ensure adequate preparation of graduate nurses who are likely to be employed in a variety of outpatient settings, including home health care.

Connecting New Nurses and Home Care

“…Typically it takes a nurse from 6 months to a year or more to become self-assured and acclimated in their home health work (Murray, 1998;Neal, 2000;Rea, 2002). McGihon (2002) states, "It is becoming increasingly likely that even new graduate nurses may find themselves in nontraditional settings, including home care" (p. 8). A number of baccalaureate nursing curricula are shifting to a community-based education approach.…”