Overview of Nursing Home Employment in the US

The U.S has the largest number of homecare centers claiming over 25% of the total figure around the world, therefore, nursing home jobs are in plenty. There is never a good thing like knowing that your chance for getting a job after training is higher. Such is the case with nursing and more specifically with home care nurses. It goes without saying that homecare specialists have bigger advantages as compared to other specialties. With the diversification of healthcare and more need for special care to children, the disabled and the elderly, there will be more job openings for home center nurses. The projection has already proven to be true in 2016 as more than 100,000 job opportunities have been advertised.

Contents:

• Overview of Nursing Home Employment in the US
• Types of Nursing Home Jobs
• Nursing Home Staff Requirements
• The Best Home Centers to Work as a Nurse in the US
• Salary Expectation
• The Future Job Outlook

Types of Nursing Home Jobs

There is so much to choose from if as a home nursing professional. Here are the top types that you may consider for your career path:

• Direct care nurse: for this position you need to be a registered nurse, Licensed Practical nurse/Licensed Vocational Nurse (LPN/LVN), physical therapist or Certified nursing assistant (CNA).
• Nursing home dietician: both state and federal law require homecare centers to have at least one dietician. You will be consulted or full-time employed to provide directives on nutrition and best food programs. This is crucial to the patients who in most cases need special care.
• Nursing assistant: you will work under an RN to assist in daily health routines at the center. You can grow your career and become a full nurse if you advance your education.
• Administrative nurse: administration duties are crucial to the running of a home care institution. You could choose the path to run the daily activities such as keeping records, monitoring staff activities, making rosters and ensuring that all regulations are followed to the letter. It is a rewarding choice that can take you to as high as the senior management level.

Nursing Home Staff Requirements

This is not a walk-and-work field, there are prerequisites that must be met before you are taken on board. What requirements are these? The federal and state laws on health dictate some preconditions on the establishment of nursing homes and their staffing. One requirement is that there are adequate staff members to take care of the needs of the patients. Depending on the bed capacity, there is a threshold on the number of employees but the law is not clear on the exact figure. The second requirement is that there should be at least one registered nurse (RN) on duty for at least 8 hours in a day for 7 days. In the same breath, there should be an LPN/LVN on duty for 24 hours each single day of the week. There are varying requirements in each state but they all conform to the overall country’s health regulations.

The Best Home Centers to Work as a Nurse in the US

It is the hope of every nursing professional to get a job in the best company or institution. That is why there is always stiff competition for chances from some institutions as opposed to others. In the US, there are so many homecare centers than any other country in the world. As a home care nurse, here are the best states with homecare centers that would make your dream for a great nursing career come to pass;

• Florida: in statistics on nursing salaries and working environment, the state of Florida features dominantly in the top performers. It would also be the same for your homecare career. Here the best care centers to work in include: Watercrest care center in North Miami Beach; Jupiter medical center Pavilion Inc. in Jupiter; Cross Pointe care center in near Dania beach; Canterbury Towers Inc. in Tampa; Southern Pine healthcare center in New Port Richey; and Emerald Shores Health and Rehabilitation in Callaway. There are more other centers but this lot lead from the front and you can count on your luck to find your job here
• New York: New York leads for many things in the entire federation and one of such is better employment opportunities for nurses. Homecare nurses would appreciate if they got jobs in the following centers: Beach Terrace care center in Long Beach; University nursing home in Bronx; Belair care center Inc. in Bellmore; Daleview care center; St. Peter’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; and Field Home-Holy Comforter in Cortlandt Manor

This is only a sample of the best home care facilities in the top 2 states hence it does not mean that the rest of states do not have better opportunities too. As long as you have your license and certification, you can have a nursing job in any of the states in the country.

Salary Expectation

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) a nursing home practitioner earned an annual average salary of $24,890 in 2013. In the same year, the least paid homecare nurse took home $18,600 while the highest paid got $35,780. On hourly average, you would be looking forward to making $11.97. In California metropolitan areas, you would earn the best wages in Vallejo, Oakland, and San Francisco.

The Future Job Outlook

Between 2012 and 2022, BLS predicts that nursing home vacancies will grow by 22% in the entire country. In other words, the demand for home care nurses will grow by at least 312,200 positions in a decade. Already it has been proven to be a true prediction since in 2014, 2015, and 2016 there has been an increased demand for home care nurses. This may be partly due to the efforts by the federal and state governments to bring an overhaul to the health care system. The new bill on health popularly dubbed as Obamacare and the review on health insurance for the low-income earners have both been impactful for the nursing profession. Those in low-income tier are now able to access quality health services and home care practitioners are finding this to be in their favor. It is hence right to conclude that the employment opportunities for home care nurses will keep growing for the foreseeable future. It is not such a misinformed career path as you can see for yourself.