What is a home health nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted expert

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

A home health nurse provides medical care to patients in their homes. They work with patients of all ages and help them manage their conditions, recover from illness or injury, and maintain their overall health and well-being. Home health nurses perform a wide range of duties, including administering medication, monitoring vital signs, providing wound care, educating patients and their families on proper care techniques, and coordinating care with other healthcare providers.

What general advice would you give to a home health nurse?

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University

One of the suggestions for new graduates is the importance of self-care. We have long known of the demanding nature of the nursing practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nursing role's critical importance and the unique contributions made by nursing professionals. As the healthcare environment is extremely complex and challenging, nurses must remember to advocate for themselves and prioritize self-care.

ScoreHome Health NurseUS Average

Salary

5.4

Avg. Salary $69,393

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.93%

Black or African American 11.84%

Hispanic or Latino 8.70%

Unknown 4.24%

White 65.85%

Gender

female 89.42%

male 10.58%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.1

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.8

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a home health nurse?

Pros

Ability to build strong relationships with patients
Variety of patient cases and medical conditions
Potential for higher pay and benefits compared to other nursing specialties
Ability to use and enhance clinical skills in a unique setting
High demand for home health nurses and job security

Cons

Risk of exposure to infectious diseases and hazardous environments
High level of responsibility and accountability for patient care
Potential for encountering difficult or uncooperative patients or family members
Potential for physical strain from lifting or moving patients
Need for reliable transportation to travel between patient homes

Key steps to become a home health nurse

Explore home health nurse education requirements

Most common home health nurse degrees

Associate

39.3 %

Bachelor's

38.9 %

Diploma

10.1 %

Start to develop specific home health nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Home Health	31.45%
Patients	19.72%
Quality Care	4.63%
Rehabilitation	4.24%
Physician Orders	4.16%

Complete relevant home health nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New home health nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a home health nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real home health nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed home health nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed home health nurse in most of states. 43 states require home health nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Licensed Practical
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Vocational Nurse
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse

Gain additional home health nurse certifications

Home health nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific home health nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for home health nurses include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.

More About Certifications

Research home health nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage an Alzheimer patient daily care including bathing, feeding and administer any medication.
Instruct patients and relatives regarding techniques used in managing vascular access devices aim at facilitating client independence.
Field NurseProvide care for patients discharge from hospital, skil care facility rehabilitation facility and referral from physician's office.
Administer IM meds such as monthly B12

Prepare your home health nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your home health nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a home health nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable home health nurse resume templates

Build a professional home health nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your home health nurse resume.

Apply for home health nurse jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a home health nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do home health nurses rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Home health nurse reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2022

Cons

What is there not to like? It's such a rewarding job!

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

helping people and saving lives

Cons

the pay is not good not enough for the lifestyle I would like to live

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2020

Cons

Nursing isn’t what it was 12yrs ago when I started. It is all about “family centered care” and not what is actually best for the patient. Not only am I a nurse and caring for the patient, but I’m the house keeper, waitress, and coffee go getter. There is no more respect for nurses and their patients.

Pros

The feeling I get when helping people.

What is a home health nurse and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a home health nurse?

What are the pros and cons of being a home health nurse?

Home health nurse career paths

Key steps to become a home health nurse

Explore home health nurse education requirements

Most common home health nurse degrees

Start to develop specific home health nurse skills

Complete relevant home health nurse training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Gain additional home health nurse certifications

Research home health nurse duties and responsibilities

Prepare your home health nurse resume

Choose from 10+ customizable home health nurse resume templates

Apply for home health nurse jobs

How did you land your first home health nurse job

Average home health nurse salary

How do home health nurses rate their job?

Home health nurse reviews

Home health nurse jobs by state