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Second Careers in Home Health Care, Part II

The growth of the home health care industry is giving thousands of people considering a second career a very viable alternative.

What kind of education do you need? Although most home health care providers require one year of experience, many providers prefer to hire therapists with at least three years in the home health care field. How can you gain the required experience when you are out of school for a while? Human Resources experts in the field of home health care say that you should work in a hospital, nursing care facility or cost center--inpatient rehab, outpatient rehab or sub-acute care facility before applying to a home health care agency. Experts also say that employees should seek an environment with minimal or no supervision by physicians or administration. Employees need to be comfortable working on their own, experts say.

Some employees in home health care choose to work on a per-visit or per diem basis rather than full time. Hospital work can be very demanding and home health care work offers independence and a degree of flexibility for employees. Wages are going up all the time in the home health care field!

Most home health care employers offer signing bonuses, higher pay for specialties in the field and generous tuition reimbursement programs.

The home health care field appears to be a win-win situation for people considering a second career while thinking about retirement.