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Other OT-Related Information Home Health
- Thread starter 10ninja
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Eval and intervention in the home. It's a great setting...you can help with occupations in their original context, and you can modify the environment to accommodate. Usually, you will need some experience to get a job in home health, and it requires a good bit of accountability (since you are on your own).
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No problem! Any physdys experience and just general professional experience (documentation, problem solving, TUOS, etc...). From what I know, it takes a few years of work experience (ie not shadowing or fieldwork), but if you want to do it, I would look around and ask about work once you graduate. Also, look into travel OT, because you can see community based that way.
As far as transfers, you wouldn't be doing them all the time like in a SNF or acute, but you would probably do them every once in a while. I think in community based, you want to empower people to gain or maintain independence, so you wouldn't just be doing transfers for them all of the time. You would want them to learn to transfer themselves.
As far as transfers, you wouldn't be doing them all the time like in a SNF or acute, but you would probably do them every once in a while. I think in community based, you want to empower people to gain or maintain independence, so you wouldn't just be doing transfers for them all of the time. You would want them to learn to transfer themselves.
I'm currently working in home health so I'm hoping this will help give you some insight. In the home setting, you are not going to be doing very many transfers especially heavy ones. Most people who are able to live at home have either been through rehab and strengthened or occasionally they are able to afford remaining at home with the help of caregivers who do a lot of their cares/transfers. In that case, you would work on caregiver education and maybe train them on how to avoid back strain. Most of what you're focusing on is home safety and accessibility. You want to be sure that their home is as safe as possible and has the adaptive equipment in it (like a shower chair) to prevent risk of falls. You may also work on some exercises in a home exercise program as well. But, home health is really unique in that you are in the person's own environment and can make recommendations for adaptations. The benefit is that people are often very motivated to stay at home and not move so they are receptive to what you recommend.
I've been an OT for 6 years and have gotten into a home care contract through my job which is mostly transitional care units/SNFs. There are companies out there that are trying to bring the two together since a lot of people go through rehab first before discharging home so it is good for continuity of care. I think that once you have about a year of experience in either acute care (hospital) or TCU/SNF, you should be able to get into home health. Try to find a fieldwork in home health if you can because that would help you gain experience too--jobs count your fieldwork as experience as well. Hope that helps!
I've been an OT for 6 years and have gotten into a home care contract through my job which is mostly transitional care units/SNFs. There are companies out there that are trying to bring the two together since a lot of people go through rehab first before discharging home so it is good for continuity of care. I think that once you have about a year of experience in either acute care (hospital) or TCU/SNF, you should be able to get into home health. Try to find a fieldwork in home health if you can because that would help you gain experience too--jobs count your fieldwork as experience as well. Hope that helps!
Hi! I have been looking to observe/shadow in homehealth for awhile. Are their any businesses/chains that offer the chance to observe that you know of? I am in the Chicago area. Thanks, hope to hear back from you!
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I think that your best bet is to shadow some home health therapists during fieldwork--oftentimes, your fieldwork coordinator has the connections to set you up if there are home care sites that allow students to observe. Also, you might be able to get into a home care rotation if you have a Level II fieldwork at a hospital. One of my sites was an acute care hospital in the Twin Cities and I got to follow one of the home care OTs for an entire day. I am not sure of companies that specifically allow observation (I am in MN) outside of a school connection but it wouldn't hurt to find out. You could always use the observation as part of your volunteer hours required for getting into OT school. Many home care companies are short on therapy help and may let you observe especially if you might work for them someday.
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We've had a couple people come to speak at our OT program who work/have worked in Home Health. The general impression I got is that it helps a lot to have experience before going into that area. You won't have any peer mentors that are available right there that can answer questions. It can also be a feast/famine area where sometimes you are busy and other times you aren't.
