** Pediatric Home Health PT?? **

[ArtisticAthlete]

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Hello all...

Is there a such thing as Pediatric Home Health PT? I'm applying to PT school and I'm interested in being a Pediatric PT. A friend of mine is a PT and he works in Home Health and says the pay is awesome (I've always heard Home Health pay is the best...) but he works w/ the geriatric population. Is Home Health mostly geriatrics?

I'm only interested in pediatrics so that's why I'm wondering if there's a such thing as Pediatric Home Health. Also, why do Home Health PT's make so much more than PT's who work in an office? Thanks! 😀

 

[Akiramay]

I'm interested in specializing in pediatrics as well (thought not home health). 🙂 I volunteered with a home health PT last spring, and although he saw a lot of geriatric patients, we also visited many pediatric patients as well. So I am assuming that you can specialize and just do pediatric home health, if there is a great enough need in the area. I think people might prefer if you can see a wide range of people for home health, but then again, I'm not quite sure.

As for the home health PT's making more, that may be because there aren't as many of them? I don't really know. It's definitely something worth looking into.

 

[callmecrazy]

You may want to look into the "Early Intervention" program. Unfortunately I don't know the details of the program. However, many of the infant patients I've seen at the Children's Hospital that require long term care will be referred to the EIP, which will provide therapy at home. I believe it's a national program.
I wish I had more details to give you, but it's definitely an avenue to explore for home care peds.

 

[ArtisticAthlete]

Thanks for the responses! I just looked into the "Early Intervention" programs and that definitely seems like something I'd be interested in; I'll keep researching.

If anyone else has any more info on Home Health (including why they make so much)...feel free to post. 🙂

 

[jbizzle]

Hey yall. I know someone in Mississippi that makes $50/hr as a home health PT. The reason: For every 10 pleasant patient homes one goes to, there is that 1 patient that hasn't bathed in a month. A rabid dog waiting to devour you once you enter the yard. Roaches and rats and so on all over the floor. Patient has a hard time moving so the house is a complete mess, not a very workable evironment. If you have bad luck, maybe all patients you see that day are like this. You cant see the condition of the house while reading it on the order doctors give to you, so you go in not knowing. Same with what some of the home health nurses say also. I don't know, maybe theres more to this.

Im not a PT yet, not even in PT school, I pray all day and night hoping to get. But i HAD to ask around why they made so much more since I WAS interested in it as well and this is what i got

 

[divabmj]

Hello, I'm a PT that works PRN in home health in Arizona. A lot of the clients that I have are geriatric, but it is not always that way. Even though I have only practiced in this speciality for 5 months, I have worked with a variety of clients including ones referred through workmans compensation and individuals that despite their age, cannot leave their home due to a variety of issues.
There is an Early Intervention program, which must be offered for the appropriate children through different school and education programs. These clients are usually 0-3 years of age; it is to prepare the child for the school setting (think working out of W sitting to proper sitting). I was able to see this practice setting on an internship: it can be very rewarding but there are some challenges to it such as other children being present, carrying a variety of toys/equipment to facilitate learning and behavior management.
It is true that home health does, on average, get paid higher than other specialities. As PRN, I am able to make my own schedule and earn extra income. However, home health as a whole is highly mandated and requires significant documentation along with not having as much support with things such as contacting physicians, getting appropriate equipment for clients, etc. I am very fortunate that I live in AZ (no snow, a lot less rain) for driving and the company I work for mainly operates in an area that is safe. Each practice setting has its own pros and cons, and it is important to consider the whole picture when looking at different practices. Personally, I love the two different areas that I work in; it gives me diversity with clients and different learning opportunities!