Educating and orienting nurses for home healthcare

Orientation to the specialty of home healthcare nursing in a Medicare-certified agency is not easy. In addition to clinical competency, the nurse must be able to document for and communicate with the fiscal intermediary. Documentation must be completed to meet the requirements of the site visitors from the site certifying agency as well as accrediting agencies. More recently, quality of care issues are of interest to the peer review organizations. Administrators, supervisors, and staff must be involved in this important process to attract and retain new as well as experienced nurses. A comprehensive orientation program that addresses the expectations of the agency as well as the external reviewing organizations and prepares the staff to meet these expectations is essential for providing quality home healthcare services.