New to home health

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mdpdx17
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:49 pm

New to home health

Unread post by mdpdx17 » Thu Apr 07, 2016 8:53 pm

I graduated 4 years ago and I worked in outpatient ortho since then. I received my McKenzie certification last year and I consider my specialty in LBP. Recently, I switched to home health because of the flexible schedule and the significant raise that came with it (gotta pay those loans back!). And because I was just burnt out from the ortho demands of 13 patients/day. I am wondering if I practice in home health for a year, I won't be able to get back into orthopedics. Any advice on this??

Hobohealth
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Re: New to home health

Unread post by Hobohealth » Fri Apr 08, 2016 12:04 pm

I don't think you'll have any trouble transitioning back into ortho or private practice when the time is right. You have several years experience there, you have a manual certification, you'll be an easy hire when the time comes.

I think a variety of settings will give you better insight into your ortho patient's full path. I avoided inpatient and home health for a long time, but once I dabbled in each a bit, I came to better appreciate and understand the journey of my post-surgical ortho patients before they would eventually make it to the outpatient setting. In my eyes, variety in setting is a strength in a PT. Without variety in our own clinical experiences, we often are clueless to what our patients have experienced in the hospital, through home care, and at other outpatient practices.

Also, don't leave your manual skills behind with home care. You'll see a lot of people following joint replacements, with spine pain, and with neurological conditions that your hands-on skills can help. Sadly, many of these skills are lacking in home care, but you can provide them.

Goodluck, you're going to learn a lot!

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