As a home health care provider, there are multiple avenues at your disposal to find your next assignment. Home health care work is rewarding and in high demand as more healthcare facilities are discharging patients sooner, and insurance companies are refusing treatment plans. In an age where people are living longer, and the list of chronic diseases is only growing, assignments may be just around the corner.
However, as with any other decision, there are pros and cons to where you find your assignment and the protection you may or may not have. Here are several ways to look for work, as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Independent Job Search
Home health aides perform multiple duties for their clients, from light housekeeping, making meals, or transporting them to doctor’s appointments. In addition to the big things, home health care providers help their clients take the right medication at the right time, ensure they follow a healthy diet, and help assist with personal care. Each of these actions helps people live at home for as long as possible.
As an independent home health care provider, you have the opportunity to pick or fire your clients. There is a multitude of places to look for jobs. It is likely within your network of friends and family there is someone who knows someone who needs help at home. Others have found work on Craigslist or a listing in a Facebook support group. Another popular option is online job boards where babysitters, dog walkers, and other personal care professionals might be found.
Home Health Agency
For most people, the advantages of using an agency far outweigh any perceived benefits of finding a job independently. While working with a health care agency, you may work with your supervisor on your assignments and have the added benefit of having support people within the agency to help when something goes wrong.
Those who need a home health care provider depend on them to complete their daily living tasks and stay safely at home. If you become sick, the agency may help find a replacement. But, when you work independently, leaving your client alone may place them in a dangerous situation.
Home health care agencies take care of paying your taxes and may offer additional benefits, such as paid time off, retirement benefits, educational reimbursement, and medical insurance benefits. For the most part, working independently will mean you must cover these costs yourself. In addition to this, your salary is not usually much higher than it is through an agency.
An agency also offers additional training and supervision when your client’s medical care may suddenly change. While it may be enticing to provide care for a friend of the family to help them out, it is safer if you do this for a short time. After that, steer them toward an agency. For many of the same reasons, you may find working with an agency more stable and safer for your career.
Are You Looking for Your Next Assignment?
At Anodyne, we are ready to help you find a new client in need of your care. Call our professional recruiters today so we can work together to find your next assignment!
