Outpatient nursing is a career option for registered and licensed practical nurses who prefer to provide care to patients who are not currently hospitalized. Nurses in this specialty focus on providing short-term care to people recovering from illness or injury, end-of-life care for terminal patients, or assisting inpatients about to be discharged from the hospital. Here are a few examples of outpatient nursing positions that many nurses may find appealing.
The field of home health services is one of the most basic of all outpatient nursing job opportunities. The nurse becomes a full-time employee of a home health agency and is assigned a client roster to visit on a regular basis in their homes. A home health nurse may visit each patient three to five times per week, depending on their needs. The nurse assists the patient in taking medication as prescribed a physician, checks the patient’s vital signs, and communicates with physicians if anything appears to be impeding the patient’s recovery, depending on local regulations.
With one important exception, outpatient nursing in a hospice setting is very similar to home health. Hospice is usually concerned with providing end-of-life care to patients who are nearing the end of their lives. In this setting, the outpatient nurse strives to make the patient as comfortable as possible performing routine medical tasks, administering medications, and even collaborating with physicians to fill the patient’s prescriptions. Outpatient nursing in a hospice setting is not for everyone, but for nurses who want to make a patient’s final days as pleasant and comfortable as possible, it can be a very rewarding job.
Private duty nursing is another type of outpatient nursing. The nurse is assigned to a specific patient in this type of nursing position. The nurse attends to the needs of the patient in his or her care for a set number of hours each day. This often entails changing bandages, checking vital signs, administering medication, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to ensure that the homebound patient has the best possible quality of life. A private duty nurse, unlike hospice or home health, may be assigned a staffing agency or enter into a direct contract with the patient or the patient’s family.
Other types of outpatient nursing positions are available in health clinics and other private care settings. In general, nurses working in these settings provide care to patients who do not need to be admitted to the hospital. Working in outpatient nursing, like all other types of nursing, necessitates licensure the appropriate agency and jurisdiction.