Competency-Based Orientation in Home Health Care: One Agency's Approach

Abstract

Providing an outcome-focused orientation experience for nurses who are novices to the specialty of home health care is a challenge to most home health care organizations. The exponential growth of the home health care industry and the rapid expansion of nursing specialty programs within home health care has created a demand for organizations to provide orientation programs that are standardized but individualized, quality based but cost-effective, and that demonstrate learning outcomes. The Visiting Nurse Association of Lancaster has demonstrated that the aforementioned criteria can be met with the development of competency- based orientation. Nursing staff development departments are a new and welcomed entity in home health care and are pivotal in successfully meeting regulatory, agency, and individual orientation requirements of both professional and paraprofessional staff.