24 tasks, each one witnessed by the sources that watched the job — and behind every one, a prompt you can use tonight.
You usually start by checking the electronic medical record (EMR) — often Epic, MEDITECH, or eClinicalWorks — for your visit list and care notes. Then you drive to clients, review orders, take vital signs, administer meds or injections, change dressings, and record everything back in the EMR.
Visits often last 30–90 minutes. Between visits you document in the chart (EMR), call the supervising nurse or doctor if needed, restock supplies in your car, and schedule follow-ups using Microsoft Outlook or clinic scheduling software.
Expect to use an EMR every day: Epic, MEDITECH, or eClinicalWorks are common. You’ll enter vitals, wound notes, intake/output, lab sample orders, and medication administration records there.
For office tasks you’ll use Microsoft Word and Excel for reports, and Outlook for appointments. Inventory lists and supply requisitions are usually kept in Excel or the clinic’s supply module inside the EMR.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of 2025 there were about 648,410 employed home nurses (SOC 29-2061.00). The median annual wage was $64,400. The lowest 10% earned about $49,740 and the highest 10% about $83,440.
Wages vary by state, employer (home health agency vs. private hire), shift type, and experience. BLS is the source for these numbers.
You need a nursing diploma, ADN, or BSN and to pass the NCLEX-RN to practice as a registered nurse. For home care, take classes in wound care, IV therapy, medication administration, and gerontology; many agencies require certification in basic life support (BLS).
Learn to use an EMR (Epic, MEDITECH, or eClinicalWorks) — agencies often give on-the-job training. Also practice documentation in Microsoft Word/Excel and appointment scheduling in Outlook.
A home nurse (usually an RN) performs higher-skill tasks at patients’ homes: wound care, meds and injections, IVs, and clinical assessments. You also document in the EMR and coordinate care with doctors. Nurse aides do basic care like bathing, bed-making, and feeding under supervision.
Unlike hospital nurses, you work more independently, travel between homes, manage supplies in your vehicle, and may supervise aides. Hospitals have immediate team support; home nursing requires stronger autonomous decision-making and reliable documentation.
Use AI only as a drafting tool, never as the final clinical record. You can draft a progress note outline, then verify every fact against the EMR (Epic, MEDITECH, or eClinicalWorks), medication orders, and your clinical judgment before saving it.
Never enter AI-generated clinical decisions, medication doses, or diagnoses into the chart without supervision. Confidential patient data must not be pasted into external AI services unless your employer-approved system explicitly allows it and meets HIPAA/security rules.
Be comfortable taking and recording vital signs, monitoring intake/output, giving injections and medications, and performing basic wound care and dressing changes. You should also safely transfer and ambulate patients and recognize mental-status changes.
Know how to collect lab specimens correctly, set up simple equipment in a home, document everything in the EMR, and call for help or consult the supervising nurse when a patient’s condition changes. These are the core skills used every day.