Jennifer Harris drives the highways of southwest Minnesota in her role as a Good Samaritan home health nurse. Along the way, she cares for a variety of patients.
“Some days I'm close to home and travel maybe 15 or 20 minutes to see patients. Other days, I drive an hour and a half until I get to my first visit,” Jennifer says.
She mainly visits her patients once a week, but sometimes sees them twice a week in the beginning.
“I get excited when I go out to see patients and meet new people. Knowing that I’m going to be able to help someone – whether it’s with education or wound care or medications – it’s fulfilling. I like making a difference and putting a smile on someone’s face,” says Jennifer.
During a visit to Eddison Christians, 90, Jennifer checked his blood pressure, oxygen level and temperature. She also had him stand up and walk to a scale to check his weight. She listened to his heart and lungs and looked for swelling in his legs. Then she asked questions about his fluid intake and appetite.
“They’re so thorough and enthusiastic about what they do,” says Eddison’s wife, Barb Christians. “And I’ve got the best one here and then every time someone else comes, I say that’s the best one. It’s a wonderful, wonderful service.”
On the road
On a typical morning, Jennifer wakes up around 6 a.m. and gets her daughters up for school. The family gets ready for the day and eats breakfast. Then Jennifer makes sure the girls get on the bus while her husband makes coffee.
“I go over what my patient schedule is going to be and if I'm seeing a new patient or someone else’s patient, I'll read up on them,” says Jennifer.
She hits the road around 7:30 or 8 a.m., making sure to bring coffee, granola bars, her computer, phone and work bags.
“I get to my first patient between 8:30 and 9 a.m. It depends on what works for them,” Jennifer says. “You always make sure you’ve got a coat and gloves, especially in the winter. I’ve always got food and water in the car.”
One of the factors she considers before heading out is the weather. In the winter, it can slow her down.
“You’ve got to call your patients and let them know you didn't forget about them and you're still on your way,” says Jennifer.
Mainly she enjoys her drives because they give her time to think about her visits and whether she needs to make phone calls when she gets home.
On a typical day, Jennifer sees three to five patients. If a co-worker is on vacation, she may see up to seven.
“We try to help each other out and fill in for each other when we can,” Jennifer says.
After visiting patients, she spends time charting on her computer – documenting the care she’s provided.
“I am usually home around 3 p.m. every day. But then I have a lot of charting to do. That’s one thing with nursing or any health care profession. There’s always charting,” she says.
She and her co-workers rotate being on call about every six weeks.
“We’re on call for a whole week at a time – so from a Monday to a Monday. It’s a lot of phone calls, triaging patients, checking if they need to be seen by us and if we need to make an extra visit or if they need to go into the ER,” says Jennifer.
Even though she goes solo on the road, she has a team supporting her back at the office. Before she does an admission – a first visit with a patient – the office does a welcome call to set up the date and time.
“You are never on your own out here. It may feel like it because you’re on your own, but I call my manager and my administrator several times during the day or I'll video call them or send them a message and ask what to do in a certain situation. I'm not afraid to reach out if I have issues,” she says.
A typical visit
Most of the patients Jennifer sees receive home health services for 60 days. They are usually 65 and older, but occasionally are in their 40s or 50s.
When Jennifer arrives at a patient’s home, she discusses what they can expect during the visit.
“We do anything as simple as just checking vital signs and doing head-to-toe assessments, to extensive wound care,” says Jennifer.
She also provides chronic disease education for things like COPD and kidney-related health issues.
“I’ve got my main bag that I take in everywhere. It’s got my blood pressure cuff, my stethoscope, oximeter, my computer and any paperwork that I might need. If it’s an admission visit, we have an admission folder in there and a scale we weigh our patients with. In my vehicle, I store another bag that includes wound care and catheter supplies,” Jennifer says.
“Medication management is a huge part of our job and making sure that people understand what they’re taking, why they take it, and the side effects that their medications could cause. We review all their medications and make sure they're taking them correctly,” says Jennifer.
“If a patient has met their goals and they’re doing well, then we’ll discharge them. But if people are continuing to make progress, we’ll recertify them for another 60 days and just keep going,” Jennifer says.
Providing a needed service
Jennifer sees a big need for home health care in rural communities. And her patients and their families are grateful for the services.
“It can be a very difficult task to get out of the home, even to outpatient therapy or doctor’s appointments, so people are so appreciative when we show up to help them. There’s a lot of situations where it is more beneficial for people to have a home health nurse come to them rather than them driving to a city,” Jennifer says.
During the winter months, it can be challenging for people to travel, causing them to miss doctors’ appointments.
“We can come to them. If the roads are really bad, we won’t go out, but it takes a lot for us to not go out. So, for them to have that person that they can rely on or even just call is reassuring to them,” says Jennifer.
Despite the weather challenges, Jennifer says her role is a blessing.
“When I’m able to watch and see their progress, it’s an amazing feeling knowing that I was part of that. I got to help a patient be able to do things at home and support them and their family,” Jennifer says.
One of her success stories involves a patient who was bedbound following surgery but thrived after receiving home health care.
“Getting him back to being able to walk and function again in his own home and being able to use the stairs and get out to his car to go to his appointments was a great feeling,” says Jennifer.
A family tradition of nursing
Jennifer has been a nurse for 15 years.
“I come from a family of nurses. My mom was a nurse. My two sisters. I'm the middle child. We’re all three nurses. Growing up, we saw our mom as a nurse, and she must have been a good role model to have us all go into nursing. So that's kind of what started my nursing desire,” Jennifer says.
She worked at a nursing home in high school and college which sparked her love of health care. After college, Jennifer began working at a hospital in medical surgery. From there, she worked in home health and hospice before moving to home health.
“I feel this is where I’m supposed to be. I'm quite sociable and I just love meeting new people. I really enjoy seeing patients improve and live the best quality of life that they can at home,” Jennifer says.
She adds, “I love what I do, and I like the fact that I get to be out on the road traveling to and from patients’ homes. Seeing them thrive in their own environment and knowing that I’m making a difference brings me joy.”
