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What is a visiting nurse and how to become one
Do you want to practice nursing independently? If "yes" is the answer on your lips, a career as a visiting nurse might be right for you. When patients return home after leaving the hospital, they move from a medical environment to a non-medical environment. Visiting nurses work with these patients at home to ease the transition between the two environments.
Visiting nurses fulfill a range of responsibilities during visits based on the type of patient and their unique care plan. They attend to basic needs, including nutrition and hygiene, and provide more professional care, such as infusions, emergency interventions, and administering medications. Visiting nurses work with young children and elderly individuals with mobility or developmental problems. They assist their patients in regaining independence with safety, physical function, and medication management.
Nursing jobs are one of the fastest-growing and most stable fields, with a growth rate of +12% projected through 2028. Visiting nurses receive $27.14 on average for their services. If you're looking into becoming a visiting nurse, it's recommended to highlight having a degree in nursing on your resume.
What general advice would you give to a Visiting Nurse?
Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.
Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University
Avg. Salary $66,671
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth Rate 6%
Growth Rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%
Asian 8.95%
Black or African American 10.23%
Hispanic or Latino 10.04%
Unknown 4.34%
White 66.00%
Genderfemale 84.54%
male 15.46%
Age - 43American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 43Stress level is very high
7.1 - high
Complexity Level is advanced
7 - challenging
Work Life balance is good
6.4 - fair
Visiting Nurse career paths
Key steps to become a visiting nurse
Explore visiting nurse education requirements
Start to develop specific visiting nurse skills
Skills 
Percentages Patients 27.28% Home Health 22.98% Acute Care 4.53% HomeCare 3.88% Wound Care 3.50% Complete relevant visiting nurse training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New visiting nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a visiting nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real visiting nurse resumes.Obtain the necessary licensing
Becoming a licensed visiting nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed visiting nurse in most of states. 43 states require visiting nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.State Education Exam License Url Alabama Degree required State exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Alaska Degree required Third-party exam required Nurse, Licensed Practical Arkansas Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) California Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Vocational Nurse Colorado Degree required Third-party exam required Licensed Practical Nurse Gain additional visiting nurse certifications
More About CertificationsVisiting nurse certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific visiting nurse certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.
The most common certifications for visiting nurses include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
Research visiting nurse duties and responsibilities
- Provide care and manage gastrostomy, colostomy, and tracheostomy.
- Consult and teach HHA the best ways of achieving goals direct to improvement of functional status of patient and safety.
- Assist with obtaining proper DME and permanent services which permit patients to safely manage their medical treatment from their own home.
- Case management of Medicare and manage care patients, including coordination of services, obtaining insurance authorization, interdisciplinary communication.
Prepare your visiting nurse resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your visiting nurse resume.
You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a visiting nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Visiting Nurse Resume templates
Build a professional Visiting Nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Visiting Nurse resume.
Apply for visiting nurse jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a visiting nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:
- Browse job boards for relevant postings
- Consult your professional network
- Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
- Watch out for job scams
How Did You Land Your First Visiting Nurse Job
Are you a Visiting Nurse?
Share your story for a free salary report.
Average visiting nurse salary
The average Visiting Nurse salary in the United States is $66,671 per year or $32 per hour. Visiting nurse salaries range between $46,000 and $95,000 per year.
What Am I Worth?
How do visiting nurses rate their job?
Visiting Nurse reviews
What is there not to like? It's such a rewarding job!
helping people and saving lives
the pay is not good not enough for the lifestyle I would like to live
Far to many things to mention but to be on your feet for 12 hours plus a stressful environment the job should be double in salary especially they save lives just like a policeman or fireman ! I could go on and I am a mother of a nurse !!
Ready to be a server in an high-end restaurant. !😰😰
Updated January 8, 2025
