title: Designing a clinical career ladder for the home care nurse.
abstract: Acknowledging and rewarding home care nurses for the achievement of a higher level of practice should be of benefit to the agency, the professional, and the patient. An agency deciding to design a clinical career ladder for nurses should identify the long-range goals of the program. This agency chose to have as the focus of its program the retention of those nurses who exhibited advanced practice in the delivery of home health nursing. These higher-level positions allow professionals to receive validation from the agency and their peers, and move into a salary range comparable to a management career ladder. It is the belief of the agency that nurses should be encouraged to achieve and should be recognized and rewarded for higher levels of home care nursing practice. The benefits to the individual, the profession, and the agency can only lead to the ultimate goal of delivery of the highest quality of care to the patient and family.
authors: Total Care, Charlotte, NC.
authors: M L
authors: ML
authors: Mebane
mesh_terms: D002322:Career Mobility; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003152:Community Health Nursing; D006699:Home Care Services; D009657:North Carolina; D013192:Staff Development; D000078329:Workforce