Day in the Life: Home Healthcare Nurse
For Licensed Practical Nurse Maya Mironenko of BAYADA Pediatrics, home healthcare isn’t just a career. It’s a calling rooted in compassion, resilience, and joyful connection. Inspired as a teenager by the care BAYADA nurses provided to a friend’s siblings, Mironenko turned that early spark into a full-fledged nursing journey.
Now, with over a decade of experience caring for medically fragile children, Mironenko brings skilled, heart-centered care into homes, turning everyday moments into milestones and family routines into celebrations of progress.
What follows is our interview, edited for length and clarity.
How did you become interested in serving as a home healthcare nurse? What was your educational journey to this role, and how long have you been in this position?
When I was in high school, I had a friend whose siblings had special needs. Their home was equipped with BAYADA Home Healthcare services. Whenever I visited, I was deeply impressed by the nurses’ dedication and expertise. That experience sparked my passion to pursue a nursing career. I even wrote a paper in my senior year expressing my aspirations to become an LPN.
After graduating from a technical high school that offered various occupational programs, I chose to pursue a CNA certification. That fall, I embarked on my nursing journey by starting as a BAYADA Home Health Aide in Pennsylvania.
My clinical manager, who recognized my aspirations, kindly recommended that I apply for BAYADA’s Presidential Scholarship. I was fortunate enough to secure the scholarship, which provided me with invaluable financial assistance for my nursing school expenses, including books and equipment. I am incredibly grateful for the support and guidance I received during this transformative period.
Today, I am proud to say that I have been a nurse since 2012. My passion for nursing has only grown stronger with each passing year, and I continue to make a positive impact on the lives of my patients.
Maya Mironenko is a Licensed Practical Nurse at BAYADA Pediatrics
Explain what you do in your role as a home healthcare nurse.
My role includes a wide range of responsibilities tailored to each pediatric client’s specific needs. I can administer medication, work with clients using g-tubes, trach/ventilation, and children with heart complications or seizure disorders. Collaborating closely with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and feeding therapy, I ensure that the skills imparted by these therapists are effectively transferred to the clients and families. To enhance their overall well-being, I also incorporate playtime, singing, and reading into my care.
What do you like most about your job, and do you have a favorite story you’d like to share?
After so many years in home healthcare, I don’t have a single favorite story to share. Each client and family presents a unique and extraordinary experience. I would say it’s the small milestones they achieve, such as their first walk, successful surgeries, recovery, attending school, and reaching therapy goals. All these “little things” are so important and impactful in their everyday lives—things we might take for granted. Some of my favorite moments include the opportunity to accompany families on vacations, creating wonderful memories together.
What are your biggest challenges?
I feel fortunate that my role doesn’t come with many challenges. The most challenging part would be witnessing the children and their families face difficulties, hardships, prolonged hospital stays, setbacks, and surgeries. It’s heartbreaking not being able to ease their pain or take away their struggles. That’s the difficult part. Otherwise, this profession is a tremendous blessing and brings me so much joy!
What are your most significant rewards as a home healthcare nurse?
Being a home healthcare nurse offers numerous rewards. Working with children is my passion, my calling, my mission, and where I truly belong. That alone is a reward in itself. I am blessed with the opportunity to visit people’s homes and care for their most cherished children. Witnessing families endure immense hardship, find strength, and show love to those around them is incredibly rewarding. They are the true heroes and champions!
Is there anything else that our readers should be aware of?
I believe it’s crucial to remember that as home healthcare professionals, we enter people’s lives during their most vulnerable and challenging moments. We must show love, compassion, and understanding as they navigate many obstacles.
When your work brings you joy, it doesn’t feel like work. That’s a blessing indeed!
Renée Hewitt is a seasoned writer, editor, and content strategist with a 25-year background in PR, marketing, and storytelling. As Editor-in-Chief of Daily Nurse, she curates impactful content that informs, inspires, and advocates for the nursing profession. Her work spans healthcare, wellness, lifestyle, and thought leadership—always with an eye for engaging narratives that connect with audiences.
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