Nursing: Why Choose a Career as a Private Duty Nurse?

Are you a prospective private duty nurse?

You may be thinking seriously about becoming a private duty nurse. Great! Private duty nursing is a wonderful occupation for registered nurse to pursue. Private duty nursing presents a unique and interesting challenge, for those who enjoy working with patients on a one-to-one basis, over a long period of time. Patients may come from medical-surgical wards, geriatrics or more specialized areas like palliative care, rehabilitation, cardiology or mental health.

Registered nurses who do well in private duty nursing, love patients and like to have close contact with them. They get excited about taking on the responsibility for the nursing care of just one patient at a time, on a full or part time basis. This kind of nursing allows registered nurses the opportunity to give quality nursing care to their patients.

Private duty nursing can be an intense learning experience, as many patients have go into intensive care or to step down units to resolve or prevent medical crises. This kind of nursing can be demanding physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, especially when patients are critically ill, in life threatening situations or having extensive surgery.

Private duty nursing offers some distinct advantages for registered nurses.

Financially, the remuneration is excellent for those who are self-employed and interested in setting up home-based businesses. Private duty nurses can seek their own referrals, but word of mouth may provide private duty nurses with ongoing referrals. Other leads may be obtained from doctors or other private duty nurses.

If private duty nursing employment is through community agencies, the agencies provides patient referrals. In turn, they receive a percentage of the income received for nursing care. If employment is in a hospital, nursing home or other health care facility, the private duty nurses are on salaries.

Many of those who employ private duty nurses are retired, upper class citizens. They live in exclusive residential areas and own beautiful homes that are pleasant and comfortable to work in. The patients needing nursing care may be long term residents in exclusive long term community nursing homes or other privately owned, health care centers.

Travel may be part of the patient's itinerary and private duty nurses may have opportunities to travel with their patients.

Extensive health insurance policies frequently cover a high percentage of the cost of private duty nurses.

Private duty nurses may be employed directly by agencies, hospitals, nursing homes or other long term care facilities. Private duty nurses may take care of patients on psychiatric wards or in other institutions. Many cases involve continual monitoring of patients. An example of this could be patients in drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation centers.

Many registered nurses find private duty nursing rewarding, as they come to know patients and their families personally. The patient-nurse relationship exceeds the level of patient-acquaintance relationships. Private duty nurses have the opportunity to learn about their patient's personal preferences, habits and lifestyles and see how they function in their homes or in other nursing care environments. As well as interacting with patients and their families, they may assume supervisory roles, training other caregivers.

Because many private duty cases tend to be long term, scheduling is consistent and most schedules can be prepared ahead of time, giving private duty nurses a certain degree of freedom and stability, with regard to their personal lives. These are just a few of the advantages that private duty nurses can expect.

Private duty nursing has some advantages for patients, as well.

Patients often feel safer and more secure with one-to-one care, than they do when they are being cared for by a lot of nurses or when there are large numbers of other patients in hospitals, nursing homes or long term health care facilities. They know who to turn to regarding issues of concern. They enjoy the one-to-one attention from private duty nurses and thrive under their care. Many patients and their families like to know their private duty nurses personally.

There are some concerns that may arise for private duty nurses.

Private duty nurses may have to work in a wide variety of settings. In other words, wherever the patients go, the nurses go too. For example, when this entails surgery for the patient, the private duty nurses follow through with the necessary surgical nursing care. If the patients spend time in intensive care or step down units, the private duty nurses work with them, in those settings. If they are transferred to long-term nursing care facilities, the private duty nurses work there. Having to work in a large number of different settings involves continual changes and increasing educational demands for private duty nurses.

Private duty nurses frequently accompany patients to their doctor's appointments or for treatments and various procedures. They work directly with doctors in respect to long term patient care planning. This involves serious dedication, concern and attention to a lot of detail, on their part.

Many private duty cases can last for months, years or even many years. Many private duty nurses like this, while others prefer change.

Private duty nurses may work alone in patient's homes and assume the majority of responsibility for the patient's nursing care. Family members participate, but not always. Sometimes, there is only one private duty nurse working with a patient, over a long period. Many private duty nurses who work alone, miss the interaction, excitement and social aspect of working in other health care environments. Doing case studies with other caregivers for their patients, helps private duty nurses stay in contact with one another, too. Private duty nurses often become lifelong friends of patients, families and other private duty nurses.

Private duty nursing can be a lonely job at times, as there may not be a lot of people contact if nursing care is needed only during the evenings or at night. Working with one, non-communicative dying or mentally ill patient can be difficult for private duty nurses, but it can prove to be ideal for those involved in continuing education programs, as they may be able to study when patients are resting or sleeping.

Private duty nursing can be a high risk job physically, because many private duty patients have to be transferred, moved or lifted. There may not be anyone else to assist with lifting and there can be a high incidence of back injuries.

Private duty nurses must be able to handle current medications, treatments and procedures, regardless of where the patients are at any particular time. They need to be able to transfer the patients to new settings, on a moment's notice. Private duty nurses must learn to operate essential medical equipment that entails continual upgrading.

Private duty patients may require emergency measures, as many patients are critically ill, or dying. Spiritual care and counseling skills are needed.

Sometimes, private duty nursing demands continuous attendance with patients who cannot be left alone. For example, patients may be suicidal, have Alzheimer's disease, dementia or schizophrenia. Nursing disoriented patients for eight to twelve hours at a time, can be stressful. Of course, each scenario is unique.

Over attachment to patients can occur and private duty nurses must be cautious about becoming too involved with their patients. Patients can become overly-attached to their nurses, but continually maintaining a high degree of professionalism, prevents problems from occurring.

In conclusion, what does the future hold for private duty nurses? Private duty nurses will always be needed by patients, so the prospects of potential employment for them in the future, would appear to be excellent.

Private duty nursing is a career option well worth considering for registered nurses, particularly for those who are independent, able to work on their own and are interested in pursuing higher levels of education at the same time.