Private Duty Nurse FAQs
What can I expect from my nurse?
A visiting nurse at home performs the same tasks as in a hospital setting. Some of these responsibilities include:
- Provision of care
- patient monitoring
- medication administration
- physical/mental assessments
- continued post hospital care
- IV hydration
- palliative care
- wellness check
- companionship
- etc
What experience do you have?
14 years and counting ER experience which involves:
- Emergency
- Adult & Pediatric care
- Cardiology
- Pulmonary
- GI
- Neuro
- Orthopedic
- Medical/surgical/psychiatric care
1 year cardiac Cath lab experience
What if the patient is too sick to care for at home?
We conduct a full physical assessment on every patient during every visit and we monitor their changes. People's conditions may improve or worsen unexpectedly.
If a patient's condition deteriorates we will recommend transferring to a hospital facility for further testing and management. We will call 911 and accompany the patient into the hospital until his care is handed over to the facility's team.
Can you arrange for multiple visits?
Yes, although private duty nursing is designed to work based on individual visits we can certainly discuss and schedule multiple visits depending on the patient's needs.
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What supplies do we need at home?
We provide supplies for general/basic care such as wound care supplies, dressings, assessment tools, IV insertion supplies, etc.
if you have specialized or dedicated equipment at home we will utilize them as indicated. (i.e. insulin syringes, drain pumps, diapers, urethral catheters, medications, etc)
How long does it take to administer 1 liter of IV fluids for hydration?
About 60 minutes depending on the location and size of the IV needle used.
Medication administration times vary depending on the drugs being given.
Why should we get a Nurse at home?
Convenience of staying home and have someone come to you
No ER wait times
Cost effective. A relatively brief 2-4 hour ER visit for IV hydration or a dressing change can cost thousands of dollars
Full attention. Nurses in hospital juggle multiple patients at the same time. At home you get complete 1 to 1 attention and care
When should we NOT get a private nurse
Nurses do NOT have prescribing privileges. If you require medication refills and new prescriptions, they must be obtained through a physician's visit.
During life threatening emergencies call 911 for an ambulance which carry the necessary equipment for life support.
Nurses have a designated scope of practice, if your needs are beyond the scope we will not be able to assist you.
