Would nurses be interested in this business idea?

[hallebban]

I'm in an MBA program and a group of us came up with this idea to build a website that helps nurses who want a few extra hours meet senior citizens who need care. Do you think something like that would interest you? We're open to suggestions!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Nope. That's not Nursing work and Care.com already exists.

You are trying to reinvent the wheel. What about a website that lawyers can help someone with minor legal issues probono such as reviewing a state complaint investigation for a parent of special education student. It's like an hour or two guidance on wording and citations for an underserved population desperate for advice.

[Lisacar130]

What about a site for MBA professions who want a few extra hours? Lol

Let me explain this another way. RN's in this country make around $30-$40/hr or even more (depending on the field and cost of living). If they are going to someone's house, it is going to be for skilled nursing tasks and assessments and this is called home health. This is is an industry that already exists. They would be doing skilled tasks like monitoring and educating on central lines and infusions, administering IV infusions, performing complicated dressing changes (such as a wound vac), maintaining a ventilator, performing suctioning, monitoring a heart failure patient for signs of fluid overload, etc. A senior in need of such services would be set up with this type of home care by the hospital where they came from. You wouldn't want to have a senior finding their own nurse for things like this by surfing the net, think of the liability and the need for a background check. A lot of nurses do sign up to do home health for a few extra hours, but it is an actual company and not just a website. I'm not an insurance expert but this type of care is typically paid for by insurance and I think it would be hard to get Blue Cross Blue Shield to pay Susy RN from across the street a couple of hours a week to change a wound vac dressing on some senior she met online.

If you're thinking of tasks a nursing assistant would do, such as help with showers and feeding, home health also employs nurse aids as well. There still is a lot of liability for these tasks and need for a good background check. A home health company would only employ someone who has a certificate, this is called a certified nurse assistant (or CNA). They go to school for this and pass a test. A senior could find one on their own but might not know how to do the background check and credentialing check that a home health care company would do, and the CNA in question would be taking on more liability if working totally on their own (what if the patient falls in the shower with the CNA helping because the CNA didn't know or understand the patient's mobility limitations due to an underlying medical condition, or what if the patient aspirates and gets pneumonia because the CNA didn't realize that the patient is not able to eat certain foods or drink thin liquids?) Alternatively, a home health client would be assessed by a nurse and their health records would be investigated prior to setting anything up with a home health aid/CNA.

If you're thinking of truly unskilled help, such as cleaning up the house and going grocery shopping, this is similar to care.com.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

What about a site for MBA professions who want a few extra hours? Lol

Let me explain this another way. RN's in this country make around $30-$40/hr or even more (depending on the field and cost of living). If they are going to someone's house, it is going to be for skilled nursing tasks and assessments and this is called home health. This is is an industry that already exists. They would be doing skilled tasks like monitoring and educating on central lines and infusions, administering IV infusions, performing complicated dressing changes (such as a wound vac), maintaining a ventilator, performing suctioning, monitoring a heart failure patient for signs of fluid overload, etc. A senior in need of such services would be set up with this type of home care by the hospital where they came from. You wouldn't want to have a senior finding their own nurse for things like this by surfing the net, think of the liability and the need for a background check. A lot of nurses do sign up to do home health for a few extra hours, but it is an actual company and not just a website. I'm not an insurance expert but this type of care is typically paid for by insurance and I think it would be hard to get Blue Cross Blue Shield to pay Susy RN from across the street a couple of hours a week to change a wound vac dressing on some senior she met online.

If you're thinking of tasks a nursing assistant would do, such as help with showers and feeding, home health also employs nurse aids as well. There still is a lot of liability for these tasks and need for a good background check. A home health company would only employ someone who has a certificate, this is called a certified nurse assistant (or CNA). They go to school for this and pass a test. A senior could find one on their own but might not know how to do the background check and credentialing check that a home health care company would do, and the CNA in question would be taking on more liability if working totally on their own (what if the patient falls in the shower with the CNA helping because the CNA didn't know or understand the patient's mobility limitations due to an underlying medical condition, or what if the patient aspirates and gets pneumonia because the CNA didn't realize that the patient is not able to eat certain foods or drink thin liquids?) Alternatively, a home health client would be assessed by a nurse and their health records would be investigated prior to setting anything up with a home health aid/CNA.

If you're thinking of truly unskilled help, such as cleaning up the house and going grocery shopping, this is similar to care.com.

Absolutely. Plus, any self-respecting RN who cares for her license and her professional image wouldn't even think about doing caregiver's job for CENA money.

If a qualified RN with clean license and at least some experience wants "several hours" here and there, there are tons of opportunities to do so for at least $30/hour in the least-paying areas of the country and up to $70+ doing NURSING work.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

This came across to me as also a "volunteer" opportunity. That would be a resounding NO on my part and even with pay, you would not be able to pay what I am used to making per hour, nor would you be able to up the ante enough to equal what I can make for overtime or a per diem position. This kind of care is labor intensive, stressful and often rather dirty and potentially unpleasant due to family issues, dementia or other circumstances. It would take a LOT for me to be willing to do that on my day off. There are lots of things I am willing to volunteer for, but elderly care isn't one of them.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

My answer is probably not, because the duties required would probably be better suited for a home health aide or cna.

[amoLucia]

OP seems to have disappeared.

When reading the post, I interpreted it as a call for someone to act along the lines of a case manager or a health coach. Paid or volunteer not specified.

There are already those services out there. And I've seen where LCSWs are providing some services.

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

Lol, this is like a perfect case study of what happens people with no healthcare background (or understanding of healthcare processes) try to manage people in healthcare. Kind of reminds me of the 'upper management' MBAs at my hospital.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

OP seems to have disappeared.[/Quote]

Back to the drawing board, hopefully.