Hi there!

I am an RN & am a certified Medicaid Provider in Private Duty Nursing. I am also ventilator-certified. I have been an RN for 19 yrs, 10 of which I spent in ICU, & the rest in clinic & home health/hospice. I LOVE MY JOB! The reason I love my job is that it allows me to be a nurse "in the best of both worlds." I enjoyed ICU & facing each day with the assessments of my patients & "solving the puzzle" that was presented to me. I loved home health because of being able to interact with patients where they felt the most comfortable & where I could put some of my "ICU" experience to use. I used to see post open-heart surgery patients at home & loved it. I left the "bureacratic-run" healthcare setting

over 3 years ago & it's the best move I've ever made. I love being able to interact with my patients on a more personal basis, getting to know them, & not having to "check my feelings at the door" every time I arrive. I love being able to truly CARE for & about my patients the way I feel nursing was intended to be done. I work with a home ventilator patient, which allows me to utilize some of my ICU skills, because I know that my client is better off being at home when he's "sick" than in the hospital.
I'm sure the regulations for nurses in independent practice/private duty nurses (NIP/PDN) vary from state to state. If you're an MA provider, the rate of pay is set (right now over $30/hr.) You have to provide your own benefits, but if you're married or covered under someone's insurance, this doesn't matter.
I would be glad to offer you more information, personally, if you'd like. Just reply & let me know the best way to reach you. Let me assure you, though, that I won't go back to "bureaucratic" healthcare.