[niptucknurse]

I have always been interested in plastic surgery nursing. The bulk of my nursing experience has been in the MICU so I do not have much insight as to the specific duties of a plastic surgery nurse. As a former plastic surgery patient myself, my surgeon recommended that I hire a private duty nurse for at least 24hr. post op. In researching local private duty agencies I found that too many agencies have a "one nurse fits all" approach. I'm thinking about starting my own nursing agency that specializes in the care of plastic/reconstructive surgery patients ONLY. Staff will consist of RN's and LPN's. Depending on the complexity of the surgery an RN or LPN will be assigned. Nurses must have had at least 2 years experience in plastic surgery. Plastic surgery patients, like myself, expect quality care, compassion, respect and a nurse who understands the physical and psychosocial needs of the plastic surgery patient. As a provider of a specialized nursing service it will allow us to build a rapport with the physicians. Plastic surgery nurses have a national association that encourages them to seek specialty certification in their field after two years of experience. I am still in the researching phase of this project and was hoping I could get some insight from my fellow nurse entrepreneurs and your thoughts, comments or suugestions on this type of agency. Thank you

[92mxmom]

Niptucknurse---I love that name!

Anyways, I have worked in a privately owned plastic surgery ambulatory surgery center for 11 years. While I do not work in the OR, I do a lot with pre-op assessments, pre-op holding/check-in and PACU, and in the office setting with post-op patients. We do a mixture of cosmetic procedures and reconstructive.

We hire nurses here with different backgrounds in nursing and are willing to train them to work in the PACU, office settings and to circulate in the OR. As an RN, most don't actually get to assist unless they have had prior experience or training in the OR. Nurses with critical care backgrounds and L&D nurses seem to work out the best.

At least in our facililty, it is usually a nice place to work, with patients who are generally healthy and who choose to be here. That, in most cases, makes them easy to work with. Most of our cosmetic stuff is done in the office (we have 2 OR's and an 8 bed PACU) and insurance based procedures are done in the hospital.

I am unable to certify in plastic surgery nursing because that requires OR knowledge but I have looked into CAPA or CPAN which focuses on pre and post op care.

[nycrn222b]

Great idea! I too work for a plastic surgeon and see the high demand for private duty nursing for patients. Most of the patients want to be pampered and want the privacy of a private duty nurse. i am looking into starting my own business as well. Let me know how far you have prospered with your ideas.. ANy feed back would be great. You know plastic surgery is just starting to boom on the medical field. I love that 99.9% of the patients are always happy afterward and I don't have to deal with terminal illnesses/dying.

Marianne