Do you ever see the child after you leave a case?

Specialties Private Duty

Published

I was just curious if private duty nurses ever kept in touch with their ped patients after they are no longer on the case? Do you ever send the child a yearly birthday card or anything like that? Do you ever call the family and ask how the child is doing etc etc etc?

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Specializes in Home Health/PD.

I keep in touch with the ones I really enjoyed and bonded with, BUT I think there is a fine line between it all and sometimes judgement demands that you make a clean break and let it go.

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Specializes in Peds(PICU, NICU float), PDN, ICU.

Most agencies teach that it is crossing professional boundaries to do so. But it does happen.

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

I work with an alert and oriented young lady who goes to college out-of-state. I still work with her when she's home for holidays and such, but she does shoot me texts sometimes to say "hi" or tell me how her year is going, how her new nurses are, etc. I've been with her for nearly two years and we have a close rapport, I try to maintain boundaries but there does come a point in a natural progression where the people you work for become your friends. Then it's more crucial than ever to remember boundaries!

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I have a few nurses that still call, text or drop by even though my son passed away many months ago.

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That's wonderful ventmommy. I am glad to hear that a few nurses still contact you. I was so sorry to have read about the death of your son. I am sure my patient's mother will allow me to visit her child. She better let me or she's going to have a "Peeping Tom" outside her child's window lol. I love her child so much.

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Specializes in peds palliative care and hospice.

I agree with what everyone else has said...in many agencies it is considered unprofessional. That said, i know of it happening with several cases.Ventmommy, i didn't know your son had passed. Thinking of you.

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Specializes in pediatrics, orthopedics.

I asked my agency if I could keep in touch with the little girl from my first case (I was their only nurse by the end) and they gave me approval. It's nothing TOO intimate--I sent a card for her birthday and met up with them for coffee one day. We've sent a few emails back and forth. I feel like returning to their home for any reason is too much, but meeting in public places seems okay to me. I would only do this though if your agency says it's okay!

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Thanks to all for your comments. Fortunately, his mother said I could come and visit him anytime I wanted and to just call first before coming over. :D

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

I am sorry but when you work 1:1 with a kid that is very sick, how could you not want to know how they're doing?! I am glad they said you could still visit Blackcat99!

One of my patients passed away, her one year memorial is in October. The family texted me and I will absolutely be there. I won't be wondering if it is professional either, I will be there to support the family because they had a very special girl.

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Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty; Camp Nursing.

My agency is very adamant about each client having a wide variety of nurses every week. They simply won't just put one nurse in as their "main" nurse. I always knew there were several benefits to this, most notably making it easier to find a replacement in a pinch. However it just occurred to me that this may also be their way of curtailing the opportunity for a nurse to get too close to their clients or their parents. Well played, Agency. The downside to that, though, is I hear from a lot of parents that they truly wish for fewer nurses so they can feel more confident about the consistency of care, as well as feel more comfortable not having to greet so many near-strangers in their home every day. The family I went to last night, whom I hadn't seen for quite some time, was so happy to see me, they thought I had left the agency. I told them I've been all over the place, and that I had been told that their daughter's case was staffed completely. They said they were going to call up the agency and make sure they open some space for me next month!

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.
My agency is very adamant about each client having a wide variety of nurses every week. They simply won't just put one nurse in as their "main" nurse. I always knew there were several benefits to this, most notably making it easier to find a replacement in a pinch. However it just occurred to me that this may also be their way of curtailing the opportunity for a nurse to get too close to their clients or their parents. Well played, Agency. The downside to that, though, is I hear from a lot of parents that they truly wish for fewer nurses so they can feel more confident about the consistency of care, as well as feel more comfortable not having to greet so many near-strangers in their home every day. The family I went to last night, whom I hadn't seen for quite some time, was so happy to see me, they thought I had left the agency. I told them I've been all over the place, and that I had been told that their daughter's case was staffed completely. They said they were going to call up the agency and make sure they open some space for me next month!

See, I don't think that is fair to the family. The kiddos I was a "main" nurse to needed the consitency. How can you learn to recognize changes if you just met them? I get what the agency is trying to do but it's too bad. I as a nurse would like to have the same pt as well. I felt much more comfortable month 5 vs day 1.

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