How to become a private duty nurse in NY AND is it something for new grads?

SDALPN · Aug 17, 2012

Without experience, private duty work is not a good idea. There are tons of new grads and lots of experienced nurses. So employers have a choice. Also employers are insured and insurance requires a year of experience. There are a lot of things that can go wrong and you have no safety net with you when they do go wrong. Its better to get experience somewhere else before doing private duty. Keep looking and take what you can get to get experience. It may mean working shifts nobody else wants. Even as an experienced nurse there isn't always lots of work in private duty because the market is getting flooded. The agencies well lead you on to think there is work though. Or you can volunteer somewhere and prove yourself and you may be able to get the next job opening at a facility. Good luck.

nycClara · Aug 27, 2012

You don't need a yr of experience to obtain insurance in NYS. I'm a new nurse & am insured via NSO. With the quad case, does the pt have another nurse? If so ask to mentor with her to get trained on the lift & most importantly the pt & family quirks. I personally find that part of pdn to be the most tiresome With more invasive cases (trachs, vents, central lines) see if you can get as much training as possible so youre not thrown into something you're not comfortable with.

SDALPN · Aug 28, 2012

Nycclara, I'm not talking about your own insurance. I'm talking about the agency insurance company. The companies that insure the agencies require them to hire nurses with a year of experience. And there are too many things that can go wrong to be a new nurse in private duty. When you get more experience it will be easier to understand that. If you read the posts from the experienced nurses on here, they will all tell you to get experience before doing PDN. Its too risky without experience. The most dangerous people are the ones who don't realize how little they know.

nycClara · Aug 28, 2012

Im not sure if that's true of all NYS agencies. Im signed on to a few myself w. less than a yrs exp. Some mom & pop shops, others more established. Agreed, thinking you know everything is not the best attitude to have in medicine in general for new or seasoned medical personnel... is easy for a newbies to miss a lot of crucial info as well as for more experienced caregivers to categorize all symptoms the same way (I'm thinking of some drs I know, ha). Good nursing skills comes with experience and time spent with the patient which you get a lot of in homecare. In this economy that year long exp is hard to get even oddball shifts. If an agency is open to hiring the OP, she should go for it. She can take less acute cases, ask for mentoring & slowly establish her comfort level & nursing skills.

nycClara · Aug 28, 2012

keeping in contact w. other nurses on the case & brushing up on CPR & asking about emergency protocol helps a lot for me

SDALPN · Aug 28, 2012

Is taking the job because the OP needs it more important than the patients best interest? What about the long term...if a nursing license is lost because of inexperience and taking a job they aren't ready for, they won't get it back. The high risk of losing a license due to that kind of situation isn't worth a job for a year. There are other ways to get experience. At the agency I'm with they have a few RN new grads that can't get work because of the lack of experience. So they are working skilled cases as an aide and doing the nursing care while under the watch of a nurse already on the case. They are there to assist the nurse for lifting or other purposes for a few hours. They do that, but they are allowed to do the skilled care portion too so they can gain experience. Once they have a year with trachs, they can work a case with trachs. A lot of parents I've worked for will ask how much experience the nurse has with trachs and if they have ever worked during an emergency. If the nurse doesn't have much experience the parents won't allow them to work with their child. Some parents have said a year isn't enough. It really is better to gain experience in a facility where there is a safety net if something goes wrong. I've seen more kids die because of nurses without experience than in any other situation. When I worked in the hospital, kids came in all the time because they plugged and the new nurse didn't know what to do or what the problem was. By the time the nurse called 911 and the kid was brought to the hospital it was too late. The kids either died or had brain damage from lack of oxygen. It would suck to lose a license and get sued all at once. Plus possible criminal charges. But if thats worth making a buck in the short term...some people will have to learn the hard way.

nycClara · Aug 29, 2012

To reiterate "She can take less acute cases, ask for mentoring & slowly establish her comfort level & nursing skills." This can be working on peg cases, or as an aide in trach cases should she get into an agency that allows that.But thanks for the pep talk about all the new RNs running a muck causing brain damage.

SDALPN · Aug 30, 2012

Just saying it happens often. And there is a reason it happens. Is not just RNs. It's both LPNs and RNs.

SE_BSN_RN, BSN · Sep 1, 2012

It is going to be rare that you find just a peg tube case. Many times they will have peg tubes and trachs, and a lot of complex things going on. I have been an LPN in LTC for 7 years and I just switched to PDN, and I have to agree that PDN is not a good idea for a new grad. You have to know your stuff, because you won't have that other nurse to turn to and ask questions to. The family won't always be there to ask, and sometimes even they won't know. And, being fresh out of school with a new license, I don't think working with a quad is a good idea, unless you have worked as a CNA and know how to operate the lift efficiently. Looking back, I wouldn't have done it. I know how frustrating it is to try and find a job, but one can be found.

Cait720 · Oct 16, 2012

Looking back, I wouldn't have done it. I know how frustrating it is to try and find a job, but one can be found.

In NY right especially if the OP is in the NYC area, there aren't always jobs to be found for new grads. And its doubly difficult for a new LPN, and even ADN RNs. Often people have to move (if they are able to) or wait 1+ years to find something, losing a lot of the knowledge and skills they learned in school. Some people are just plain giving up.I graduated in May with my BSN and had a heck of a time finding a job. Luckily for me, a longtime family friend is a supervisor at a pediatric home care agency nearby and they hire some new grads and put us through a preceptor program. My friend, who runs this program, is extremely careful about what kinds of cases she sends us on and makes sure a new grad is okay with families before sending us to orient. Some families say no, others like having new grads because of our enthusiasm and our willingness to "get down on the ground and play." If the experienced nurses at the agency and the experienced primary nurses precepting me feel that my skills are up to par and if the parents are comfortable with me caring for their child, then that's what matters. Just assuming that the OP will make a big mistake and harm a patient is rude and judgmental.And yes, there are cases with just a PEG or a mic-key button out there. I've seen them.