Re: New to private duty, how do I do this well
hi! Well...I'd recommend reading through old posts under this private duty forum. That will give you an idea of some of the issues you can encounter. Routine will vary from pt to pt. Basically it is like the hospital except you only have one patient. And the pt is more stable, or they would not be at home. Read your care plan and confer with the family or other nurses to clarify the specific times for things.
Families can be the one frustrating aspect of PD. I have seen families respond in polar opposite ways. Some are super involved and hover, and the nurses feel smothered and unable to do their job at times. Other families withdraw totally, and let the nurses take over. My biggest advice: keep a professional boundary between you and the family. Many nurses seem to have problems with this, and it leads to nothing but trouble. Many of these families can be very "needy". If you give an inch, they will take a mile. Only do what is on the care plan!!!!! If you start doing things not on the careplan (cleaning, laundry, dishes, errands,etc) things can rapidly get out hand. Remember you are the nurse, and not the family's personal friend. I am not saying you can't be friendly and pleasant with the family. But keep a professional boundary. You should not give the family your phone number - communication should go through the agency. If you get too close with the family, it is very easy to lose objectivity without even realizing it. Once you lose objectivity, it is easy to start making unsafe and risky nursing decisions.
So, those are my 2 cents....
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