I've been an RN for 23 years (gawd), remote HH experience as a new grad and then psychiatry for many years. The last six I've done medical oncology in a hospital, my first hospital job. Surprised I made it that long . . . can't knock the experience I got though.
I am no starry eyed savior nurse going into PDN. At this point, PDN is just another kind of nursing job that I hope to do in one way or another until I retire. What I look forward to in private duty is almost the same as what I dread about going into it, which sounds about right.
The clientele are mostly peds, which I have no experience in except in nursing school. I have adult children and little grandkids. Over the years I followed all these blogs by parents about bringing their preemies or very sick babies home, just very intrigued and concerned but in an armchair kind of way. I never considered doing peds nursing, but now that private duty is on the horizon I am really getting excited about it.
Supposedly we have training opportunities through the company. Ha, I'll believe it when I see it. Well, it's a start. The only thing I haven't done at all is manage a vent dependent patient. As for trach, GT, JGT, NG, central lines and acute med/surg and palliative care stuff, I got that (with adults). Doing it with kids isn't just doing it with smaller bits and smaller patients.
So as experienced PDNs, please give me your opinions and/or experience to point me toward good educational materials, tutorials AND whatever hands-on you would recommend or do yourself if you had to do it over.
I may eat my words but I trust my personal boundaries and de-escalation skillz , what not to do, where not to go in terms of relationships with patients and family. Sure I'll make mistakes and learn the ropes like the next person, but this is not what I am most concerned about. I can almost taste the words LOL.
Thanks in advance!! And yes I have pet geese :)