Considering Starting Small ALF

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Specializes in Intensive Care.

Hello to all you nurse entrepreneurs!

A little background about me, I have 6+ years experience as a Private Duty LPN. My work experience is 2 years as a hospice PDN, 2 years as an adult home health PDN. The last 2+ years I have been a PDN taking care of homebound pediatric clients. I just passed the RN NCLEX on July 17th!!!! I still work as a PDN with pediatric clients and I have an offer on the table for a GN Residency position in Medical-Surgical/Telemetry pending I pass the ECG exam in September. My dilemma is that even though I couldn't wait until the day I could hold RN creditials on a Med-Surg unit, I don't know if I want the headache of working 12-hour shifts for another healthcare business. I want to enjoy my next 20+ years as a Registered Nurse. So I figured why not have the best of both world's by starting my own small (less than 16 clients) ALF. I know there is a LOT of logistics that comes with owning an ALF, but the payoff will be so worth the trouble. I could still do what I love, which is caring for other's in their time of need, and still have the quality time I want with my husband and growing children. I've already started researching some of the "logistics" and I've purchased Grant Writing books as well (just in case I don't qualify for a business loan). Any advice? Thanks in Advance!

Kamilah Coney, RN

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Specializes in Intensive Care.

I think I just answered my own question. I'm a RN with a background of 6+ years LPN experience taking care of people with a need for medical care 24-hours a day. It's a no brainer!

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Topic of interest! I too have been looking more into this venture. It is popular in my region. Hope to see some comments of others.

Good luck!

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Specializes in Intensive Care.
Topic of interest! I too have been looking more into this venture. It is popular in my region. Hope to see some comments of others.

Good luck!

Thank you! Take a look at the post called "Opening a Residential Assisted Living". After I read that post, and realized I have had a couple of PDN cases in a few Residential Assisted living facilities, it was a no brainer for me. I say go for it! The process to start one appears straight foward.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Since you are a new grad with a job offer, I'd take the job as you are exploring opening a business. If something goes wrong in your plans, you don't want to be unhireable- an RN without experience and no longer eligible for a new grad position.

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Specializes in Intensive Care.
Since you are a new grad with a job offer, I'd take the job as you are exploring opening a business. If something goes wrong in your plans, you don't want to be unhireable- an RN without experience and no longer eligible for a new grad position.

Thank you Nurse Beth, MSN RN. Since I know its going to take $$$$ to start up this business, the plan is to work on the Med-Surg/Telemetry unit for the contracted 24 months. After that I should hopefully have the start up capital I need. I definitely will not throw away the job offer especially since it was offered before I even had a NCLEX Exam date. Also you make a great of pointing out the fact that it could be difficult to find a nursing position as a newly licensed RN (although not the case for the state I live in but still I have to take that into consideration) Again, thank you for replying.

Kamilah Coney, RN

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Specializes in Telemetry Med/Surg.

I’ve gone around the merry go round with idea after idea: mortuary, day care, sober living home, halfway house....I just can’t decide. My heart says mortuary but every time I think about going back to school for mortuary science, I just go ?....

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