Family Nurse

Munch · Dec 4, 2011

You can always become a visiting nurse to patients that were recently discharged from the hospital but still need a bit of care. Or a visiting nurse to patients that are home with terminal diseases(this can be a very hard job). Or you can be a nurse that people/patients call for advice if they have an injury or illness.

ErinS, BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2011

I have considered starting this kind of business. Kind of a healthcare consulting business. There is a huge need for this- I know because I work in hospice and realize how little people understand of what is told to them. I am not sure what kind of liability would be involved, or even if this is in scope of practice.

Flo., BSN, RN · Dec 4, 2011

Check out consumers medical resource, they do something similar but don't represent themselves as nurses because of the legal issues.

Hoozdo, ADN · Dec 5, 2011

I've been a nurse in Criitical Care for 23 years and am now a stay at home wife/mother/daughter/....... and because I'm a nurse I'm asked by family/friends to transport/translate Dr.'s visits and sometimes hospital stays as well as teach about meds and procedures. This bridged gap is very helpful and i was wondering how to marked this as a business. How would i charge and advertise? Is there even a need? Thanks for responding.

Oh, I think there is a huge need for this. There is a HUGE translation gap in medical/non-medical communications. Then throw in HOH issues, dementia issues, two income earning families that have to be at work during doctor's rounds in the hospital or important specialist appointments and you have a huge mess.

I have also thought of this as a business need. It is surprising it does not apparently exist now. I know with my parents I have spent a great deal of time doing the medical translation, explaining and updating family, present for doctor rounds, medical power of attorney, etc. It makes me wonder how a family with no medical background does this.

I would think the biggest problem would be with privacy issues. I don't see a way around this unless you get MPOA on any "client" you have in the hospital. Then there are the marketing and how much to charge issues.

Very interesting topic IMO.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Dec 5, 2011

I agree - this is an area of health care services that needs to be developed. It is basically patient advocacy & education - in a broader form -- so it is well within our scope of practice. I doubt whether it is reimbursable, so you would not need to have to meet any government regulations in that regard. I would recommend being VERY clear on the service you provide... focusing on helping clients interpret and understand medical information & NOT advising them on medical interventions or options.

Good luck. Keep us informed on your progress.

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Dec 5, 2011

there are already business models out there for this. they are called "patient advocates," and many are owned and operated by nurses precisely because, well, we're the best ones for it. just be very sure you aren't exceeding your scope of practice as an rn in anything you do. look around on the web for examples. note, there is one whole segment of "patient advocate" groups mostly directed at providing financial support to people in need-- this is not what you're looking for (i think).

i would also be verrrrrry careful about offering transportation to clients in your own vehicle-- safer from a liability standpoint to ride in the client's car with someone else driving, or arrange a cab or chair cab for them and meet them at the appt.

Jenni811, RN · Dec 5, 2011

kinda sounds like a Care Coordinator.

noahsmama · Dec 5, 2011

I would think the biggest problem would be with privacy issues. I don't see a way around this unless you get MPOA on any "client" you have in the hospital.

All you need is your client's written permission to access their health information or talk to their health care providers, you don't need a POA. In fact, if you're present at a client's MD appointment at their request, you don't even need written permission -- consent is implied by the fact that you're there and the client doesn't object.

I am a PHN working with foster kids, and I often attend MD visits for kids with complex medical issues, serving as an "interpreter" to both the foster parents and the child welfare workers. I have also attended a medical appointment for one of our adult clients (mom with a child in the system) at that client's request, to help her talk to her doctor about a new diagnosis and what she needed to do about it. I got releases that allowed me to talk to her pharmacist too when there were glitches in getting her medications. We also routinely get releases that allow us to access clients drug testing records where substance abuse is an issue.

I agree that there's a huge need for this type of service if one could figure out how to set it up.