Independant Home Health Lpn/pvn

caliotter3 · Nov 24, 2007

I just started doing private duty for a client that was not getting the nurses she needed from the agency. My supervisor and I both worked for the agency. My supervisor had been doing private duty for the client for several years because the family had been doing without nurses for several years. They were forced to change agencies due to the insurance company. We went with the case to the new agency, and that is when I started working for the client privately as well as with the agency. My supervisor's statement about agencies stating it is against their policy for a nurse to work privately for a client that they have encountered through their agency was this: "The agency can not tell me what to do on my spare time. If they are so concerned about providing care for this client, then they can find other nurses." She actually told off someone from the second agency in this manner.

Most people who work private duty find their clients by word of mouth or through other jobs or by placing ads in the paper. My client paid me $1 an hour more than the agency.

caliotter3 · Nov 24, 2007

Forgot to say that I have since learned from my former supervisor that the insurance company dumped the agency and she is now paid by the insurance company and everything is pretty smooth. I told her that I thought with the middle man being cut out I would have expected her to get a pay raise. She said she was too insecure to try to get more from the insurance company and is being paid the same amount as the last agency was paying her.

I actually prefer to work for an employing agency in order to have the benefits available. I've considered going independent contractor before, however, I am not good at marketing myself and want whatever advantages there are by having an employer.