Legal implications of providing care post D/C

[Hannahrn]

i posted this under the legal nursing board, then i thought to post here as well, thinking this has probably happened to other nicu nurses ...curious to know your experience/advice...

hope someone can help answer this ?...i am an rn in the neonatal icu. there are times when parents of our former patients ask us to help with the care of their baby in thier home in exchange for money. this is "under the table" and not arranged through the hospital in which we work at all. specifically, a parent of former preemie twins recently asked if anyone would be willing to come to their home and do the overnight care/feedings for the twins because they were so desperate for sleep. they said they would make it "worth our while" in terms of money. one of the twins is still on o2. it seems as though the parents just need a babysitter or nanny, not necessarily a nurse, but since they are so comfortable with us after caring for their babies for 3+ months, they are asking for our help & money is not an issue with them. what are the legal implications of this? would we be performing under our nursing license if we accepted this under-the-table job, even though it is more like a babysitting job...just to feed the kids overnight. what if something went wrong? after all, one of them is still requiring o2! what is the appropriate way to go about this? thanks for any info..

[BittyBabyGrower, MSN, RN]

Even with a course like that, if you had a professional relationship with these kids, the parents would blame you for anything that happened. Maybe it is different in Canada, but here, heck they'd likely sue you if baby got a hangnail. I hate to be like that, but better safe than sorry. Also, a PP Doula would be for a regular infant, most likely not a medically fragile one.

[kitty29]

I know we are no longer allowed to give any medical advice to former pts and families should they call in, we are to fill out a form and transfer them to the ER or tell them to call their pediatritian.

If I were asked to care for an x-pt in the NICU, I would not unless it was through an agency. I would worry about my liscence.

If I were family that would be another ball of wax.

[JVanRN]

Like everyone else has said, the fact that a relationship has already been established with that parents as a professional nurse who cared for the babies were in the hospital makes it a no no. Even if it seems the parents just merely want a baby sitter, they are probably expecting you to function as a nurse. They may look at it as hiring a private duty nurse, not merely a babysitter. You will be held to the standards of a nurse no matter what.