LPN going into business for him/herself?

[ionatan]

I know that LPNs are required to work under the supervision of a physician or RN. However, if I wanted to go into private duty business for myself, I am curious how I could do that. If I were to refrain from providing "nursing" care such as medication administration, could I go into business for myself as a caregiver? I don't even know where to begin obtaining the information I would need to do this. Any ideas? I've thought about starting my own cleaning business, but then my mind started wondering about caregiving. Hmmm...

[LPNBecky]

This is what I am in the process of doing now! It is kinda hard to set up but working on it!

[libran1984, ASN, RN]

Oh my.... the complications all associated with this are boggle my mind.

Good luck if you can figure it out.

[SuzieVN]

Depends on your state law. Most states require a license from the department of health to even provide non medical home care. A few do not (CA,AZ). If you do it in a state that does, without obtaining the license, you are then also risking your LPN license- you could be charged by providing care that requires a state license, without a license. Sort of a like operating a day care without a license. If not, your state considers non medical home care a task that anybody can, and does so, as part of normal daily living- which is logical, therefore becoming a rarity. The population is exploding with seniors, and home health agencies are expensive, and most insurers don't pay for non medical help. Also, tho- I see more states getting people out of nursing homes, that are bankrupting the states, and instead allowing those people to stay home, while Medicaid pays for non medical care. But in that case, you'd have to apply and be licensed to be a Medicaid provider. So, if you want to be self employed- be sure your state doesn't require a state license to operate- and in any event, obtain a local business license and tax ID number.

[SuzieVN]

Forgot- if your state requires a license from the department of health, or whatever, to provide non medical care- then you also are required to be supervised by an RN, as you will be working under your LPN license. If your are in a state that does not require a license- you're not working in the capacity as an LPN, so you do not need supervison. Make sense? I set a friend (long time CNA) up, in fact, she's been working for herself for a year, now, at $16/hour. If you wanted what she does from an agency, the clients would be billed about $24/hour for the same thing. Big incentive for people to find private help, eh? I've been looking to the same thing- but can't find a partner that understands this system- I want to be sure that if I schedule anything for anybody, that someone is available to be there. One scheduled visit that can't be taken care of, even, is a no-go for me= reliability is what I have to offer. But one person can't be everywhere at once, so I'm holding back. A big problem with home care help is people not showing up, regardless of the agency, if it is skilled care or not, and regardless of what the client is paying. "Good help is hard to find"...