New Private Duty Nurse PLZ HELP!

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Hi!!

i just recently became a private duty nurse (lpn) now i have been looking for information as to how i should go about my meeting of a patient before the actual care gets done. what information will i need to obtain during the initial visit? besides the general information about the patients history and meds and so forth, what other information is imperative to receive? i want to make sure that i have all the info i need on what to do before i accept a case.

if anyone is a private duty nurse and could tell me how they handle their initial visit of a patient i would greatly appreciate it. or if anyone can direct me to where i can find that info i too would greatly appreciate it.

thanks! looking forward to your replies.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

I would think that your employer or agency would have protocols in place that you will be following. Have you been through orientation yet?

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Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.

Hi MsHope6307! I can tell you what my experience has been. If you are working for an agency they will often give you a copy of the Plan of Care, also known as form 485 with identifying information taken out (for HIPAA reasons as they are not technically your patient) for you to review prior to your seeing the patient for the first time. This is your "blueprint" for care of that patient, including meds, treatments, summary of medical history etc. From that you can get a pretty good idea of what your shifts will look like from a nuts and bolts standpoint as well as alert you to areas you will need to focus on, such as vents, trachs, feeding tubes/pumps, etc

As far as the initial visit with the client or their family, this can vary. Sometimes you will meet the client when you show up to orient with a nurse who is already working that case to show you the particulars. Sometimes they just want to meet you, in which case I would educate myself on the client's diagnosis and take your cues from there. Some families ask a lot of questions and others do not.

If you appear professional, knowledgeable and interested in what they are saying during an initial meeting, you'll get off on the right foot with most people. One thing that I've learned though, is there is a tremendous variety of private duty cases out there making it very difficult to give more than general guidelines.

Hope that helps a little!

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I would think that your employer or agency would have protocols in place that you will be following. Have you been through orientation yet?

Thanks Roser13,

the dilemma is i am not working for an agency so the orientation i get is mainly just the initial meeting of the perspective client. my employer is essentially my client, this is their first time having a PDN so everything is new to them as well.

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Well one thing you can do is, as you're doing direct care you can asked the client how they like it to be done. They wont know you are inexperienced if you appear confident.

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Specializes in Peds(PICU, NICU float), PDN, ICU.

I work for an agency. But I always ask the new families I work for what their preferences are. If there is a chance to meet before working, that's when I ask. I ask them everything from where to park, to if I can use the microwave, to which bathroom is for the nurses. I ask what the pt likes and doesn't like. I ask what the family likes and doesn't like. If they have had nursing before, i ask what has or hadn't worked for them in the past. I even ask if it's ok for me to wear lotion, wash my clothes in regular detergent, and to eat peanut products before work...I've had kids so sensitive that the nurses had to use special detergent, no lotion, and no peanut products. I ask if they prefer scrubs or casual dress. Some families like to be low key while in public and like the nurses to look like everyone else and other parents prefer scrubs either for the professional image or to show off. I ask if we wear shoes in the house or not. I also ask what they allow in the downtimes. Some families want you to stare at a wall when there is nothing to do, others offer their wifi code and a TV remote. Once I get to know the family, I can figure out what they would say yes or no to before I even ask. Good luck!

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What SDALPN said is perfect. When meeting a new nurse, I'd introduce them to my child (their patient), my other children, my husband, our 6 pets. I'd show them around the house. I'd explain my walnut/peanut allergy and explain our strict Kosher rules. I'd make sure they understand that I do not allow street shoes in the house but they are welcome to leave slippers or indoor shoes. I'd go over all of my son's equipment and generally how I like things done. I also asked about education, training and experience.

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I've found that, in caring for the patients in their home 1:1, there is so much more to know than just meds, dx, and hx.

I do peds and understanding how they've been cared for before thus far, what works and what doesn't work, likes and dislikes, family dynamic, rules of the house, etc. It's so much more personal caring for people in their home.

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