Nurse freelancing?

[fiveriver]

If you could be hired on a visit by visit basis by a hospital, would you prefer that over the regular shift work?

For example, Mt. Sinai calls you and says we need you to go check up on heart failure patient John at his house and make sure he's taking his medications. And you could have several such visits a day, would you prefer that over the typical shift work of a nurse?

Why or why not?

Thanks for the help everybody.

[Episteme]

I think it's called "Home Health" not "Freelancing". Or am I confused about your question?

[loriangel14, RN]

This exists.It's called home health.You aren't hired by the hospital,usually it's an agency.

[fiveriver]

Thanks for the responses guys. You're right but I wanted to differentiate it from the connotation of homehealth being of longer contract period. This is also homehealth but for only 1 visit, and does not require affiliation with an agency. So essentially, every day is a new business day. Makes sense? Thoughts?

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Hospitals provide such services through skilled home health as do visiting nurse agencies.

Not all home health clients require extended visits and long term care.

Those requiring extensive long term or complex care usually require shift work and that falls under private duty nursing home health.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Is this homework? Are you asking about a job you have been offered?

[loriangel14, RN]

Thanks for the responses guys. You're right but I wanted to differentiate it from the connotation of homehealth being of longer contract period. This is also homehealth but for only 1 visit, and does not require affiliation with an agency. So essentially, every day is a new business day. Makes sense? Thoughts?

No it doesn't make sense. You couldn't "freelance". You would have to answer to somebody.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

RNs can have an autonomous practice. You don't necessarily have to report or "answer to" someone, but you'd better be extremely clear on the scope of practice for RNs. Pretty much all you would be doing in the situation you describe is doing nursing assessments and following up with a physician for any abnormal findings that would indicate a change in medical condition. Changes in nursing diagnosis that you could assess, diagnose, and treat as an RN, you could do without physician prescription as an autonomous nurse. But who would be paying you?