Self employment consulting

[Deb LPN/BHS]

I am considering going independent in the field of Breast Health Specialist, I did the route of certification and have contacted several oncologists and surgeons who seem to speicialize in the area of breast surgical procedures and have gotten semi warm receptions. The concerns they have are how they can bill for my services. I looked up the ICD-9 code and got into the consulting areas and believe I may have found something. The response didn't improve at all. So I went to SCORE and they suggested the route of the surgeons was perfect since my base educational status is LPN. The problem there is lack of patience, I want to do what I am trained to do now, and not wait until I'm too old to care anymore and someone else is caring for me. I am also a licensed chaplain because I wanted to expand my education base, and will be attending bereavement counseling courses to do the same. Currently I'm employed full time as an Assistant Patient Care Coordinator for a local home health care agency. Any suggestions and opinions would be greatly appreciated, and no I'm not interested in becoming an RN.

[nightingale, RN]

Hi Deb:

First of all, " Welcome to the BB".

I did not want your query to go unanswered; frankly, I do not have a lot of expertise in your field. I do have a gut feeling tht perhaps you could combine efforts of your couseling expertise and nursing profession to possibly explore Parish Nursing. Perhaps working via a church will give you some edge and get your name out to allow doctors to pursue your expertise. Honestly, if their initial reaction is that your services would not be billable then you need to show them how you can save "them time" and we know how time is money for a busy professional.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing.

Night