Starting a home care agency? Still a nursing student.

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I'm currently in Ontario and am starting a home care agency this June. I've been planning it out for the past four months, have a $3000 grant from the government, and $10,000 of disposable income from my last job.

However, I'm still a second year nursing student and I have to start it this summer to get the grant.

Is there anybody out there who has a home care agency, or is thinking of starting one, and has advice for me? Or even somebody who has started a business as a student. I'd love to keep in touch with you!

P.S. I know it will be difficult as a student. I've worked 40 hour weeks at my previous jobs during the school year while maintaining straight A's. I'm positive that I'm capable of starting it up and gaining clients from June to the beginning of September, as well as maintaining the business during the school year.

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to Canada Nursing forum

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milesims, are you a member of RNAO's independent practice nurses interest group and the Canadian association of nurses in independent practice? Have you read articles, books,etc on becoming a nurse entrepreneur in Canada?

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I have read many books on becoming an entrepreneur, but I have not even heard of "nurse entrepreneur" organizations and books. I will definitely look into it, thank you very much for the information!

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Hi milesims!

I am also a nursing student in ON with a similar idea and was looking into the ontario summer company, which I am assuming is where you got your $3000 grant from...? I was just wondering about the application process and the requirements for the grant. The description says you need to complete 420 hours. In order to meet this requirement, are they only counting the time that you spend directly working with clients, or the time you are building the business and recruiting clients also?

Best of luck with everything!

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The 420 hours does include the time spent with clients and the time building the business. You need to submit a business plan before the end of April, they have to approve it, and you get your money within 30 days.

I would suggest getting a mentor or two. I'm with a business center in my city. They edited my business plan for me, and I went to their classes for the past few months. There are a lot of things to consider in this business, and that's not even including the laws and regulations for temporary help agencies.

If you'd like to talk more about this, email me at [email protected] or just reply to this post.

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Specializes in Public Health.
The 420 hours does include the time spent with clients and the time building the business. You need to submit a business plan before the end of April, they have to approve it, and you get your money within 30 days.

I would suggest getting a mentor or two. I'm with a business center in my city. They edited my business plan for me, and I went to their classes for the past few months. There are a lot of things to consider in this business, and that's not even including the laws and regulations for temporary help agencies.

If you'd like to talk more about this, email me at [email protected] or just reply to this post.

What is your plan for hiring staff, because ultimately you can't see patients without nurses, and as a nursing student you wouldn't be permitted to work as a nurse, which you obviously know. You would need at least one RN on staff at all times during working hours (because RPNs always need access to an RN as per the college of nurses)... That money doesn't look like it will stretch too far.

Also, what knowledge level do you have surrounding home/community care? That is going to be absolutely key to your success. Do you know how to go about getting patients? All patients that need home care are contracted out by CCAC to the different home care agencies, do you know how to navigate that system? It is quite complex.

The home care agency I work for (CarePartners) was started at a kitchen table in someone's dining room many years ago. It is certainly doable, just make sure you know that it is far more complex than just starting a business because of the fact that you need to know how to navigate the health care system as well.

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A home care agency and a health home care agency are two very different things. Do you plan on starting a medical or non-medical home care agency?

A home care agency does not require an RN or a doctor on staff at all times to supervise operations and a health home care agency does. A home care agency is simply a temporary help agency, and you can only manage PSWs and/or nursing students to help patients with non-medical needs, such as activities of daily living.

I have many different referral systems set up in order to get clients, including social workers, a food deliverer, a pharmacy, and many clinics that are wiling to hand out or place my brochures with their clients and in their offices. I met them all through my business classes.

I plan on expanding into a health home care agency after I receive my RN licensing so I don't have to hire an RN to supervise.

A home care agency, from what I've researched, is very low cost. I have a free office at my university for hiring employees, and the grant will be covering transportation costs to client's houses, my phone bill, and I can focus thousands on marketing. I'm hiring nursing students and PSWs. I have to spend the whole $3000 in that grant, so I plan on spending $2500 on marketing and the $500 on phone and transportation.

I admit I still have to do more research on CCAC. From what I understand so far, they plan patient discharge from hospitals and refer home care agencies and health home care agencies. I know there's an annual application process in order to be part of their referral system, and I have the application sheet.

I have two years experience in clinical (we start clinical rotations in first year here) regarding working with elderly patients who have difficulty performing their ADLs. I have about $15,000 extra I can spend on this from my last job, so money is not that much of a concern for me.

What have you learned about CCAC so far? I'm interested in knowing, since it is confusing.

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Are you going to have a website for your company? It would would be a good way to market it. Also, have you checked out non-profit agencies that provide home support services to the elderly and disabled? Suggest you look at sprintseniorcare org, there are lots of good ideas for you business model.

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Yes, I am already working on the website. And I will definitely look into sprintseniorcare, I was looking for a website like this. Thank you very much for the information! This will help a lot!

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@milesims, are you in the GTA?

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I thought you meant Grand Theft Auto at first, hahaha.

I googled it just now, is it in Toronto? Unfortunately, I'm in the Windsor area.

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