What is a real AM or NOC with a private duty patient?

[LorettaKinat]

I am seriously considering becoming a private duty nurse after years of working in a hospital environment.

I don't know who to ask these questions to without sounding like a "loafer" or someone who has lived under a rock.

I understand the medical attention and care and charting and doctor's orders and meds for Private Duty. What I don't know is how does one blend into the family during the shift? I do NOT want to be a live in, I want an 8 or 12 hour shift private duty nurse case - I am not interested in home health/intemittent visits. I realize that some of these will be the patient/family preference but what is typical? Are these normal questions to ask the family or the agency that sends me? Here are my questions:

Scrubs or street clothes?

Bring my own food or eat with the family?

If I bring my own food, can I use the kitchen to prepare (micorwave)?

Do I stay in the patient's room all the time?

Is it ok to bring a book to read or knitting, etc?

If it is the NOC shift, is it ok to dose off in a chair in the patient's room (as long as I can hear the vent alarms, etc.)

Is it ok to watch TV during a patient's nap?

Do I communicate with the doctor daily?

Is there charting?

Who do I report to if there is a medical crisis?

If the patient needs 24 hour care, what are shift changes like with the other nurse?

How much authority do I have? If I disagree with a doctor's assessment, do I tell the doctor or the family or the patient?

Do I bring my own infection control supplies? Gloves, masks, goggles?

Finally, is there more "security" or "protection" if I go through a nurse agency or is it better to find a patient on my own? And how do I do that?

Again, I know that most of this will be up to the family but I have no idea how to ask these questions if the family does not bring it up?

I am a very hard working nurse and I do not expect private duty nursing to be easy but I just wonder what does one do with one's self during naps, etc.

Any insight of the day to day (night to night) reality of a private duty case is greatly appreciated.

[dazzle256]

I am seriously considering becoming a private duty nurse after years of working in a hospital environment.

I don't know who to ask these questions to without sounding like a "loafer" or someone who has lived under a rock.

I understand the medical attention and care and charting and doctor's orders and meds for Private Duty. What I don't know is how does one blend into the family during the shift? I do NOT want to be a live in, I want an 8 or 12 hour shift private duty nurse case - I am not interested in home health/intemittent visits. I realize that some of these will be the patient/family preference but what is typical? Are these normal questions to ask the family or the agency that sends me? Here are my questions:

Scrubs or street clothes?

Bring my own food or eat with the family?

If I bring my own food, can I use the kitchen to prepare (micorwave)?

Do I stay in the patient's room all the time?

Is it ok to bring a book to read or knitting, etc?

If it is the NOC shift, is it ok to dose off in a chair in the patient's room (as long as I can hear the vent alarms, etc.)

Is it ok to watch TV during a patient's nap?

Do I communicate with the doctor daily?

Is there charting?

Who do I report to if there is a medical crisis?

If the patient needs 24 hour care, what are shift changes like with the other nurse?

How much authority do I have? If I disagree with a doctor's assessment, do I tell the doctor or the family or the patient?

Do I bring my own infection control supplies? Gloves, masks, goggles?

Finally, is there more "security" or "protection" if I go through a nurse agency or is it better to find a patient on my own? And how do I do that?

Again, I know that most of this will be up to the family but I have no idea how to ask these questions if the family does not bring it up?

I am a very hard working nurse and I do not expect private duty nursing to be easy but I just wonder what does one do with one's self during naps, etc.

Any insight of the day to day (night to night) reality of a private duty case is greatly appreciated.

I did private duty for a couple of years. Mostly vent dependant pts. I wore street clothes ... hardly ever communicated with the doctor unless something was wrong. ...it depended on the family but most of the time I tried hard not to get in the way of their family life ie eating with them etc. One pt didn't have a family... us nurses was all he had. Anymore questions email me [email protected]