I work private duty, and I go to school with my client, who is in high school. The client has a trach, which means he has to have a nurse instead of an aide (agency policy, not the school district's). He goes to a few classes and some therapy. I thought it was odd that my client didn't have an individual classroom aide, like some of the less disabled students I've seen. Today, I found out why.
I finally got a look at my client's IEP (Individiual Education Plan), and realized that I'm expected to provide instruction! I'm supposed to do a few things every day and see how my client responds. I had no idea. I'm a nurse, not a teacher. I've read books to my client, asked questions (the client uses a switch to communicate, though not well), and put on music, but I'm not sure what else I'm expected to do.
Is this the norm for Private Duty nurses in school? I like the job otherwise, but I'm wondering if I'm being taken advantage of.
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I work private duty, and I go to school with my client, who is in high school. The client has a trach, which means he has to have a nurse instead of an aide (agency policy, not the school district's). He goes to a few classes and some therapy. I thought it was odd that my client didn't have an individual classroom aide, like some of the less disabled students I've seen. Today, I found out why.
I finally got a look at my client's IEP (Individiual Education Plan), and realized that I'm expected to provide instruction! I'm supposed to do a few things every day and see how my client responds. I had no idea. I'm a nurse, not a teacher. I've read books to my client, asked questions (the client uses a switch to communicate, though not well), and put on music, but I'm not sure what else I'm expected to do.
Is this the norm for Private Duty nurses in school? I like the job otherwise, but I'm wondering if I'm being taken advantage of.