The Life of a Private Nurse

In our day of big hospitals and privatization of organized resources, the idea of having a private nurse seems dated and something only the rich can have. Yet for many people in the nursing profession, being a private nurse brings them all the joys of owning their own business with all the responsibilities for care which led them into nursing in the first place. Private nursing is not only a thriving profession, but a growing part of the medical landscape as people with chronic diseases spend less hospital time and more time at home.

History Repeats Itself

Private nurses were actually the norm at one point in time. In the early days of America there were not many hospitals and most were kept fully staffed. Nurses who graduated would sign up with their college alumni association and be referred to people who needed a personal nurse. Sometimes there was a lot of medical care involved, and sometimes the person essentially became a nanny. Children still play a big role in private nursing. Families with chronically ill or developmentally disabled children often hire a private nurse to be available for round the clock health care or be a tutor and aid to their children.

Agencies

While school alumni organizations now do different things (like gather money for new football stadiums), there are agencies who place private nurses and send them to assignments. Similar to home health care, private nurses who work for agencies often get benefits, insurance coverage and are given all the tools and equipment they need to keep their patient well served.

Many families trying to care for someone with Alzheimer's disease rely on private nurses to provide adequate health care and administer medicines at the proper way and time. Agencies handle all the billing and cover the nurse if they get sick or need a vacation, although they do cut into a private nurse's profit margin.

Independent Businesses

Some nurses decide they don't want a middle man agency to channel and assign their business. These nurses go into business for themselves offering live-in or hourly coverage. They usually work with one family until the patient recovers or passes away, and rely on word of mouth for the next placement. While the joy of owning your own business and getting all the profit can be fun, the work can be exhausting and you will need to find resources available in case you get sick or have a family emergency. The other drawback is some insurance companies won't pay for independent nurses so the nurse has to find private pay patients willing to personally compensate them.

Home health care and private nursing can be an amazing employment experience. You get to work closely with a family and make life changing relationships while offering health care to someone. You won't have to do all the things a hospital nurse does, but you won't have the hours and the headaches either. For many, private nursing is a new option that is a blast from the past.