The different types of private duty nursing jobs include positions offered by hospitals, home health care agencies, private doctors or those that are requested by a patient’s family members. Such specialized nursing jobs encompass a variety of services that are provided via in-home nursing care for patients with severe medical or aging issues. These positions are offered to registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. Private duty nursing jobs typically entail long-term, continuous patient care for pediatric, adult and elderly patients. Some may require nurses to live in a patient’s home, assist patients with outside activities such as attending school or may require nurses to work as relief staff for another private duty nurse or caregiver.
Private duty nursing jobs are often offered through a home health care agency or by a hospital’s nursing staff. Nurses are paired with a patient after a doctor determines that in-home care is a better treatment plan than long-term hospital admittance. Private duty nursing jobs such as these follow the specific treatment plan of the patient’s physicians and may require nurses to work on an hourly basis or actually live in a patient’s home while providing services.
Some who work in private duty nursing jobs provide care for terminally ill patients or patients with severe disabilities who are unable to care for themselves without assistance. Nurses are often required to go beyond monitoring vital signs, administering medications and assuring a patient’s comfort; many are also required to accompany patients in daily activities. For instance, a private duty nurse may attend school with a physically handicapped child or may travel with a wheelchair-bound adult patient whose work requires frequent travel.
Many work in private duty nursing jobs caring for elderly patients. Some families prefer that elderly relatives suffering from dementia or who are physically unable to live on their own be taken care of by a private duty nurse instead of living in a nursing facility. Often, these types of private duty nursing jobs are offered through home health care agencies.
Private duty nursing jobs may be worked on a full-time basis where one nurse is assigned to one patient. A private duty nurse who works part time, however, may also be assigned to relieve another nurse who works with a patient full time. Some private nursing jobs may even require a nurse to work on an on-call basis for emergency or interim situations where a primary nurse or caregiver will be unavailable for a brief period of time.