Private duty nursing
Encyclopedia
Private duty nursing is the care of clients by nurses, whether an RN (Registered Nurse
) or LPN/LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse
).
Most nurses who provide private duty care are working one-on-one with individual clients. Sometimes such care is provided in the client's home, or an institution, such as a hospital
, nursing home
or other such facility.
Private duty nursing was a far more widespread practice prior to the introduction (in 1964) of intensive care unit
s where nurses provide care to a limited number of clients in what is usually a more high-tech situation.
Many private duty nurses are self-employed or work as contractors. The practice of private duty nursing was in many senses a precursor to a rise (in the 1980s) of wider-scale nurse entrepreneurs.
Non-medical care could be provided by the nurse but is most often provided by unlicensed assistive personnel such as nursing assistants, home-health aides, sitters, professional homemakers, or other titles. These caregivers often do minor housekeeping chores for their clients, but they cannot provide skilled nursing care.
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
) or LPN/LVN (Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed Practical Nurse
Licensed practical nurse is the term used in much of the United States and most Canadian provinces to refer to a nurse who cares for "people who are sick, injured, convalescent, or disabled under the direction of registered nurses and physicians. The term licensed vocational nurses is used in...
).
Most nurses who provide private duty care are working one-on-one with individual clients. Sometimes such care is provided in the client's home, or an institution, such as a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
or other such facility.
Private duty nursing was a far more widespread practice prior to the introduction (in 1964) of intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
s where nurses provide care to a limited number of clients in what is usually a more high-tech situation.
Many private duty nurses are self-employed or work as contractors. The practice of private duty nursing was in many senses a precursor to a rise (in the 1980s) of wider-scale nurse entrepreneurs.
Non-medical care could be provided by the nurse but is most often provided by unlicensed assistive personnel such as nursing assistants, home-health aides, sitters, professional homemakers, or other titles. These caregivers often do minor housekeeping chores for their clients, but they cannot provide skilled nursing care.