Question:
Has anyone hired a private nurse

I am considering surgery and I am trying to cover all the bases (who knew there were so many bases??) Anyhow, I have read many profiles and many hospital reviews. I have come to the conclusion that much of what goes wrong post-op including complications and general discomfort is a result of short-staffed hospitals who can not (and sometimes will not) provide the care that is needed when a patient is in need . I have never been operated on and I can not at all say this from actual experience. One of the things that I am terrified of is calling for a nurse who does not come or having a complication and simply not getting help in time. I was planning to have my Mom and Boyfriend come and help but I am not sure that they can stay the night in the hospital. My boyfriend also wakes up disoriented when he is stressed or in an unknown enviornment (not a pretty picture, since he is a black-belt matrial artist). To get to the point, my question is; does anyone have experience with hiring a private nurse to stay with them in the hospital? If they have was it worth the money? How much did it cost? And is this an option?? If it means my health and comfort, I am willing to spend the money. Believe it or not, I am really not a high-maintenance girl, just a scared one.    — meliss0725 (posted on March 18, 2003)

March 17, 2003
I'd check w/ your hospital to see what their requirements are if you do want to go ahead and hire someone; as far as your mom goes, also, check with the hospital. Some have facilities for family members to stay.
   — lorien

March 17, 2003
Statistics have shown that people have fewer concerns and complications when there is a family memeber or friend that stays 24/7 in the hospital with them. I have also done private duty sitting in a hospital and it is very expensive, VERY. The private nurse is not allowed to give medications to you while in the hospital. Only the hospital staff so you can get by much cheaper than hiring a nurse. You could call a medical temp agency and ask to hire a SITTER. This is a non-trained person who just sits and makes sure that you get the help you need. She or he calls the nurse for you and makes sure the nurse comes. In other words, that person is your advocate and does not need medical training. Hospital staff does all the work and your person just sees that they do. Also, some hospital's nursing director offices keep lists of people that can be hired for this purpose. This route is much cheaper that hiring a regular private duty lpn or rn. I am an r.n. and i can tell you, I got paid big bucks for doing this.
   — Delores S.

March 22, 2003
another aspect, visit the hospital you are planning to have surgery at. Check out the staffing levels. there should be an RN for every 4-6 patients on a regular med surg floor. If staffing is inadequate I would look for a different hospital and let them know in writing why you are not having your surgery at their facility. Inadequate staffing is just one aspect of the quality of your care. I am a hospital based RN and private duty nurses will not be allowed to do much for you due to liability reasons for the hospital, the don't want the private duty nurse to mess up something and they get sued for it. If staffing is that poor I feel strongly that other issues will be there.
   — **willow**