What I would look for in home nursing...
I have a lot to say about this topic too (imagine that). First of all, let's talk about the fact that if your child has a trach or a trach and a vent you will need home nursing and you will get home nursing covered through your insurance. The typical amount of hours you will receive is 10 to 12 hours. You will definetly need a nurse at night time while you sleep so someone can watch your baby. If you have Medicaid you will not be able to get more hours then this typically. If you have private insurance and a good case manager you can typically get more hours then this. Honestly, you are going to want as many hours as possible, especially if you have other children. Your baby on a trach and vent system will need to be watched at all times in case they pull themselves off the vent, in case they need a suction, or in case their oxygen level goes down. It is not safe to leave your child alone because of the fact that they can not cry and make noise to tell you they are in trouble, so you have to watch! I have called probably 8 times to ask and debate my hours staying at 20 hours a day. If you have a strong medical argument to keep nursing, and you can get letters from doctors, often they can give you the amount of hours you are asking for. You really just have to advocate for your baby. This can be frustrating and tiring work, but worth it for your babies safety.
Lets talk about nursing companies. We started with a large company far away called maxim. A representative from maxim came to the hospital. He said he had a lot of nurses in our area that had experience with babies and vents and he would have so many nurses they would be fighting for hours with us. He said all the right things and I felt good about his company taking care of my baby. It turns out maxim really just tells you what you want to hear to get you to work with them. I will tell you why I think this.
maxim started us with two nurses. They were fine nurses, but that is not enough to cover 20 hours a day everyday. They kept saying they were interviewing and they were working on it, but after three weeks of looking before we left the hospital and then three weeks of us getting twelve hours a day instead of 20 because they could not find nurses in the area, we began to look for other companies to supplement the first. We ended up finding a local company, private duty home healthcare.
The owner of the company came to see us in our home, meet Molly, and after telling her that we wanted to work with her had us fully staffed within two days. We ended up liking this nursing company so much we let maxim go and are now working with private duty alone.
I will tell you what I like about private duty! I have really liked all of the nurses they have sent here. They are professional, caring, and good nurses. Also if they are not able to cover a shift for Molly's care, the owner takes the shift. We have always Been covered. I also like that the owner brings each nurse here to meet us and gives them a day of training. Not all of the nurses are familiar with the vent system or baby's with tracheostomy. But they all have the nursing experience that allows for them to learn Molly's needs quickly and care for her in a way that I am comfertable with.
maxim started us with two nurses. They were fine nurses, but that is not enough to cover 20 hours a day everyday. They kept saying they were interviewing and they were working on it, but after three weeks of looking before we left the hospital and then three weeks of us getting twelve hours a day instead of 20 because they could not find nurses in the area, we began to look for other companies to supplement the first. We ended up finding a local company, private duty home healthcare.
The owner of the company came to see us in our home, meet Molly, and after telling her that we wanted to work with her had us fully staffed within two days. We ended up liking this nursing company so much we let maxim go and are now working with private duty alone.
I will tell you what I like about private duty! I have really liked all of the nurses they have sent here. They are professional, caring, and good nurses. Also if they are not able to cover a shift for Molly's care, the owner takes the shift. We have always Been covered. I also like that the owner brings each nurse here to meet us and gives them a day of training. Not all of the nurses are familiar with the vent system or baby's with tracheostomy. But they all have the nursing experience that allows for them to learn Molly's needs quickly and care for her in a way that I am comfertable with.
I am a teacher and will be going back to work. I hold the insurance of our family, which Molly really depends on. I took almost the entire year off last year to be with baby Molly in the hospital. Now we have just had to schedule our next heart surgery for September 13. I am going to go back to work for two weeks then take another four to six week leave to be with Molly at the hospital. But when I do go back to school I feel that I will be able to trust all of the nurses that work with her while I am gone for the day. When I first came home I had so much anxiety just leaving for a couple hours. Now I have enough confidence in my nursing I could leave for the day.
My advice on nursing is find a smaller local company that you could work with. My experience is that there is a nice personal trusting touch that these large companies do not possess.
My advice on nursing is find a smaller local company that you could work with. My experience is that there is a nice personal trusting touch that these large companies do not possess.