Nursing Services

Home Health Nurse

Dependent on your child's needs, a home health nurse will typically come weekly and can potentially do central line dressing changes, weekly weight, draw blood/labs and examine your child (listen to lungs, take temp. etc).

Private Duty Nursing

A variety of services, typically from an RN or LPN, are potentially available from a private duty nursing service. In this type of nursing care, typically a certain number of hours is approved per week.
The nurses generally can do any direct care responsibilities associated with your child such as feeding, ostomy care, TPN, medication and play to indirect care such as cleaning your child's dishes, washing your child's clothes and picking up your child's room. The nurses can watch your child while you are home or not home. Nurses can also go to preschool or school with your child.
If may be difficult to obtain private duty nursing services if you have demonstrated several months (or years) of taking care of your child without additional support, so you may want to consider asking for private duty nursing when your child is first discharged from the hospital. A physician order or script is required for the service.
Plan to provide specific details as to why you need private duty nursing care - i.e. so you can work outside of the home, so you can work in the home, because you have other children to take of or to allow you to manage your household (shop, clean, pay bills, etc).
Your primary insurance may or may not cover private duty nursing. Secondary insurance is often more willing to pick up the uncovered hours.