Private Duty Nursing at Home in Minnesota

What private duty nursing is

Private duty nursing — sometimes called home care nursing or extended-hour nursing — is skilled nursing care provided in a person's own home by a registered nurse (RN) or licensed practical nurse (LPN). Instead of a short visit, the nurse stays for a shift, which may run for several hours at a time, overnight, or across multiple shifts each week.

It is intended for people whose medical needs are continuous enough that they cannot safely be met by intermittent visits alone, and whose care would otherwise require a hospital or facility setting.

How it differs from intermittent skilled nursing visits

Intermittent skilled nursing is a short, task-focused visit — a wound dressing change, a medication set-up, an assessment — typically lasting under an hour and scheduled a few times a week.

Private duty nursing is continuous observation and care across a shift. The distinction matters because the two are authorized differently, documented differently, and funded differently.

• Intermittent skilled nursing

  Short visits for a specific clinical task, with the nurse leaving when the task and assessment are complete.

• Private duty / extended-hour nursing

  Shift-based nursing presence for people who need ongoing monitoring, technology support, or frequent intervention.

• Non-medical home care

  Companionship, homemaking and personal cares provided by unlicensed caregivers. This is not nursing, and we do not present it as such.

Who may benefit

Private duty nursing is considered for people of any age whose condition requires skilled nursing judgment throughout the day or night. Whether it is appropriate in a particular situation is a clinical decision made with the person's healthcare providers.

• Children and adults who depend on medical technology at home
• People recently discharged from a hospital or long-term care facility with ongoing skilled needs
• People with progressive or complex conditions requiring frequent nursing assessment
• Families caring for a loved one at home who need skilled nursing coverage for part of the day or night

The role of RNs and LPNs

Registered nurses assess, plan, delegate and evaluate care, and coordinate with the ordering provider. Licensed practical nurses provide skilled nursing care within their scope of practice under RN supervision, following the written plan of care.

Both work from the same plan of care, and both document what they observe so that changes in condition reach the right clinician quickly. Nursing scope of practice in Minnesota is set by the Minnesota Board of Nursing, and our nurses practice within it.

Care coordination

Nursing care at home works when everyone is reading the same page. We coordinate with the ordering provider, specialists, case managers, therapists, equipment suppliers and — most importantly — the family, so the plan of care reflects what is actually happening at home.

Families are part of the care team, not an audience for it. We aim to keep communication direct, regular and plain-spoken.

How services may be authorized

Private duty nursing is usually authorized before care begins. A physician or other authorized provider orders the nursing care, the payer reviews the request, and the approved hours are written into the plan of care. We can walk families through what their own payer requires and what documentation is typically involved.