Careers
What is Private Duty Nursing, and is it a good fit for you?
Private Duty Nursing offers one-on-one, in-home care for patients with complex medical needs—giving nurses the opportunity to focus on one patient at a time.
By Natalie Cuevas
Marketing Manager, Interim HealthCare | April 2026
Private Duty Nursing is one-on-one, skilled nursing care provided in a patient’s home.
From a clinical standpoint, Private Duty Nursing is often covered through Medicaid and other insurance programs and provides continuous nursing care for patients with complex medical needs, often in extended shifts rather than short visits.
This is different from home health nursing, which is usually short visits focused on specific needs. PDN is ongoing and built around the patient’s daily routine.
A large portion of PDN is pediatric care
A lot of PDN cases involve pediatric patients with complex medical needs.
That can include:
- ventilator or tracheostomy care
- neurological conditions
- complications related to prematurity
Historically, many of these patients would have stayed in the hospital long term. Home-based care has made it possible for them to be at home instead, but that only works with consistent skilled nursing support (McCurdy, 2023).
What does a PDN nurse do?
The responsibilities depend on the patient, but generally include:
- medication administration
- monitoring condition and responding to changes
- managing equipment like vents or feeding tubes
- supporting daily routines
- communicating with families and care teams
The structure is what makes it different. You’re focused on one patient for your shift, not managing multiple at once.
Working with families over time in the home
One part of PDN that stands out is being involved when patients transition from the hospital to home.
That process can be a big adjustment. Families are learning new routines, new equipment, and what day-to-day care looks like outside of a clinical setting.
PDN nurses help make that transition more manageable.
Care also isn’t static. Patients grow, their needs change, and the care adjusts with them. In many cases, nurses stay with the same patient long term, which creates a level of familiarity and consistency that you don’t always get in other settings.
Over time, you become someone the family relies on, not just for clinical care, but for guidance and stability in a situation that can be complicated.
Why some nurses choose PDN
Many nurses come into PDN after working in hospitals, facilities, or other high-volume environments.
Some of the reasons they make the switch are straightforward:
- one-on-one patient focus
- more consistent schedules
- less constant reprioritization throughout a shift
- the ability to follow a patient’s progress over time
There’s also research showing that work environments with more autonomy and better support systems tend to lead to better outcomes and higher job satisfaction for nurses (Pires et al., 2018).
PDN naturally creates more of that structure compared to settings where you’re managing multiple patients at once.
Support structure matters
Even though PDN is one-on-one care, you’re not working independently without support.
At Interim HealthCare, PDN nurses work alongside:
- case managers
- home health clinical teams
- office and scheduling support
Because of the broader services available, there’s also a continuum of care in place, which helps support both the patient and the nurse as needs change.
Is PDN a good fit?
PDN tends to work well for nurses who prefer a more consistent environment and want to focus on one patient at a time.
It may be a good fit if you:
- want more time to focus on patient care
- prefer a predictable setting
- are comfortable working more independently while still having support available
It’s not always the right fit for nurses who prefer fast-paced environments with a lot of variety throughout the day.
Thinking about making a change?
Explore current PDN opportunities or connect with our recruiting team to learn more and stay in touch about future roles.
Sources
- Department of Medicaid. Private Duty Nursing Overview
- McCurdy, F. (2023). Private Duty Nursing: How Much Is Enough? Clinical Pediatrics
- Pires, B. et al. (2018). Nurse Work Environment: Comparison Between Private and Public Hospitals