How to hire a private duty nurse

How to hire a private duty nurse, step by step

Here's a step-by-step private duty nurse hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a private duty nurse job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new private duty nurse
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a private duty nurse do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a private duty nurse, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A private duty nurse's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, private duty nurses from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of private duty nurses.

   Type of Private Duty Nurse	Description	Hourly rate
   Private Duty Nurse	Registered nurses (RNs) provide and coordinate patient care, educate patients and the public about various health conditions, and provide advice and emotional support to patients and their family members.	$19-35
   Nurse Educator	A nurse educator is responsible for teaching aspiring professional nurses, designing courses according to the curriculum, and organizing activities to practice and enhance the students' knowledge. Nurse educators manage clinical activities and observe the students' performance in actual training... Show more	$22-46
   Nurse Extern	The job of a nurse extern is to assist the mentor nurse in their nursing duties. They help the mentor nurse in various medical procedures such as administering medications or starting intravenous therapies... Show more	$13-22

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Home Health
   • Patients
   • Medication Administration
   • Hospice Care
   • Vital Signs
   • Trach Care
   • Tracheostomy
   • IV
   • ADL
   • Quality Care
   • Medical Equipment
   • Physical Therapy
   • Patient Care
   • Patient Education

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Ventriculostomies and interpret ICP and CVP readings.
   • Manage patient care monitoring vital signs, performing physical assessment, checking patients medications for effectiveness.
   • Communicate with medicaid, and insurance companies to ensure patients receive appropriate care and payment of procedures and medication.
   • Provide daily assessments, ADL's medication management and any necessary medical treatments.
   • Monitor ventilator and oxygen saturation regularly; offer medication, treatments, and tracheostomy care.
   • Provide care to home bound individuals with tracheostomy, ventilator assistance patients, administration of medications, referrals

   More private duty nurse duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your private duty nurse job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A private duty nurse can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, private duty nurses' average salary in florida is 52% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level private duty nurses 45% less than senior-level private duty nurses.
   • Certifications. A private duty nurse with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a private duty nurse's salary.

   Average private duty nurse salary

   $55,518yearly

   $26.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level private duty nurse salary

   $41,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average private duty nurse salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$79,446	$38
   2	New York	$74,556	$36
   3	New Jersey	$74,263	$36
   4	Michigan	$62,717	$30
   5	Colorado	$60,312	$29
   6	Delaware	$59,884	$29
   7	Minnesota	$58,663	$28
   8	Maryland	$57,898	$28
   9	Virginia	$56,739	$27
   10	Illinois	$56,515	$27
   11	Wyoming	$55,599	$27
   12	North Carolina	$54,278	$26
   13	Ohio	$52,636	$25
   14	Texas	$52,404	$25
   15	Indiana	$51,817	$25
   16	Georgia	$51,077	$25
   17	South Carolina	$50,624	$24
   18	Mississippi	$49,924	$24
   19	Iowa	$49,568	$24
   20	Missouri	$44,939	$22

   Average private duty nurse salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Health First	$62,233	$29.92	33
   2	AssistedCare at Home	$61,979	$29.80	2
   3	The Visiting Nurse Association Of Greater Philadelphia	$61,480	$29.56
   4	LHC Group	$60,976	$29.32	604
   5	AccentCare	$60,928	$29.29	45
   6	MedCare Pediatric Group	$60,158	$28.92	9
   7	Team Select Home Care	$59,520	$28.62	98
   8	Amazing Care Home Health Services	$59,487	$28.60	127
   9	Extended Family Care Services	$59,275	$28.50
   10	Pediatric Healthcare	$59,159	$28.44
   11	Christiana Care Health Services, Inc.	$59,127	$28.43	66
   12	Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	$58,900	$28.32	7
   13	UnitedHealth Group	$58,702	$28.22	697
   14	Hospice of Hope	$58,562	$28.15	4
   15	Maxim Healthcare Group	$58,557	$28.15	926
   16	Air Methods	$58,318	$28.04	71
   17	Craig HomeCare	$57,752	$27.77	31
   18	Continuum Pediatric Nursing	$57,706	$27.74
   19	Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care Careers	$57,399	$27.60
   20	Priority Healthcare	$57,314	$27.55

4. Writing a private duty nurse job description

   A private duty nurse job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a private duty nurse job description:

   Private duty nurse job description example

   Rates starting at $120 per hour ( varies by client, negotiated prior to starting case )

   About Us

   For 20 years, TheKey, has delivered quality in-home care, supporting older adults with a wide range of needs and age-related conditions. We’ve provided over a million hours of care to families just like yours. Today, we’re the country’s leading provider of premium in-home care, offering an even broader range of care services.

   Concierge Nursing Referral Services is an established, premier nursing referral service branch of TheKey that provides placement assistance for nurses (RN and LVN) and therapists (PT, PTA, OT, etc.) We provide in-home clinical services to clients throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Palm Springs and San Francisco Bay areas.

   We are continuing to build our network of highly-skilled, passionate, and caring clinicians... JUST LIKE YOU!

   We have some of the most respected clinical professionals in our communities currently partnering with TheKey on our mission to bring quality, personalized private duty care to the homes of clients throughout California.

   This is because we offer:

   • FLEXIBILITY - As a 1099 independent contractor, you determine your schedule, volume of work and which clients / cases you’ll accept
   • HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PAY - You negotiate your rate with every new case, and we ensure that you are always paid top dollar for the services that you provide.
   • 1:1 IN-HOME PATIENT CARE - Finally get out of chaotic, clinical environments & practice care in the comfort of patient homes
   • REFERRAL BONUSES – You are immediately eligible to receive a bonus for any clinician that joins our team through your referral!

   Job Description

   This is a 1099 position that offers flexibility and variety!

   Client needs vary, including 24/7 care, ADL assistance, medication administration, wound care, IV hydration/treatment, post-op monitoring, etc. All shifts and availability currently needed ( AM, PM, Weekdays, Weekends, 12 hour, Intermittent Visits, etc. )

   About You

   You are a self-starter, reliable, communicative, and above all, caring!

   • Two years RN experience preferred
   • Previous home care/private duty experience a plus!

   Requirements

   Licensed Registered Nurse in the state of California

   INDCON

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5. Post your job

   To find the right private duty nurse for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with private duty nurses they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit private duty nurses who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your private duty nurse job on Zippia to find and attract quality private duty nurse candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit private duty nurses, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new private duty nurse

   Once you have selected a candidate for the private duty nurse position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new private duty nurse first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a private duty nurse?