When looking to start a franchise business, healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors tend to gravitate towards home care. Nurse Next Door is now in Hampton Roads, Virginia! With their recent launch, we got to catch up with Kaylene Landers, owner of Nurse Next Door Hampton Roads and learn more about her! She has been a Registered Nurse for over 6 years, with a specialization in labor and delivery. Kaylene has gotten to work with hospital members and patients and knows what is needed and what could be enhanced, through home healthcare!
Kaylene says, “You learn a little bit of everything when you deliver babies. In life, my skills center around being really tenacious about doing the best job I can with whatever I am working on, and making sure the people around me are well taken care of and happy. ”
When looking to start a franchise business, healthcare professionals such as nurses and doctors tend to gravitate towards starting a home health care business. This might be attributed to the fact that many health/medical professionals see the day-ins and day-outs of the system and can identify the missing opportunities. When they become an entrepreneur and start their home care business, they will be able to fill in the blanks and bridge the missing gaps from hospital to post-discharge care. It’s a business of caring and by having the medical knowledge gives them an edge as they are well-versed in the language and processes.
Franchise Partners (business owners) of Nurse Next Door come from all walks of life, such as non-profit organizations, firefighting and even accounting and they all thrive and bring different skill sets to running their business. We also find that home care services is an industry that healthcare professionals resonate with deeply. In this interview, Kaylene dives deep into why she thinks a home care business would be perfect for Registered Nurses.
One simple question: Why Nurse Next Door?
When I started doing the initial research on starting a business, a franchise wasn’t in the forefront of my mind. At first, I was researching “starting a home health business for pregnant and postpartum mothers”. I was comparing different care companies and business opportunities available. Then I came across Nurse Next Door and I decided to research franchising more. I saw their website and immediately was drawn to their bold brand and their philosophy of Happier Aging. It stood out from the crowd on how much value they place in caring for people (employees and clients alike) and the additional services in place for franchise partners. It really aligns with how I choose to care for people as a nurse.
Can you talk a bit more about that and how you think home care can make a positive impact on not only seniors, but also their loved ones’ lives?
I had several experiences taking care of family members when I was younger that really shaped the manner in which I have chosen to take care for others as a nurse. In high school, my grandmother lived with us so I was lucky enough to be able to help out with her care. My grandmother was a registered nurse in WW2, who accumulated 40 years of experience in the field. In true nurse fashion, she was able to utilize the care she needed as a means to provide education to others on how to provide that care. I learned a great deal about caretaking from her, and through that experience.
About 10 years after I helped take care of my grandmother, I also had the privilege of being able to care for my godfather. His case was unique because he had Alzheimer’s, lived alone, and got into several situations that lead the courts to deem him incapacitated. At the time, I lived about 3 hours away from him and decided to go help him in any way I could. Ultimately that meant becoming the executor of his estate, as well as his guardian. I was able to ensure that he lived his days out according to his own wishes, with the best care available. That experience taught me a lot about caring for a person with memory problems, as well as the reality of what it meant to be the sole care provider for someone.
You’re a Registered Nurse with a background in Labor and Delivery. What are some key opportunities for caring for patients through home care?
Being able to care for the whole person is a great opportunity. When you provide care in a hospital, care is focused on the patient’s admitting diagnosis. Care is structured around the unit’s specific policies and procedures. Often, people need more care than that. There were many times that we would have to discharge patients knowing they needed more, but unable to facilitate the services or extra care they needed because of the nature of how the hospital system is structured.
Nurse Next Door changes all of that. The key opportunity here is the ability to care for clients, and their families, using a truly holistic approach; ensuring that all needs are met. It is the ability to go beyond the medical necessities and care for the client’s emotional, mental and physical wellbeing too.
How do you think home care could elevate the patient experience and compliment your local hospital systems?
The goal with patient care in general is always to ensure the overall happiness and safety of the client, as well as reduce hospital admissions and/or readmission. The holistic approach to home care, is exactly what is needed to achieve that goal. In order for clients to be compliant with any health plan, they need to feel like they were a part of the decision making process. They also need to be comfortable with the plan, and know how they can gauge their progress (or stability).
We have a unique position to put a Care Plan in place for preventative purposes, in an attempt to decrease the chances of negative outcomes. That, in turn, decreases hospital admissions. The same applies to our ability to step in and help post-hospital discharge. Creating a solid holistic plan, with the client driving the discussion, encourages compliance with the prescribed measures to promote healing; thus, in turn, decreasing readmission.
We want to bridge the gap from medical services received from the hospital to the home. Whether it be having Registered Nurses performing medical home care such as nursing care, or something more simple like meal preparation, light chores around the home, our excellent Certified Nursing Assistants and caregivers can support our clients with what they need to live happily at home!
Elevating the client experience has such positive outcomes for everyone involved, from family members to their care team.
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Tell us more about Hampton Roads!
Hampton roads is a really unique area because it is one of the biggest military hubs in the country. There are bases from every branch here. It makes the population really diverse. There is a huge opportunity here for improving the care given to veterans, which is something that I would love to be able to facilitate.
Hampton Roads is also a coastal community, so the majority of our area is surrounded by water. Because we are surrounded by water, traveling can be challenging because we have so many bridges and tunnels which can close at any time. Traffic around here can be quite bad and is also be a deterrent for many folks who don’t feel comfortable driving in it. It creates a real opportunity for us to step in and help if people need to go to doctors visits, or even the grocery store.
Williamsburg is a big retirement area for people that have lived in more urban areas, or up north because it is more rule but there are still things to do. It’s an area that will be a big opportunity for growth for Nurse Next Door because of the demographic of the population.
With extensive experience in the hospitals of VA, do you have a game plan on leveraging your knowledge and network?
My plan is to start with the providers and nurses that I know, and work from there. I have a great network of people in the medical community that understand who I am, and the care that I have provided as a nurse, who will be great referral sources as we start out. My hope is that once we establish ourselves as a leader of care in the area, the referral sources that know me will start referring to their contacts based on reputation.
How was the 1 week of Training at HeartQuarters in Vancouver?
Training week was an amazing experience. I learned so much not only about the business, but also about my ability to successfully run things. The concept of selling something is tough for me, but during that week I was able to shift my thought process from “salesman” to educator. I am much more at ease with the idea of learning what people need and then educating them on how we can make that happen.
There were so many things I learned from the other partners, especially the Australian partners. I learned about different ways to market the business, building a business plan, tips on the hiring process, how to ask the right questions, and ways to practice all the skills I learned. It was so awesome to build relationships with other partners because it made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this process. The other partners truly understood the array of emotions that you go through when you decide to take this leap, and having that community to fall back has been tremendously helpful.
What would you say is your biggest strength?
This is always a tough question to answer, but I really think my biggest strength is that I am tenacious. I am passionate about making a difference, which isn’t always an easy task. When times get tough, my ability to step back, reevaluate, and not give up is what ultimately helps me achieve goals.
What is one thing you think will require you to step outside your comfort zone?
I really don’t like to be the “center of attention,” so things like public speaking are difficult for me. I am a great one on one, or in a group of a few people, but I have always struggled with being in front of a group. When you are the face of a company, you are absolutely the center of it all, so it is something that I am going to have to get used to. In fact, when I started the process of becoming a Franchise Partner the biggest drawback for me was that I was going to have to really put myself out there, which is scary. But, I am tenacious enough not to let my insecurities stand in the way of making this a success. I keep reminding myself that pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone is the only way I will achieve personal and professional growth.
What aspect of the business are you most excited about?
Being able to care for people, both clients and employees, at the highest level of excellence.
What aspect of the business do you anticipate to be more challenging?
“Selling” the business before the brand can speak for itself. I am not a salesman, but I am a nurse and we educate. I have been focusing on trying to educate people about the services we will provide, but it can be a challenge to do that when you have no proof that service is what you say it will be.
How will you work towards overcoming that (obstacle/challenge)?
By trying to find solutions. This business is so fluid, meaning there are constant peaks and valleys that you have to navigate. With any obstacle it’s always best to first assess the obstacle, come up with a plan (or goals) to overcome it, and then actively work the plan.
What does Happier Aging mean to you?
Family. Spending time with my husband and 3 boys makes me so happy. I don’t have much free time these days, most of it is spent on the baseball field with my boys (which I wouldn’t have any other way!) I also love spending as much time with our extended family as we can. They all live out of town, so when we get everyone together it is extra special. When I do get a little free time, I love to be outside. Walking, running, going to the beach, sitting and reading a book on my porch. Sunshine makes me a happy person!
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- Discovery Video – 15 min overview of this opportunity
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- The Nurse Next Door opportunity
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I am fortunate to be Teri’s Mother-in-Law for as many years as she has been a nurse and I can tell you first hand she is a loving, caring and organized . It has been a delight to see her grow in her career, and as a wife and mother. From the time the first Dr. she worked for walked her down the aisle to marry John until now she continually was learning and working to be the very best she could be. It helped that she was blessed with a giving and loving nature and that has made her an outstanding nurse. Nurse Next Door is truly the obvious next step for Teri and I know she will succeed in making it a success and in so doing, make a lot of people who need help safer and happy. I love you, Teri — you go, girl.