If you are considering hiring a private in-home nurse in Bogota, here is exactly what to expect – what happens during a visit, how often visits happen, and where the line sits between a nurse and a caregiver.
The distinction
Nurse, caregiver or companion?
These three words get used interchangeably by agencies, and the difference matters enormously the first time something goes wrong. A companion keeps you company. A caregiver helps with washing, dressing and moving around. Neither is qualified to assess a wound, manage a surgical drain, give an injection or recognise a developing complication.
At Angeles Cuidadores all staff are licensed Colombian registered nurses, qualified for the full scope of clinical nursing – not personal care or companionship only. If you are comparing quotes and one is dramatically cheaper, this is usually why. Ask what licence the person holds before you compare prices.
The visit
What actually happens when a nurse arrives
A standard day visit runs one to two hours. It is not a social call – it is a structured clinical assessment with a written output that goes to your surgeon.
- Vital signs – temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
- Wound assessment and dressing changes
- Surgical drain measurement and emptying, with output recorded
- Medication management and administration, including prescribed injections
- Assessment for early signs of complications
- Mobility and positioning assistance
- Patient education in English, so you understand your own recovery
- Coordination with your surgeon in Spanish, and a written report
That last point is the one patients undervalue before they arrive and appreciate most afterwards. Your surgeon’s team works in Spanish. Having a nurse who can describe your drain output and wound status clinically, in their language, is worth more than any translation app.
Cadence
How often visits happen
Typically daily for the first week, tapering to every other day and then to on-call as you recover and your surgeon clears you for less supervision. Intensity front-loads because risk front-loads.
Patients travelling alone, or recovering from a procedure with drains, strict positioning rules or anticoagulation, often start with overnight or live-in care instead. See what in-home nursing costs in Bogota for how the tiers combine in practice.
Boundaries
What a nurse will not do
Your nurse works to your surgeon’s plan. She will not change a prescription, adjust an anticoagulant regimen, clear you to fly, or override a discharge instruction – those are your surgeon’s decisions. What she will do is notice when something needs the surgeon’s attention and escalate it the same day rather than at the next appointment.
This article is general information about how recovery is usually managed. Your surgeon’s discharge instructions always take precedence over anything written here.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can my nurse administer injections?
Yes, including low-molecular-weight heparin for clot prevention where your surgeon has prescribed it.
Will the same nurse come every time?
We aim for continuity, and for higher-acuity cases we treat it as a priority – knowing your baseline from yesterday is clinically useful.
Do nurses come to hotels?
Yes – hotels, apartments, Airbnbs and recovery houses anywhere in Bogota.
What does it cost?
Day visits are $60, an overnight registered nurse is $120 a night, and 24/7 live-in care is $180 a day, quoted in US dollars before you fly. See our published pricing for what each tier includes.