Specialty Requirements
- Degree
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- Associate's Degree in Nursing (ADN)
- Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Certifications
- None required
- 2-3 years in a prior hospital setting preferred
Characteristics
- Empathy
- Compassion,
- Observant
- Excellent listening and communication skills
- Attentive to detail
- Organized
- Critical thinking skills
- Patience
A Day in the Life
- Shift/Settings:
- Three 12 hour shifts in an acute care setting (hospital, assisted living facility/nursing home, or hospice care center)
- Shifts from 8-5 Monday-Friday with on-call hours on nights and weekends in the home care setting which can include assisted living facilities and nursing homes (Generally seeing 4-6 patients per day)
- Patient Population
- Hospice patients can be any age; however, patient must have been diagnosed with 6 or less months to live and have chosen hospice/comfort care instead of aggressive treatment.
- Specific patient population can depend on the company in which you work (pediatrics only, cancer only, etc.
Job Responsibilities
- Patient assessments for accurate admission into hospice; monitoring and documenting patient vital signs; administering medications (shots, pills, or IV medication); managing symptoms and pain; mental, emotional, and social support: educate family members on the condition of the patient, on medications, comfort and pain, and offer support; wound care; documentation of all care; communication of patient status and changes in condition to the rest of the hospice team; responding to emergency calls; acting as liaisons to other caregivers and spiritual guides; providing respite care to caregivers
Common Medications
- Anticholinergics, pain medications (oral, IV, and drips), antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications
- Common Diagnoses
- The most common diagnoses patients receiving Hospice care tend to have are Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), cancer, stroke, Dementia/Alzheimer's, failure to thrive- adults, heart disease/CHF, HIV, Huntington's Disease, liver disease, lung Disease/COPD, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, any non-specific terminal illness, Parkinson's Disease, renal failure, etc.