Hospice Registered Nurse

Gentiva Hospice • Waldron, AR

1d

About The Position

The Hospice Registered Nurse (also referred to as a Hospice RN or RN Case Manager) provides personalized hospice and palliative nursing care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. The role serves as a primary contact for patients and families, delivering skilled care in patients’ homes, assisted living facilities, or other settings where they reside. The nurse assesses and monitors patient needs, provides symptom management and education, and develops and updates individualized plans of care in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team.

The position includes supporting patients and loved ones emotionally, physically, and spiritually; teaching caregivers; communicating changes in patient condition; coordinating transitions and referrals; and maintaining complete, timely clinical records. The nurse also follows infection-control, regulatory, and organizational standards and participates in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable. Work takes place in patients’ homes or institutional settings and in an automobile, with potential exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials.

Requirements

• Registered Nurse.
• At least one year of RN experience in acute care hospital, oncology, long-term care, hospice, or home health; school internships and clinical hours may be considered in individual cases.
• Current license to practice nursing in the state of requested employment.
• CPR certification.
• Current automobile insurance and a valid driver’s license.
• Must have and maintain transportation for work.
• Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families, hospice services, and the special needs of hospice patients and families.
• Knowledge of the roles of disciplines providing hospice services, community resources, general nursing practice, and managed care and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
• Strong patient assessment skills and oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to document and manage programs and clinical records accurately.
• Sensitivity to end-of-life issues and the ability to support patients and families during a crisis.
• Ability to adapt to varied tasks while maintaining efficiency and composure, communicate with people of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, and work cooperatively with patients, coworkers, and the hospice team.

Nice To Haves

• Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive initial and ongoing patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person or telephonic RN assessments and screenings.
• Deliver and document skilled nursing interventions and symptom management in line with each patient’s goals of care and individualized Plan of Care.
• Develop and update individualized care plans, including visit frequency and identified patient risks.
• Coordinate care with the interdisciplinary team, including physicians, nurse practitioners, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, chaplains, and other providers.
• Provide education to patients, families, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medications, nutrition, hospice services, and symptom and pain management.
• Offer emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and loved ones, including comfort and bereavement guidance.
• Communicate changes in patient condition and signs or symptoms of decline to appropriate providers and the care team.
• Support continuity of care, including appropriate home health, palliative care, and hospice referrals and transitions between levels of care.
• Maintain timely and accurate clinical records, including assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
• Follow infection-control practices, regulatory guidelines, organizational policies, and compliance standards.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when the care plan warrants participation.
• Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, providing clinically competent and responsive on-call services.
• Support quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives.
• Use nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, copiers, and a cell phone or beeper effectively.

Benefits

• Competitive pay.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Career advancement opportunities.
• National and local recognition programs.
• Teammate Assistance Fund.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for full-time associates.
• Mileage reimbursement or fleet vehicle program for full-time associates.
• Generous paid time off and seven paid holidays for full-time associates.
• Wellness programs, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and joint and spine concierge care, for full-time associates.
• Education support and tuition assistance, including ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN pathways, for full-time associates.
• Free continuing education units (CEUs) for full-time associates.
• Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance for full-time associates.
• Voluntary benefits, including pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care coverage, for full-time associates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed