Hospice Registered Nurse
About The Position
The Hospice Registered Nurse serves as a primary point of contact for patients and families throughout the hospice journey, delivering personalized skilled nursing care in patients’ homes, assisted living facilities, or other institutional settings. The RN performs initial and ongoing assessments, provides symptom and pain management, and develops and updates individualized plans of care in line with patient goals and needs. The role includes educating and supporting patients, caregivers, and families on hospice services, medications, disease processes, nutrition, self-care, and end-of-life care, as well as offering emotional, physical, and spiritual support. The nurse coordinates care with an interdisciplinary group, including physicians, nurse practitioners, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, and chaplains. The RN communicates changes in condition to appropriate providers, documents clinical records promptly, supports transitions between levels of care and appropriate referrals, and participates in on-call and patient support activities as applicable. The position requires sound clinical judgment, regulatory compliance, effective communication, flexibility, and dependable transportation. Work takes place in patients’ homes, institutional settings, and an automobile, with potential exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials.
Requirements
- Registered Nurse education.
- 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.
- Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families, hospice, hospice disciplines, community resources, general nursing practice, managed care principles, and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
- Strong patient assessment, oral and written communication, documentation, and program management skills.
- Ability to operate nursing assessment tools, computers, facsimile equipment, copier, and cell phone or beeper.
- Must have and maintain transportation for work.
- Ability to support patients and families facing life-and-death issues and provide tactful support during a crisis.
- Ability to perform a variety of changing tasks without losing efficiency or composure and communicate effectively with people from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Ability to work cooperatively and flexibly with coworkers and hospice team members.
Nice To Haves
- Hospice or palliative care experience preferred.
Responsibilities
- Perform comprehensive patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person and telephonic RN assessments or screenings.
- Deliver skilled nursing interventions and symptom management aligned with patients’ goals of care.
- Develop and update individualized plans of care, including visit frequency, based on patient needs and identified risks.
- Coordinate care with interdisciplinary teams, including consultation with physicians and nurse practitioners.
- Educate patients, family members, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medications, nutrition, and dietary needs.
- Communicate changes in condition and signs or symptoms of decline to the appropriate provider.
- Support continuity of care by recognizing and supporting appropriate home health, palliative care, and hospice referrals and transitions in levels of care.
- Document timely clinical records, including screening and assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
- Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when the care plan warrants collaboration.
- Participate in on-call and patient support activities as applicable, providing clinically competent and responsive on-call services.
- Follow infection-control, regulatory, and policy standards and contribute to quality improvement and scheduling initiatives.
- Teach caregivers safe and confident care techniques and provide emotional reassurance and bereavement guidance.
- Help patients and families understand medication administration, hospice philosophy and services, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life processes and expectations.
Benefits
- Competitive pay
- 401(k) with company match
- Career advancement opportunities
- National and local recognition programs
- Teammate Assistance Fund
- Medical insurance for full-time associates
- Dental insurance for full-time associates
- Vision insurance for full-time associates
- Mileage reimbursement or fleet vehicle program for full-time associates
- Paid time off for full-time associates
- Seven paid holidays for full-time associates
- Wellness programs, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and joint and spine concierge care
- Education support and tuition assistance for ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN programs
- Free continuing education units
- Company-paid life insurance for full-time associates
- Company-paid long-term disability insurance for full-time associates
- Voluntary pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
