Hospice Registered Nurse

Gentiva Hospice•Oxford, NC

12d

About The Position

The Hospice Registered Nurse (RN)/RN Case Manager provides personalized hospice and palliative nursing care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. The nurse serves as a primary point of contact, delivering and documenting skilled care in patients’ homes, assisted living settings, or other places they call home. The role includes assessing patient needs and condition, managing symptoms, developing and updating individualized plans of care, coordinating with an interdisciplinary team, and providing emotional, physical, and spiritual support and education to patients, caregivers, and loved ones. The RN communicates changes in condition to appropriate providers and team members, supports continuity of care and transitions between levels of service, and maintains timely, complete clinical records in compliance with regulatory and organizational requirements. The position participates in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable and contributes to quality improvement, scheduling, and effective team collaboration. The work takes place in patients’ homes and/or institutional settings and in an automobile. Potential exposures include infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. The employee must maintain transportation for work and effectively use nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.

Requirements

Registered Nurse education and qualification.
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 employment.
CPR certification.
Valid driver’s license and current automobile insurance.
Maintain transportation for work.
Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families, hospice, and the special needs of hospice patients and families.
Knowledge of the roles of disciplines providing hospice services and of community resources.
Strong patient assessment skills and knowledge of general nursing practice.
Knowledge of documentation, program management, managed-care principles, and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
Good oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with people from varied socioeconomic backgrounds.
Ability to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity when supporting people facing terminal illness, death, and crisis.
Ability to adapt to varied tasks while maintaining efficiency and composure.
Maturity, accountability, cooperation, flexibility, and tact when working with patients, families, coworkers, and hospice team members.
Ability to operate nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.

Nice To Haves

Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

Serve as a primary point of contact for patients and families throughout the hospice journey.
Perform comprehensive initial and ongoing patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person and telephone assessments or screenings.
Deliver skilled nursing interventions and symptom management consistent with each patient’s goals of care and individualized plan.
Develop and update individualized plans of care, including visit frequency and identification of patient needs and risks.
Provide hands-on nursing care in patients’ homes, assisted living settings, or other care settings.
Educate patients, family members, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medications, nutrition, dietary needs, and hospice services.
Teach caregivers how to provide safe care and offer emotional reassurance and support.
Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones, including comfort and bereavement guidance.
Coordinate care with interdisciplinary team members, including physicians, nurse practitioners, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, and chaplains.
Communicate changes in condition and signs or symptoms of decline to appropriate providers and care team members.
Support continuity of care, appropriate referrals, and transitions among home health, palliative, hospice, and other levels of care.
Document screening and assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, care plans, and other clinical records accurately and promptly.
Follow infection-control, regulatory, compliance, and organizational policy standards.
Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when needed to achieve desired outcomes.
Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, providing clinically competent and responsive service.
Support quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives and contribute to consistent, compassionate, and efficient care.

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.
Paid time off and seven paid holidays for full-time associates.
Wellness programs, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and Joint & Spine Concierge Care, for full-time associates.
Education support and tuition assistance for ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN programs for full-time associates.
Free continuing education units 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.