Hospice Registered Nurse

Gentiva Hospice•Pensacola, FL

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 RN is a primary point of contact throughout the hospice journey, delivering and documenting skilled care in patients’ homes, assisted living facilities, or other settings where they live. The role includes assessing patient condition, managing symptoms, coordinating individualized care plans with an interdisciplinary team, educating caregivers, and providing emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and loved ones. The RN helps patients and families understand hospice services, medication administration, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life processes. The position also supports continuity of care, appropriate transitions and referrals, quality improvement, scheduling, and regulatory compliance. Work takes place in patients’ homes or institutional settings and in an automobile. The role may involve exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. This is a safety-sensitive position and requires a Florida Level 2 background screening through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.

Requirements

Registered Nurse education and current license to practice nursing in the state of requested employment.
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 CPR certification.
Current automobile insurance and a valid driver’s license.
Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families and of hospice care 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.
Oral and written communication skills, documentation, and program-management knowledge.
Knowledge of managed-care principles and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
Sensitivity to the effects of life-and-death issues and tact in working with patients and families.
Ability to support people during a crisis and communicate effectively with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Flexibility to perform varied tasks while maintaining efficiency and composure; maturity, cooperation, and tact in working with coworkers and hospice-team members.
Ability to meet the Florida Level 2 background-screening requirement through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.

Nice To Haves

Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

Perform comprehensive patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person or telephone assessments and screenings, and provide education as appropriate.
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 individual needs and identified risks.
Coordinate care with interdisciplinary team members and consult with physicians and nurse practitioners.
Educate patients 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.
Maintain timely and accurate clinical records, including assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when patient care plans warrant collaboration.
Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, responding in a clinically competent and timely manner.
Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and loved ones, including education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
Teach caregivers safe and confident care practices, providing practical instruction and emotional reassurance.
Follow infection-control, regulatory, and organizational compliance standards.
Support quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives.
Use nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, copier, and cell phone or beeper effectively.
Maintain transportation for work and current automobile insurance.

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 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, for full-time associates.