Hospice Registered Nurse

Heartland Hospice•Fairfax, VA

About The Position

The Hospice Registered Nurse serves as a primary contact for patients and families throughout the hospice journey, providing skilled, compassionate nursing care in patients’ homes, assisted living facilities, or other institutional settings. The RN performs assessments and reassessments, delivers nursing interventions and symptom management, and develops and updates individualized plans of care, including visit frequency. The role coordinates care with physicians, nurse practitioners, and interdisciplinary team members; educates patients, families, and caregivers about disease processes, medications, nutrition, self-care, hospice services, and end-of-life care; and communicates changes in patient condition to appropriate providers. The RN maintains timely and accurate clinical records, supports transitions between levels of care, and participates in on-call and patient support activities as applicable. This position requires at least one year of RN experience, a current nursing license in the state of employment, CPR certification, current automobile insurance, and a valid driver’s license. Hospice or palliative care experience is preferred. Work takes place in patients’ homes and/or institutional settings and in an automobile, with potential exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. The position is safety-sensitive and requires transportation for work. The stated salary range is $87,355 to $109,195. Compensation may vary based on factors including location, experience, education, skills, licensure, certifications, and equity considerations. The posting describes full-time benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage; retirement plan matching; paid time off; leave programs; disability coverage; health savings account contributions; mileage reimbursement or a fleet vehicle program; and other eligible-role benefits. Heartland Hospice is part of Gentiva, a national provider of hospice, palliative care, home health care, and advanced illness management with nearly 600 locations across 38 states.

Requirements

Registered Nurse education and qualifications.
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.
Current automobile insurance and a valid driver’s license.
Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families and understanding of 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.
Good oral and written communication skills, documentation skills, and program management knowledge.
Knowledge of managed care principles and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
Ability to provide sensitive, tactful support to patients and families facing terminal illness and crisis.
Ability to adapt to a variety of tasks without loss of efficiency or composure and communicate effectively with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Maturity, cooperation, flexibility, and tact in working with coworkers and hospice team members.
Ability to effectively operate nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, copier, and cell phone or beeper.
Must have and maintain transportation for work.
Must meet applicable state-specific requirements and minimum requirements for benefits eligibility.

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 patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person and telephone RN assessments or screenings.
Deliver and document skilled nursing care and symptom-management interventions aligned with each patient’s goals of care and individualized plan of care.
Develop and update individualized care plans, including visit frequency and identification of patient needs and risks.
Coordinate care with physicians, nurse practitioners, and interdisciplinary team members, and involve the team when appropriate to achieve desired outcomes.
Educate patients, family members, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medications, nutrition, dietary needs, hospice philosophy and services, symptom management, and expected end-of-life processes.
Communicate changes in condition and signs or symptoms of decline to the appropriate provider.
Support continuity of care, including appropriate referrals and transitions between home health, palliative care, hospice, and levels of care.
Maintain timely and accurate clinical records, including assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
Follow infection-control, regulatory, compliance, and organizational standards.
Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and participate in team collaboration and quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives.
Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, providing clinically competent and responsive service.
Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and loved ones, including caregiver guidance and bereavement support.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) with company match.
Paid time off (PTO), including generous PTO and seven paid holidays as described in the posting.
FMLA, ADA, and other federal- and state-required leaves.
Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution.
Mileage reimbursement or fleet car/vehicle program.
Cell phone reimbursement for eligible roles.
Short-term incentive for eligible roles.
Wellness programs and resources, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and joint and spine concierge care.
Tuition reimbursement, education support, and tuition assistance.
Free continuing education units (CEUs).
Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance.
Voluntary benefits, including pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care coverage.
Career advancement opportunities.
National and local recognition programs.
Teammate Assistance Fund.