Hospice Registered Nurse

Heartland Hospice•Portsmouth, OH

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Heartland Hospice, part of Gentiva, is seeking a Hospice Registered Nurse to provide personalized hospice and palliative nursing care to patients with life-limiting illnesses and support their families. The RN serves as a primary contact for patients and families, delivering and documenting skilled care in patients’ homes, assisted living facilities, or other institutional settings. The role includes assessing patients, monitoring changes in condition, managing symptoms, and developing and updating individualized plans of care. The nurse coordinates with an interdisciplinary team that may include physicians, nurse practitioners, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, and chaplains. The RN also educates patients, caregivers, and families about medications, disease processes, self-care, nutrition, hospice services, symptom management, and end-of-life care, while offering emotional support and bereavement guidance. The position includes timely clinical documentation, compliance with regulatory and infection-control requirements, participation in quality improvement and scheduling initiatives, and on-call and patient support activities as applicable. The work takes place in patients’ homes and/or institutional settings, as well as in an automobile. The role may involve exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. The position requires transportation for work and the effective use of nursing assessment tools, computers, fax machines, copiers, and a cell phone or beeper.

Requirements

Registered Nurse.
Current license to practice nursing in the state of requested employment.
Current CPR certification.
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 automobile insurance and a valid driver’s license.
Transportation available and maintained for work use.
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.
Excellent patient assessment skills and knowledge of general nursing practice.
Good oral and written communication skills, documentation skills, and program management skills.
Knowledge of managed care principles and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
Ability to support patients and families facing life-and-death issues and crises, communicate with people from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, and work tactfully and cooperatively with colleagues and hospice team members.
Flexibility to perform a variety of tasks, changing between tasks without loss of efficiency or composure.

Nice To Haves

Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

Perform comprehensive in-person and telephonic patient assessments and reassessments, and provide education to patients, family members, and caregivers.
Deliver skilled nursing interventions and symptom management in alignment 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 team members, including consultation 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, including appropriate referrals and transitions among 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.
Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when indicated by the patient’s care plan.
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 their loved ones, including education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
Teach caregivers how to safely care for patients and help families understand medication administration, hospice services, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life processes.
Follow infection-control, regulatory, and compliance standards and support quality improvement and scheduling initiatives.

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 eligible full-time associates.
Mileage reimbursement or fleet vehicle program for eligible full-time associates.
Paid time off and seven paid holidays for eligible full-time associates.
Wellness programs, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and joint and spine concierge care, for eligible full-time associates.
Education support and tuition assistance, including ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN programs, for eligible full-time associates.
Free continuing education units for eligible full-time associates.
Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance for eligible full-time associates.
Voluntary pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care benefits for eligible full-time associates.