Hospice Registered Nurse

Emerald Coast Hospice • Crestview, FL

3d

About The Position

The Hospice Registered Nurse provides personalized hospice and palliative nursing care to patients with life-limiting illness and supports their families and caregivers. The RN is a primary point of contact, delivering skilled care in patients’ homes, assisted living settings, or other places they call home. The role includes assessing patient needs and condition, managing symptoms, coordinating care with an interdisciplinary team, educating caregivers, and documenting care in compliance with clinical, regulatory, and organizational standards.

The position also supports continuity of care, appropriate transitions and referrals, on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, and quality, scheduling, and team collaboration initiatives. 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. 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.
• 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, 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, and program management knowledge.
• Knowledge of managed-care principles and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
• Ability to support people facing life-and-death issues and provide tactful support to patients and families during a crisis.
• Flexibility to perform varied tasks while maintaining efficiency and composure, and ability to communicate effectively with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Maturity, cooperation, tact, and flexibility in working with coworkers and hospice team members.
• Ability to effectively operate nursing assessment tools, computers, facsimile equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.
• Must have and maintain transportation for work.
• Must meet Florida Level 2 background screening requirements through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse.

Nice To Haves

• Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary point of contact for hospice patients and their families and guide them through the hospice journey.
• Perform comprehensive initial and ongoing patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person or telephonic assessments and screenings.
• Deliver and document skilled nursing interventions and symptom management in accordance with individualized plans of care and goals of care.
• Develop and update individualized plans of care, including visit frequency and identification of patient needs and risks.
• Coordinate care with interdisciplinary team members, including physicians, nurse practitioners, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, and chaplains.
• Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones, including education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
• Educate patients, families, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medication administration, nutrition, hospice services, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life expectations.
• Teach caregivers safe care techniques and provide practical training and emotional reassurance.
• Communicate changes in condition, signs and symptoms of decline, and other important updates to appropriate providers and the care team.
• 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.
• Follow infection-control, regulatory, policy, and compliance standards.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when the plan of care warrants participation.
• Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, responding in a clinically competent and timely manner.
• Support organizational quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives and contribute to patient and caregiver satisfaction.
• Maintain transportation for work and use required nursing assessment and office communication equipment.

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 pathways, 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 pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care benefits for full-time associates.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed