Hospice Registered Nurse

Emerald Coast Hospice•Pensacola, FL

About The Position

The Hospice Registered Nurse (RN)/RN Case Manager provides personalized hospice and palliative nursing care to patients facing life-limiting illness, supporting patients and families with dignity, comfort, and compassion. The nurse serves as a primary point of contact, delivers skilled care in patients’ homes or institutional settings, and guides patients, caregivers, and families throughout the hospice experience. The role includes conducting assessments and reassessments, managing symptoms, creating and updating individualized plans of care, coordinating with an interdisciplinary team, educating patients and caregivers, and communicating changes in condition to appropriate providers. The nurse maintains complete and timely clinical documentation, supports continuity of care and transitions between levels of care, and participates in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable. The position involves work in patients’ homes and/or institutional settings, as well as an automobile. It may involve exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. The employee must maintain transportation for work and be able to use nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.

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 and an 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.
Excellent patient assessment skills.
Good oral and written communication skills, documentation skills, and program-management skills.
Knowledge of general nursing practice and managed care principles, regulatory guidelines such as Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC, and human resource management principles.
Ability to support people facing life-and-death issues and to deal tactfully with patients and families during times of crisis.
Ability to perform varied tasks while maintaining efficiency and composure, communicate effectively with people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and work cooperatively and flexibly with coworkers and hospice team members.
Ability to operate nursing assessment tools, computers, fax equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.
Must maintain transportation to be used for work.
Must meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for benefits and, where applicable, state-specific requirements.

Nice To Haves

Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

Perform comprehensive patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person and telephonic RN assessments and screenings.
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 patient needs and identified risks.
Coordinate care with interdisciplinary team members and consult with physicians and nurse practitioners.
Educate patients, family members, 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 home health, palliative, and hospice referrals and transitions in levels of care.
Document screening and assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans in a timely manner.
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.
Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones, including education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
Teach caregivers to provide safe care and help patients and families understand medication administration, hospice services, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life processes.
Follow infection-control, regulatory, policy, and compliance standards.
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 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.