LPN Hospice On-Call

John Knox Village•Lee's Summit, MO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The LPN Hospice On-Call serves as the central telephone triage contact for hospice patients and families after business hours, on weekends, and holidays. The position provides clinical assistance, nursing care, instructions, and support to patients and families in homes, nursing homes, and contracted inpatient facilities. The nurse assesses care needs and levels, coordinates services with agency staff and community resources, makes visits as needed, and communicates patient progress to other disciplines. The position supports Village Hospice’s mission, values, and service expectations and completes required training. The role includes phone triage and in-person care, including patient assessment, treatment, support, crisis management, and possible pronouncement of death. The nurse coordinates care plans with the patient’s physician, documents calls and visits, reports on-call activity, and ensures documentation is completed and synchronized by 8:00 a.m. the following day. The nurse may arrange or deliver medications and supplies, attend interdisciplinary team meetings after the on-call period, help orient new nursing staff, and attend required meetings and educational in-services. The position is full-time and non-exempt, with the listed schedule of Friday through Monday. Available coverage arrangements include seven nights on followed by seven nights off; four 10-hour shifts; or a weekend shift from 4:30 p.m. Friday until 8:00 a.m. Monday. The associate travels daily in the greater Kansas City metro area, must provide their own transportation, and may be exposed to outdoor elements and infectious diseases while accessing patient residences. The position receives supervision from the Clinical Manager and gives no supervision.

Requirements

Completion of an accredited School of Nursing, with education, training, and experience appropriate to the job.
Active LPN licensure in Missouri; willingness to obtain licensure in another state within 90 days of hire.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification or ability to obtain it before direct patient contact.
Valid driver’s license and proof of auto insurance; ability to provide own transportation.
Strong telephone interviewing, assessment, communication, and negotiation skills.
Ability to work in a field setting and make sound nursing judgments.
Knowledge of the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of terminally ill patients and their caregivers.
Demonstrated knowledge and skills necessary to provide care to and communicate with primarily geriatric patients.
Intermediate computer software knowledge and skills.
Ability to assess information about a client’s status and identify requirements related to age-specific needs.
Ability to read, write, and communicate in English adequately to complete reports, interpret plan-of-care instructions, and interact with patients, families, physicians, caregivers, and staff.
Ability to communicate with professionalism, tact, and patience with patients, families, staff, business associates, and the public.
Knowledge of occupational disease and injury prevention regulations, universal precautions, and contamination prevention.
Ability to plan and organize duties, manage multiple tasks, work under pressure with frequent interruptions, and work independently with minimal supervision.
Ability to travel daily in the greater Kansas City metro area.
Ability to meet the stated physical demands, including occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, climbing, and driving; frequent fine motor coordination, bending, crouching or kneeling, reaching, trunk and neck movement, and balance; continuous standing and walking; and frequent sitting.
Ability to work around individuals with challenged mental capacities and possible exposure to infectious diseases.
Must complete training as required by policy.
Must pass the post-offer background check and health screening.

Nice To Haves

Certified Hospice Palliative Nurse (CHPN) certification.
Two years of recent experience as a professional nurse, including at least one year in hospice.
Experience triaging patient-related calls.

Responsibilities

Serve as the central telephone triage contact for hospice patient and family issues after business hours, on weekends, and holidays.
Make home and facility visits as needed for assessment, treatment, support, crisis management, and possible pronouncement of death.
Plan comprehensive services for patients and families and develop or revise nursing care plans and goals in conjunction with the patient’s physician.
Resolve patient-related phone concerns at the point of contact to the maximum extent possible using clinical knowledge and judgment.
Make sound decisions, set priorities, and work cohesively with interdisciplinary team members to meet customer needs and maximize efficiencies.
Represent the John Knox Village Hospice program professionally to constituents and the public.
Maintain current knowledge of hospice and community programs and services.
Complete appropriate on-call logs, care coordination notes, visit notes, and other pertinent clinical documentation; synchronize documentation by 8:00 a.m. the following day.
Report on-call activities to the team at the end of each call shift.
Assist with, provide, or arrange delivery of medications and supplies needed after business hours, on weekends, or holidays.
Attend interdisciplinary team meetings following the on-call period to discuss, consult, and evaluate patient and family needs.
Precept new nursing staff during orientation as directed.
Attend staff meetings and educational in-services required by the agency.
Provide care consistent with standards of practice and utilize other team members as appropriate.
Adhere to safety regulations and requirements and maintain appropriate workplace conduct.
Provide coverage according to an applicable schedule option: seven nights on/seven nights off, four 10-hour shifts, or a weekend shift from Friday evening through Monday morning.
Travel daily in the greater Kansas City metro area using own transportation.
Assist other departments in a declared emergency situation when called upon.