Registered Nurse

Gentiva Hospice • Carthage, MO

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Registered Nurse provides skilled, personalized hospice nursing care to patients facing life-limiting illness and supports their families with dignity, comfort, and compassion. The RN serves as a primary contact for patients and families, delivering care in patients’ homes or institutional settings and guiding them through the hospice journey.

The role includes assessing and reassessing patients, delivering symptom management and other skilled nursing interventions, and developing and updating individualized plans of care. The RN coordinates with physicians and interdisciplinary team members, educates patients and caregivers, communicates changes in condition, supports transitions and referrals across care settings, and maintains complete and timely clinical documentation. The position also includes participation in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable.

The work takes place in patients’ homes, institutional settings, and an automobile. Potential exposures include infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials. This is a safety-sensitive position.

Requirements

• Registered Nurse.
• 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 skills, and program-management knowledge.
• Knowledge of managed-care principles and regulatory guidelines, including Medicare, Medicaid, and ACHC.
• Ability to demonstrate empathy and sensitivity when supporting people facing terminal illness, death, and crisis.
• Ability to adapt to changing tasks without losing efficiency or composure and to communicate effectively with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Ability to work responsibly and cooperatively with colleagues and hospice team members, demonstrating maturity, flexibility, and tact.
• Ability to operate nursing assessment tools, computers, facsimile equipment, a copier, and a cell phone or beeper.
• Must have and maintain transportation for work.

Nice To Haves

• Hospice or palliative care experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary point of contact for patients and families, guiding them through the hospice journey.
• Perform comprehensive initial and ongoing patient assessments and reassessments, including in-person and telephonic RN assessments or screenings.
• Deliver and document skilled nursing care and symptom-management interventions in accordance with each patient’s individualized plan of care and goals of care.
• Develop and update individualized plans of care, including visit frequency and identified patient needs and risks.
• Coordinate care with physicians, nurse practitioners, and interdisciplinary team members, including LPNs, CNAs, social workers, and chaplains.
• Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones, including education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
• Teach patients, family members, and caregivers about disease processes, self-care, end-of-life care, medications, nutrition, dietary needs, and safe caregiving.
• Help patients and families understand medication administration, hospice philosophy and services, symptom and pain management, and end-of-life processes and expectations.
• Communicate changes in patient condition and signs or symptoms of decline to the appropriate provider and care team.
• Support continuity of care by recognizing and supporting home health, palliative care, and hospice referrals, and transitions between levels of care.
• Maintain timely and accurate clinical records, including assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
• Follow infection-control, regulatory, and organizational compliance standards.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the interdisciplinary group and involve the team when appropriate to achieve desired outcomes.
• Participate in on-call and patient-support activities as applicable, responding in a clinically competent and timely manner.
• Support quality-improvement and scheduling initiatives and participate in team collaboration and interdisciplinary group activities.

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

What This Job Offers

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