Hospice Nurse Job Description Template
We are seeking a compassionate hospice nurse to provide our terminally ill patients with quality care. In this role, you will be assessing patients' medical conditions, maintaining patients' comfort during the final stages of life, and providing loved ones with guidance and support.
To ensure success, hospice nurses should exhibit experience in a similar hospice environment and the ability to deal with end-of-life care challenges. An accomplished hospice nurse will be someone whose dedicated care results in terminally ill patients receiving exceptional end-of-life support.
Hospice Nurse Responsibilities:
- Collaborating on terminally ill patients' care with physicians, social workers, chaplains, nursing assistants, and other stakeholders.
- Preparing and adjusting patient care plans as needed.
- Frequently visiting patients to monitor vital signs and physical comfort levels.
- Performing prescribed treatments and administering pain management medications.
- Informing physicians about changes in patients' conditions.
- Providing loved ones and primary caregivers with patient care information, end-of-life education, and emotional support.
- Maintaining and updating medical charts, patient files, and health records.
- Notifying attending physicians, hospice staff members, and family members of patients' deaths when they occur.
- Advising grieving family members on coping techniques, counseling services, and available community resources.
Hospice Nurse Requirements:
- Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN).
- State-approved licensure and registered nurse (RN) certification.
- Accredited certification in hospice and palliative care preferred.
- A minimum of 2 years experience as a hospice nurse.
- Competency in electronic patient and hospice management systems, such as e-MDs Chart and Consolo.
- In-depth knowledge of monitoring and managing terminally ill patients' conditions and comfort.
- Superb analytical and diagnostic skills.
- Great interpersonal, communication, and collaboration abilities, as well as a compassionate nature.
- Exceptional ability to manage stress and emotional challenges.
- Availability to work rotational shifts.