Hospice Salary Requirement?

Sorry to digress from the main topic, but can someone tell me what a hospital based hospice is? Is this essentially a palliative care ward in a hospital and do you have these in all hospitals?

I believe that some hospitals offer palliative care while inpatient. Perhaps they call this hospice care... I know that Emory hospital has a palliative care team. Don't know how many hospitals offer this. My experience is that many times hospitals discharge patients who they know will die within days or even hours. Perhaps don't want their mortality numbers to increase so they send them home on hospice. I find this to be appalling at times, increasing distress to both the patient and the family. My belief is that if someone is near death, they should be allowed to stay in the hospital and be made comfortable.

I consider "hospital based hospice" a hospice that is directly affiliated with a hospital...many of whom then have beds inhouse to accomodate their inpatient hospice patients. The practice for these hospices is to attempt to capture ALL hospice referrals which come out of their hospital system. They may or may not have palliative care teams outside of hospice. Most hospices are not affiliated with or owned by a hospital system.

I have not come accross a system like that here in Atlanta thus far... Most hospices have their own inpatient units for respite and for general impatient care when needs can't be met in the home setting.

Are you doing hospice now? How do you like it?

Hi, GloryB, yes I work in palliative care, in a beautiful hospice, but in the UK. It is hugely rewarding and the one work place I have found where you can actually deliver holisitic care which is truly patient centred rather than being task orienatated which sadly is how it seems to be in the hospital setting due to workloads
I was interested to read this thread as it seems to work different in the US.
Before, I worked in an Oncology hospital which actually had it's own Palliative care ward; this would be for patients who had perhaps like your suggested, days or hours to live, so the aim would be to alleviate all symptoms and to keep the patient comfortable.
There is a huge demand on hospices in the UK and not many beds, therefore, sometimes the hospital may have made a referral to a local hospice and may be waiting for a bed there, which is when they might be moved to the palliative care ward in the interim period.

I am a case manager RN with less than 1 year experience. My hospice is also affiliated with a hospital. I moved from med-surg to hospice for family reasons. I love hospice, but either my world is really different than everyone elses or I am missing some thing.

I get paid the same hourly rate at hospice as I did at the hospital. Except at the hospital I got paid by the hour and here I get paid for a straight 40 hour work week, Here is the rub, we are expected to work 8-5 monday through friday - which is already 45 hours. Plus I have a case load of 15, add an admission or two or a death and I am really working more hours. Plus I have charting at home every night. Sometimes I come home at 530pm make dinner for kids, etc and chart for an hour or two. Sometimes the same thing is done but I get home at 7pm. Honestly, I think I am really doing 5 12 hour shifts and wondering about going back to floor nursing. I love my co-workers and my pts, but the hours (about 15 each week unpaid) is just wearing me down.

Hi holiday2525
i am interested to know more about your role - are you based in the community? Sounds like you are a dedicated person to your job

Do you have Mcmillan nurses in the US? Also where abouts are you based?

I am located in a midsized town in the southwest. I don't even know what a mcmillan nurse is. How long have you been doing palliative care. I've got to do something as these hours are just too much.

I have not heard of a McMillan nurse either... I don't know what other parts of the country are like, but when I moved from a floor RN to hospice, I had an immediate $8 per hour raise. Get your resume out to different organizations and see what's out there for you.

Good luck!

They are nurses who are for people with cancer, here is some info on them..

http://www.macmillan.org.uk/AboutUs/AboutUsHome.aspx