How Much Does a Hospice Nurse Make?

[EmilyLucille523]

Hello everyone, I will have a year experience in acute care in September which is the minimum requirement for 2 Hospice jobs I have recently applied for here in NC.

Does anyone know what the salary rate for a Hospice nurse is? Especially in NC? I've always wanted to be a Hospice nurse but no one would hire me in NC when I first moved here as a New Grad last year.

Second, those that do work as a Hospice nurse here, how do you like it?

My mother had a Hospice nurse when she passed away with cancer and that nurse is the reason why I went to nursing school in the first place. I always will remember her for her kindness and the care she gave to my mother. I want to be that Hospice nurse, it would be my dream job!

Any info would be much appreciated!:redbeathe

[LaurenNicoleRN]

i'm a new grad and i live in mississippi. i never thought hospice was something i wanted to do. needless to say i wound up with a hospice position and so far i love it! i get 25/hr and 25 cents to the mile. the pay is great, to me anyway. but the feeling i get from helping my patients to make each day the best that it can be..whether its simply sitting and listening to them talk about days gone by, or telling them about my kids and the funny things they say and do and then watching their faces light up as they think back to the times when their children were knee-high or helping their family cope and even sometimes crying with them and letting them know that its ok to cry...i wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world. i may be there helping my patients and families, but to me, they are making an even bigger impact on my life. don't tell my boss but i'd do the same work for way less pay

[msrosebud28]

Well I recently had a third interview with Hospice for a RN Case Manager position. They said it is between me and one other nurse. I only have LTC experience however, that was the position requirements. I have no clue what they will offer me salary wise. So, I am hoping and PRAYING they call. One, I have always loved taking care of my hospice patients in the nursing home. While at the same time I am so TIRED of nursing home politics! I also want to specialize.And since this is a case manager position would I not be able to go later on and get certified as a case manager? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciatted. I am also in NC but in a rural area.

[GloryB]

Hope it's going well. Getting the experience will allow you more oportunites down the road. It takes a long time to learn how to case manage, so don't feel like you aren't getting it! Good luck!

[Marshall1]

I recently interviewed for an Admissions RN hospice position..I too am hoping it will come through..there are more interviews later next week then a decision will be made..I know more money can be made working agency (I for one have never had good luck with that) or in a hospital however, I've been in the hospital for YEARS..I am ready for something...MORE.

[flgirl75]

I was definately "WOWED" by this thread. I am a hospice nurse in Florida. I work EVERY weekend and EVERY holiday on-call for a large national hospice. I have 5 years hospice experience, I am certified in hospice and palliative care, and I have 2 years oncology experience. I am currently being paid $26/hour (including $0.50 for being certified). I am a RN and I have worked continuous care, case manager, admissions, inpatient unit, and on-call for hospice. I do feel that I am underpaid for the experience and skills I possess and services I provide, but when I am with the patients, it seems to balance out.

[lillybellsmom]

I am a new grad and currently work as a RN on an inpatient hospice unit at a local hospital. I was a volunteer up on that hospice unit throughout nursing school and was very fortunate to be hired after I graduated. I absolutely love it! I already knew the "climate" of the unit from being a volunteer there. So many people feel sorry for me when I tell them where I work, like it was some kind of consolation prize...they are so wrong! I cannot emphasize enough the rewards of taking care of patients and their families at end of life. I don't think the pay is that bad either! I started at $31 and change an hour!

[pjp122954]

Couldn't agree more......a very underpaid specialty!!

[vwde]

Lillybellsmom - Do you feel like you were prepared for hospice patients? i.e.: your assessment skills, quick thinking/critical thinking, etc? I've been working a few different (temp) positions for a couple of months and am now working an inpatient medical/psych unit but had a part time offer with hospice/case management. I still feel like I haven't found my niche in nursing but am willing to stick it out until I really get some experience. I'd be in a different setting than you, private homes, nursing homes, etc. But I'd just like to get your view.

[jeannepaul, BSN]

Im in the San Antonio Area, base salary 30+ an hour, .50 a mile. i am on call so if i work mon-thurs it is time and 1\2. it depends on the company, one company i worked for paid hourly and anything over 40h = overtime, however, they expected you to do everything in the 40hours which was impossible. one hospice i know pay case managers a flat 150-200 a weekend for backup call. others pay 3 an hour to carry a beeper. one hospice pays 50.00 for an on call visit + mileage, another one pays your hourly wage from the time you get the call to time you get back home. all are so different, but the staff and management make all the difference in the world. In a large company I have found they dont care about you as a person. the smaller ones are more like family. I will never work for a large company again, regardless of the pay.

[SoCalRN1970]

I will be as honest as I can. I live in California and I have been doing hospice for 8 years. My wages have varied greatly according to who I have worked for. Better company better salary. Small company, small salary. The smaller agency can't compete with the VItas, and Odyssey's out there.

Do your homework on the agency. Are they small? ( lower salary then ) or larger? ( higher?? ) I started off as an Admissions RN in 2003 at $28 an hour. I moved through the realms of many agencies since then for various positions, school requirement and just own desire for growth. I now make $40 an hour full time benefits, but that is very high salary. I also live in a very high of cost area in So Cali. rent is insanse.

I hope this helps. Talking online is a great way to find out details, but wages, vary, angencies vary and titles vary greatly, just the wages I have been through have varied greatly. I have also take pay cuts because I needed to change, so it's all a personal equation really.

Best of luck.

[Vtachy1]

What about a hospital run Hospice? Think they pay better? Just curious.

[SoCalRN1970]

NO necessarily and I have never heard much of anything positive about a hospital based hospice..