LPN in Hospice nursing?

[NurseDirtyBird]

Is it possible for an LPN to work in hospice care? I know that LPNs are not legally permitted to "pronounce" death, and I'm wondering if that's a big fat roadblock.

I desperately need to be in hospice care. That sounds weird, but it's where my heart is. I've worked in SNFs and memory care facilities, so of course I've had experience caring for hospice patients. They have been my most rewarding experiences. I've known since my first hospice experience that this is exactly what I want to do. However, I got burned out with nursing about a year ago, and decided to quit it altogether. I even semi-retired my license and went to school to begin a new profession (yes, that's time I could have been in nursing school again, but hey, any time in school isn't wasted time). I have a friend who needs complex nursing care, no way of getting an appropriate level of care at home without daily visits and crappy health insurance that covers jack. Enter the reluctant LPN... I was in a position to help and I agreed to provide their care in their home and reinstated my license. That started a couple months ago, and it brought me back around to the point where I knew I was doing what I loved. I'm a nurse and always will be. It's a good thing to know .

I feel like my duty in this life is to usher others out of theirs with the most dignity and grace possible. I want to help increase the quality of life at the end, and work towards the "good death," for lack of a better term. I want to help families dealing with caring for a loved one at the end of life. I need to be in hospice care, it's where I belong. The area where I live isn't huge, and there are only a few agencies providing hospice services around here who aren't hiring LPNs. My other problem is all the nursing (ADN) programs in the vicinity are not taking any LPN-RN bridge students. Zero. The only programs available at this point would be an hours-long daily commute. Just can't be done, especially with family obligations and working around my husband's crazy schedule. I can't do SNF anymore. It broke my spirit.

So I'm unable to advance my education at the moment, sort of at a stale-mate I guess. Does anyone have any idea how I can wriggle myself into (paid) hospice work? I'm so frustrated that just when I figure out what it is I'm meant to do, I can't realize it.

I'm really hoping that there's a way in that I'm completely ignorant about, and that someone could please enlighten me.

I'm sorry this is such a novel, I'm hoping a little background helps explain things.

[lifelearningrn, BSN, RN]

LPNs are an important part of the hospice team. From what I've seen, LPNs/LVNs are utlized almost exclusively for CC. Many, many hospices use LPNs on the regular team with the RN CM, SW, and chaplain. The LPN helps the RN with caseload visits and PRN issues. Our office uses and LPN as an admissions coordinator, and she also helps with visits when nurses are out sick.

In TX, LVNs can't pronounce, but they can attend the death, contact the MD and the MD pronounces through the LVN... so NO, that is not necessarily a roadblock for you! As an LVN, you can not be a case manager, but you can definitely be an important member of the hospice team.

Find a staffing agency that staffs continuous care for hospices in your area. That is your "in".. :)

[dkpfeil69]

I hire LVN Staff for our company. They are an important part of our team!

[OrganizedChaos, LVN]

When I worked in corrections I worked with an LVN who also had a job in hospice & he had been doing it for years. So yes, there are hospice companies who hire LVNs.

[Red Kryptonite]

I work hospice in Arizona, and we use tons of LPNs both in our inpatient units and in the field. As far as I know, LPNs can pronounce here. When working inpatient, I've never seen a LPN have to call a RN to confirm her patient's death, but since there is always a RN charge, maybe it's assumed. Since I'm in the process of becoming a LPN I suppose I should look this up.

[PghRN15]

I started as an LPN in Hospice.