Crisis Care

[CLUVRN, MSN, RN]

Hope I'm posting in the right area...so after working agency jobs since becoming licensed September 2009, I received a call this morning from the Visiting Nurse's Association with a job offer for a Crisis Care position with cross-training at their Hospice House. I'm pretty stoked about the position, but I was wondering if anyone who is familiar with this area of nursing could tell me more about it? I know I'm working with patients whose death is imminent, I'll be providing pain management and palliative care, as well as be a source of information and comfort for the patient's family members. But what else does the job entail? What are the pros and cons of the job? Did you find satisfaction with the job? Thanks for your future replies.

[kicnic]

When I worked for a hospice, the crisis care team were the nurses that provided care to patients when their deaths were imminent. This was 24 hr care, divided into 12hr shifts for each nurse. So the company provided a nurse 24hrs until the patient died. Often you would explain to the pt's family the stages of dying and what was normal/not normal. You provided comfort to the pt by administering meds or just by being a calming prescence in the room. Applying cool compress for fever, positioning pt comfortably, e.t.c. The pros of the job are: you only have 1 pt to care for, technically it's not a hard job, you get to be with a pt in their final tranisition in life, and your teaching to the family can make or break the experience for them. The cons are: it's a 12hr shift, you will be watching someone die, and sometimes pt's families do not handle the situation well. However, I found the jobe to be very satisfying. I hope you enjoy your new job!

[CLUVRN, MSN, RN]

Thanks Kicnic, for the info. You pretty much answered all my questions wrapped up in a nice little bow!