ED to Hospice

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Specializes in ICU,ED, Corrections, dodging med-surg.

Any former ED adrenaline junkies decide and take a hospice job after the epiphany that helping people die a comfortable death seemed much more rewarding than trying to save anyone and everyone at all costs? The thought of making people comfortable when it is their time weighed against maybe losing hospital technical skills and opportunity for advancement and marketability for other areas has been consumming me. Especially having family members former hospice pts. This would be new to me but I think I am very good at comforting pts and families. Opportunity is on near horizon. Any thoughts? This would be an extended care Hospice. I think I have too much compassion to watch people kept alive at all costs..more gratifying to help grandma die peacefully than shoving tubes in every orifice..Yes I have decided, this is what would give me peace.:redbeathe

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I couldn't agree more. I'm not in ER nurse but ICU. I'm finished with doing people harm by the extreme measures we go to. Spending money we don't have, torturing people with painful, intense, invasive, procedures to keep them alive for a couple more days, or weeks.

I'm also pursuing Hospice, I have been offered a job. Hopefully I can coordinate it with my other job.

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

I know RNs who have successfully transitioned from ED to Hospice and even back again. We come from all walks of life and from all nursing specialties.

I hope you find your niche in hospice.

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I don't think of myself as an adrenaline junkie, but I left the ER in November and started with hospice. I love it. I work for a non-profit, and what I value most is having the opportunity to spend the necessary amount of time with my patients and their families to address their needs as fully as possible. That just doesn't happen in many hospitals. Often nurses are flying room to room "tasking," doing very little "care" as the system has them spread too thin. Please understand, this comment is not a put down of nurses, it's just an observation of how facilities often make unreasonable demands of staff.

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Specializes in med-surg.
I don't think of myself as an adrenaline junkie, but I left the ER in November and started with hospice. I love it. I work for a non-profit, and what I value most is having the opportunity to spend the necessary amount of time with my patients and their families to address their needs as fully as possible. That just doesn't happen in many hospitals. Often nurses are flying room to room "tasking," doing very little "care" as the system has them spread too thin. Please understand, this comment is not a put down of nurses, it's just an observation of how facilities often make unreasonable demands of staff.

Your post is the exact reason why I'm interested in pursing hospice. I work on a surgical / oncology floor, and unfortunately we've been getting so many patients a night, I can barely spend a second with my patients, let alone family. I'm always hesitant for change, but I feel my heart calling me towards this walk of life.:redbeathe

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I left nursing school thinking ER was the only kind of nursing. After many years there I left and after a couple of years ended up in Hospice and have been here for eight years. What a blessing!! I feel like I make a difference for my patients and their families at their end of life journey. In our small hospice we have three former ER nurses with one currently working PRN and we are thankful for our ER training and feel like now we have come full circle. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in Utilization Review/Case Management.

I left the ED just over a year ago and am now working as a home hospice case manager for the same reasons you listed in your post (OP). I got tired of doing "everything" for those who you know were dying. It seemed like torture sometimes. And as a bonus, the patients and families appreciate the hospice staff :) (well most of the time:cool:)

I do sometimes miss the rush of the ED, but not often...and my back has appreciated the rest, too.

Good luck with whatever you decide

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I know this is an older thread, but I'm looking for some insight. I graduated nursing school about 1 year ago and got hired in a small ER. I've been there about 8 months and I'm already sensing ER burnout. It started on Christmas Eve when we had three codes and by the end of the night no one on shift could remember any of the patient's, let alone their names. I miss spending time with patient's, getting to know them and their families.

I worked as a nursing assistant in hospice while in school and LOVED it, but knew I needed hospital experience. So, this weekend I applied to 6 hospice jobs and today got called for 4 interviews, for a total of 6 positions (two interviews are for two separate positions within the same company). I'm taking this as a sign that it might indeed be time to leave ER and look towards Hospice, which I knew I liked from the very beginning.

My question--my mother is VERY vocally against this. She thinks if I leave the hospital now I'll never be able to get an acute care position again and end up hating nursing, etc. My dad is an ER nurse and he said that he can understand how ER might not be for me, but I shouldn't go to Hospice "because that's where nursing careers die". Do you think my parent's are right? Should I stay away from hospice?

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Work per firm in hospice. Find an acute care/hospital job that might suit you better.

As for your dad's comment... At least if my career is going to die, it will be pain free.

Seriously though, I love what I do - but that's me.

When I recently did an admit at a hospital, I finished up and was leaving at the same time the 7 pm shift was coming in. They looked pretty tired already - and I knew that I was quite happy in my dead end career job caring for my patients and their families in ways that there, typically, just is not the time to do in acute care settings.

Ironic that I have more time to give to my my pts than I would in acute settings. I'm not knocking acute care; it's just not for me for many reasons.

I hope you find a path that works for you.

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Specializes in Hospice Nursing.

I have found that hospice nursing draws on all of my nursing experiences. Do not mistake comfort care with no care or easy care. In my 11+ years of hospice nursing, I have done a wide variety of procedures and cared for a wide variety of diagnoses. I do not think working for hospice would be an impediment to returning to acute care.

By the way, I also went from ED to hospice. Lasted only a few months in ED, 11 years in hospice!

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Specializes in Nursing.

I am also an ER nurse who is considering Hospice. There is an opening in my town for Hospice Admissions. I am going to find out more information, but I was wondering if Hospice admissions travels to many hospitals to speak with patients and family members about hospice services? I will be finding out more!

Anne Marie

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Specializes in Nursing.

My hope is that I can work per diem in the E.D. and work per diem as a hospice nurse. Would you recommend home care hospice or Admissions hospice? What other options are there when it comes to hospice?

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