Heartland Hospice

[RNHop]

Hey there! I am a fairly new nurse, and have been working inpatient rehab/med surg overflow. I was just offered a position with Heartland and am really debating it. I have been at the hospital for about a year. I am so used to my 3 day schedule and the shifts. But I have always been interested in this field. I just wanted to get my feet wet first, so to speak. I was just wondering if anyone had worked for this company or knew anyone that had. I know during the interview she said they still used paper charting, but that a lot of hospice companies did. But because of that, she said charting does take up most of your time. The case load is normally 8-10 patients as case manager. What are your typical days like during the week, how long are visits normally. Does your company offer to pay for mileage? Any information or advice, going from hospital to hospice would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

[HazelnutCream]

Note that this reply is not related to Heartland hospice at all, but rather hospice nursing in general (I have no experience with Heartland).

Most companies in my area (mid-atlantic) are now using some type of electronic medical record, but that can definitely still be time consuming. 8-10 patients is very reasonable to case manage. (I think NHPCO has national avg at 10-12). Most companies reimburse mileage, but rates do vary. Typical days are almost never typical. May include admissions/informational visits, routine visits in patients home, assisted living or skilled nursing facilities, PRN visits for acute symptom management, death visits. Frequent coordination with other members of your team (MD, SW, chaplain, aide, volunteers) as well as facility staff, family members, pharmacy, DME providers, etc). And documenting. A lot. Depending on the size of your agency/office, you might be expected to participate in on call (or there may be dedicated staff for this if very large). Definitely ask about that and how much you'd be expected to be on call. Good luck!