Hospice

himilayaneyes · Oct 5, 2010

I'm not a hospice nurse so I can't tell you that much, but I did a day of clinicals with Vitas years ago and it didn't seem that bad. I think the main thing will be dealing with the family since they're dealing with their loved one's pending death...but as far as being scared....I don't see a reason...if the patient is dying...you don't call a code or anything...you just try to keep them as comfortable as possible and allow them to die with dignity...unless you're a new nurse or something....are you? Good luck.:)

evolvingrn, BSN, RN · Oct 5, 2010

Go in with the attitude of knowing that you can't change the situation but you can do your best to make it a little better and you will be fine. I grow to care about some of my pts and a lot of people ask how i can do the job i do without getting depressed (pts ask me this a lot, most are very candid about their impending death) but i know the end result from the get go so being a part of making the journey as peaceful and smooth as possible is a rewarding experience.

Good luck!

kesr · Oct 5, 2010

My family had experience with hospice nurses when my mother died. I don't think there is another area of nursing where you can make such a one-on-one difference to a patient and family. As a former ICU nurse, I think death is much less frightening when you, the pt, and the family know it is coming, and view the whole situation a providing comfort, instead of an acute situation.

klone, MSN, RN · Oct 5, 2010

Only a small part of hospice is nursing care. Most of it is social work, and being able to relate well and deal with family members. You need to have very strong people skills.

NyMommaRN · Oct 6, 2010

I am not hospice but I work in a LTC facility so have had many encounters with hospice nursing. When caring for a patient on either hospice or palliative care I go in thinking "how can I make this horrible experience more bearable for both the patient and family". Unfortunately I have become desensitized to patients dying. Yes it still affects me and I try to do what I can to prevent--but when death is an unavoidable outcome I focus on what I CAN do. I CAN make the patient comfortable and pain management is my #1 priority. You have to be comfortable with death to do hospice or any end of life care really. It comes with experience....dealing with family is hard but usually once they go to hospice the family has a pretty good understanding that the patient's death is coming--at that point it is important to provide clear answers to their questions while also being sensitive to the fact they most likely have never been through this before. It's a great path for those who can do it..

Jay

cleverusername · Oct 6, 2010

I am currently a Hospice nurse, part time and have been for a little over a year. I work on-call mostly, but fill in with scheduled visits periodically. A nurse certainly needs at least one year of experience before embarking on this important work because you are an island. You need to know your meds, what meds and services are covered, how to qualify patients for hospice care, etc. You need to have great critical thinking skills, which goes without saying for any field of nursing. Many of the rules are state specific. You need to be 100% confident in your assessment skills and know major disease processes and progressions inside and out because you are the sole source of information for many of these families. Physicians fix things and by the time they qualify patients for hospice care are generally at their wits end and put the patient through many treatments that have weakened these patients to shells of their former selves. Families are generally just tired by this point. The flip side is that by the time of terminal diagnosis it is too late to attempt these aggressive treatments, so the physician qualifies the patient, but doesn't explain what to expect. Granted this is a sweeping generality and I am not anti-physician at all. In fact, in my area oncologists are qualifying patients for hospice care, specifically my hospice, for pain control, then disqualifying them after 60-days for aggressive treatment when pain is managed. This actually makes me happy because we are good at what we do and are being recognized for providing pain management services. Sorry for such a long winded answer, I am actually a full time ICU nurse who moonlights for hospice, so shifting gears is often difficult for me. Good luck in your hospice endeavor.

allnurses Guide · Oct 6, 2010

I am not a hospice nurse yet and am still in school, but oncology and hospice are my passion. I have had experience with both as a family member and have had opportunity to do some clinical work in these situations. I know my opinion is probably not that accurate due to my lack of real experience on the nursing side, but I did want to give you this little perspective that really feeds my passion for this type of nursing. I truly feel that death is no less sacred than birth. Being part of someone's passage from this life and doing what you can to assist their loved ones as well can be seen very much as a solemn privilege. When I view it in this light, though death approaches, I find myself not focused as much on the fact that someone is dying as I am on making the process as good as possible for them and their caregivers. Those moments as death approaches are ones that will stay with them forever. I can help grant them peace in looking back and that is powerful, both in terms of what I can do for them, but also in what it does for myself as I contemplate my life's work.

amazing09 · Oct 7, 2010

Thanks for all the advice .........I should start in a week and will definetely let u guys know how it is.