Hospice volunteer interested in nursing (longish post)

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Hello, hospice nurses! I'm glad to have found this forum.

A little over a year ago, I began volunteering with a local hospice. I chose this activity in part because I felt a lack of true "meaning" in my life and in part because I wanted to investigate the possibilities for a career change into health care. (Specifically, I was thinking of going to medical school.)

To shorten this long story, I've found quite a bit of new "meaning" through my volunteer work. And I'm still interested in a career change, but for a variety of reasons, I recently have become less interested in medicine and more interested in nursing.

I'm young enough (just this side of 30) that it's not out of the question to go back to school. But even though I have quite a bit of education under my belt already, almost NONE of it will help fill nursing school prerequisites. I don't mind starting from scratch if nursing truly is the field for me, but since it will be such a drastic change, I want to make sure before I start that I'm very well aware of what I'm getting myself into.

Here's my question for the forum: as a volunteer, I see only what most of you would consider the "sunny side" of hospice nursing--doing real, hands-on work to help patients have the best possible death and receiving their gratitude and that of their families. It *seems* like a wonderful job that attracts wonderful people, where nine days out of ten you're able to go home to your own family knowing (or at least believing) that you did good in the world. I'm sure this is too rosy a picture. So, tell me...what are the downsides of this field? Bureaucracy? Mountains of paperwork every night? Lack of job security? Dirty/smelly work day after day? Blindly following orders without having any opportunity for autonomous decision-making and/or action? Nasty, burned-out, frustrated colleagues? And, on the whole, do you still feel that you'd choose this path if you had to do it over again--or might I already have the best "job" in the hospice business as a volunteer?

Thanks in advance for helping me open my eyes to both the good and the not-so-good as I try to find my way... :)

Procrastinatrix

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU, Psych, Hospice.

Hello!

You didn't say what your educational background was, but life is the best experience for a hospice nurse! I'm quite certain that many of your college credits can be applied, as well as your obvious compassion.

I was an ER nurse for years and years. I loved it, but I never felt the satisfaction of really connecting with my patients on a deeper level. I have to say, I LOVE hospice nursing. This is also a very autonomous field where the nurse and the patient/family decide on the plan of care...together. You have to be autonomous and you need to educate not only your patients and families, but also the physicans and nurses in various settings. I have come to find that we have a responsibility as a hospice nurse to educate the public about living and dying.It's a topic most shy away from, but approached with compassion, loving energy and and knowledge obtained from the dying, most people really will open up and ask some very excellent questions.Hospice nursing is so much more than knowing symptom control. It is truly an all-encompassing profession...mind, body and spirit. It's more an art with some science thrown in!

I can honestly say that I will never leave this profession. The only downside is getting used to a laptop! I am fortunate to work in a hospice where we are 100% supported by our administration. They encourage us in creative, artistic nursing.I'm only giving you a few thoughts for now..will add more later.

I wish you all the best in your search!

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU, Psych, Hospice.

I just noticed you're from Boston! I was just in Boston last week! Love it!

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Hello!

You didn't say what your educational background was, but life is the best experience for a hospice nurse!

All that explanation and I still managed to leave something out... :rolleyes: I have bachelor's and master's degrees in music history, and if I can make it through the next couple of months I'll have a PhD in the field as well.

As for the life experience: I don't have much--I've been in school my whole life. And actually, I don't have any real experience with death outside of my volunteering--unlike many hospice volunteers, it wasn't the death of a family member that brought me down this path. A bit curious, really...but as people have often said in these forums (I've been reading old threads like mad), hospice work seems to be a calling...so perhaps I shouldn't worry about my inability to explain why I feel drawn to it! :)

Thanks for your reply--hope to hear more from you and others.

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU, Psych, Hospice.

It definitely is a calling...and, education and experience in music history?Wow, how beautiful and to me, a real plus as a hospice nurse! I was a fine arts major and continue to do watercolors. Changed my major to psych, received a master's in psych, then went to nursing school.Worked in ICU, psych,then the ER and all that time, felt pulled to hospice. It was after nursing my mom, dad and aunt to their early deaths from cancer that I finally left the ER for full-time hospice.

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All that explanation and I still managed to leave something out... :rolleyes: I have bachelor's and master's degrees in music history, and if I can make it through the next couple of months I'll have a PhD in the field as well.

As for the life experience: I don't have much--I've been in school my whole life. And actually, I don't have any real experience with death outside of my volunteering--unlike many hospice volunteers, it wasn't the death of a family member that brought me down this path. A bit curious, really...but as people have often said in these forums (I've been reading old threads like mad), hospice work seems to be a calling...so perhaps I shouldn't worry about my inability to explain why I feel drawn to it! :)

Thanks for your reply--hope to hear more from you and others.

Rather than changing fields, what about putting your background more directly to use and pursuing a paid position doing music therapy for a hospice? Seems like it would be a natural for you.

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Rather than changing fields, what about putting your background more directly to use and pursuing a paid position doing music therapy for a hospice? Seems like it would be a natural for you.

You know, my volunteer coordinator made the same suggestion once upon a time. I'm sure it's both necessary and rewarding work (I see there's a huge thread about "music with the dying patient"), but I have to say that I'm tired of music! I really am interested in learning something completely new--hence my original interest in med school.

Thanks, though, for reading my giant post and taking the time to comment!

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