Interview questions and Red Flags for Hospice

[Fiesta Red]

Hello,

I have a meeting Monday with an RN Manager for a hospice organization that is part of a major hospital system here in town. What questions can I ask, and what are some red flags, that will help me determine if this is a well-run organization that is a good place to work?

Thanks in advance!

-Mark

[OneThunder, BSN, RN]

Quote from uahrn915 "1. The company's owners and management must be in the business for the right reason....and I feel the only right reason is to provide the best patient care (that will be the common thread throughout this note) without greed. It ain't about the money or what it can buy, it is to provide a service that is sacred because of the sensitive nature of the services. You are going into the homes and lives of people getting ready to send someone off on that glorious final journey.

2. If the words "God" or "faith" aren't mentioned by you in the interview, they may not be mentioned at all as to "not offend someone or show descrimination". Bring up the subject if you are a Christian and if they don't offer any back, go to the next interview. If God is not in the heart of your hospice organization, the life expectancy is greatly decreased. "

I personally would not work for a hospice agency that had a religious slant to it and I take my faith pretty seriously. BTW, Christians are not the only people that believe in God. Our hospice has about 10 % charity patients and I would say the majority of the staff feels that serving these folks who have nothing is a spiritual journey. Are you talking about the life expectancy of the employees or the patients? Do you have any data to back this up?

You say the company must be in it for the right reason, but the company you work for was fined over 13 million last year because of it's unethical practices. Do you think Odyssey really cares about the patients - or do they really care about lining the pockets of their corporate stock holders?

Commenting on the settlement, CEO and President Robert Lefton stated, "We are pleased to have permanently resolved these matters with the federal government and to have avoided protracted and expensive federal litigation. While we continue to believe that our programs and caregivers are compliant with Medicare guidelines, we welcome the opportunity to work with the OIG to further enhance our already extensive compliance program." http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Odyssey+HealthCare+Finalizes+Settlement+with+the+U.S.+Department+of...-a0148061976