ITU Nurse wanting to specialise in palliative care

[anniz91]

Hello guys,

I am hoping someone could give me some career advice. I have 3 years experience as an ITU nurse band 5 and would like to specialise in palliative care now. I am currently completing my MSc. I have applied for associate clinical nurse roles as band 6 in palliative care but unfortunately have been rejected. Do I have to go and find jobs as a band 5 nurse in a hospice for a year until i can become a specialist nurse? As a intensive care nurse i do a lot of palliative care work and it makes me feel disheartened that I am unable to get a job as a clinical nurse specialist.

I would appreciate the help.

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Have you asked for feedback from the roles you were unsuccessful in, if not that may be a good place to start.

As an ITU nurse you will have experience in end of life care, but palliative care is so much more than that. Marie Curie defines it as

" treatment, care and support for people with a life-limiting illness, and their family and friends. It’s sometimes called ‘supportive care’."

The aim of palliative care is to help you to have a good quality of life – this includes being as well and active as possible in the time you have left."

To work as a CNS you really do have to be an expert in that field, so looking more towards a band 5 palliative care role or even district /community nursing to start building your knowledge and skills may be a starting point.

See if you can shadow one of the existing CNS to get a better understand of the role, and it is unlikely your current employer would support that as it is a completely different field so you may need to do that in your own time unless you can pitch it too you're boss in a way it would support and enhance your current role.

Other advice would be to start with the essential criteria of the posts you have applied for and plan your professional development in achieving that,

[123mememe]

I agree with the above. It would help if you could work in district nursing / hospice. Try and take as many courses as possible including advanced communication skills. Are you looking at hospital or community CNS roles?

[spacemonkey15]

I echo what others have said here. I’ve had colleagues from itu who’ve wanted to move into palliative care and they’ve often gone into hospice nursing first to gain experience to apply for more specialised roles.

[Flutter_butter]

I would also advise you to speak with the Specialist palliative care team and ask to shadow. It may be beneficial to work in district nursing or a hospice to build your knowledge and skills further.