LPN with no hospice experience?

[LPNMeg06]

Hi Everyone!

I am an LPN, I have been one for two years now. For the past two years I have been working in a clinic with peds patients. It was great in the beginning, but I am looking for something new and something I can really put my heart into.

For the past couple of years I have been quite confused about nursing, what specialty to enter into, etc. Well, finally, I have decided to continue on for my BSN through ISU and to look for a different job.

I have been interested in hospice from the beginning of my nursing classes, however I was nervous that it would be emotionally too much to handle. Being very sensitive and compassionate are great assets, but I knew that there were pitfalls with this when dealing with death.

However...I have been reading alot of information on hospice and death and the dying process, and I feel that my love for one on one care and psychology would make me a great hospice nurse, and I know this is what I want to do.

The only problem here is that I have zero hospice experience. Will I still be able to get a job? (I live in IL by the way)

Also, any tips for new hospice nurses?

Thanks so much to all of you for any advice you can give me! :heartbeat

Megan

[RNWithAHeart]

Hi,

I just started with hospice a few weeks ago. I am an RN who had 1 year of telemetry experience prior to this. You can get a job with no hospice experience. Hospice was my dream job.....I had a very specific plan.....I was very sure of my goals and I had researched hospice and its philosophies and I feel I was chosen/hired for my beliefs. I wanted a year of hospital nursing first, and honestly I started in Hospice 1 year to the week after I started in the hospital.

There is also an RN in our company who I graduated with that was a LPN prior to being hired and was hired right out of school.

Best of luck to you with school (focus on that now, you need all the energy you have to get through) and then follow your dreams.:heartbeat

[nrcnurse]

I'm a LPN working for a Hospice Continuous Care team. We spend our entire shift with one patient at their home or facility. I've been doing this for two years. It's a great job, paricularly if you're in school. It seems that I'm either jumping for the whole shift, or "watching paint dry." Those slow cases will give you plenty of time to study. In either case, it's one-on-one care, and exactly the care you wanted to give when you became a nurse. I'ts also very challenging. You will see many disease processes, and have the opportunity to work with RNs who are the ultimate mentors. My hospice also uses LPNs in other capacities besides continuous care. Call your local hospice and see what positions are available. They probably have a website that will list available positions.

Good luck!

Nancy

[mc3, ASN, RN]

Hi there, hospice LPN here. I work on the LTC team seeing patients in their homes, which are assisted living facilities. Most of our LPN's work in our pool and do team visits, or do continuous care visits. I love it! Our hospice even had an LPN preceptor program with the community college last year and it worked out great. One of the grads went through the program and is now working in the hospice house. So, give it your best shot and go for it. It's absolutely the best job (smile!) I've ever had.

mc3:nurse: