LPN, thinking of starting out as volunteer in Hospice

[iwanna]

I am thinking about volunteering for hospice. I am an LPN. With the exception of flu clinics, I really haven't worked much. I have been on disability since 2004. Briefly, I worked in NH last spring, but it was too exhausting and overwhelming for me. I only worked for 6 weeks. Other than that I worked for a mere three weeks in a drs. office. I was terminated from that position as a pt. had an anaphylactic reaction to a serum made by either myself or nurse training me. Since, I was new person and this was a long time pt. , it was assumed that it was my error. I was fired immediately. After that I just worked flu shot clinics during the season.

I am seeking a job that is not physically demanding. I am not qualified to work regular home health jobs, as my nursing is basically behavioral health. I believe that I am going to try private duty nursing, where I only have one pt.I think that I am going to give Maxim a try. I know that I have heard many bad things about them. I will be very careful in what I accept and watch my back. At this point, I feel like there are not many options for me. I applied at Maxim a year ago, but changed my mind. They called me about a month ago, to see if I was still interested. Most nursing agencies want you to have recent bedside experience of at least one year. I do not have that amount of experience. And, all of my nursing experience has been drug/alcohol or psych inpt. So, I am thinking about trying Maxim, then after awhile being able to apply elsewhere. I think that I would like to try hospice nursing after awhile. Would volunteering help me to get a good idea of the hospice nursing?

[tewdles, RN]

I do not think that volunteering will give you a great deal of insight into the role and function of the case nurse or visit nurse...

You could, however, contact a hospice which is hiring and inquire about shadowing a field nurse. You will likely have to sign waivers and agreements, etc., but you may be able to discover first hand what the nursing work looks like. This will give you a much better idea of whether or not you are suited to the work.

I will give you a word of warning...hospice is not for "light weights". It is very emotionally, intellectually, and at times physically demanding work. When you are with a patient there are no coworkers to call upon for an assist...it is you and the family (if there is family present). Additionally, some hospice patients have very complex nursing needs which can be daunting for even seasoned nurses because of the setting.

Having said that, I don't want to discourage you from pursuing this field of work...I just want you to feel informed.

Good luck.

[iwanna]

Thanks for the info. I would love to shadow a nurse. Although, it seems that they really do not allow that much anymore because of the HIPPA. I have called a nursing agency and they told me due to confidentiality that they cannot permit people to shadow. I think that emotionally that I could handle it, but I am sure that it is really hard with some families. My ex-father-in-law had hospice. The nurses were great, and we appreciated them. Also, I had two uncles that had the services of hospice. But, I would love to shadow a nurse. Perhaps, I may find a place that will allow it.