MSN after Hospice Nursing

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Hello all. I'm considering making the move to a Hospice Home Care position. I still consider myself a new graduate nurse I just graduated last December. I was working in the ICU but after 9 months I decided it wasn't for me. I've alwaud had an interest in Hospice so I'm very excited about the position. My question is has anyone gone on to pursue their MSN after working primarily in Hospice home care? Do MSN programs prefer applicants with more hospital experience? I definitely want to earn a graduate degree one day, but I'm not sure what direction I want to go in. I don't want to hurt myself by taking a home care position early in my careeer. Any advice would be great thank you!

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

I am currently working in hospice as a registered nurse case manager. I have my BSN and have considered the master's route. The question to ask yourself is what value will you get out of the degree and associated cost?

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Specializes in Hospice and palliative care.

Hi Dani

I am a nurse practitioner who has acute care training but I have been working in hospice for the past 10 months (in addition to doing primary care home visits). Typically NP's in hospice are utilized to do face-to-face visits for re-certification but my current manager actually utilized me in a case management role for about 5 months earlier this year, which is unusual for an NP. I have to say, though, that I learned a lot about hospice that way and got to know my patients. If you want more details, you could PM me for specifics.

I found this page that talks about education for APN's interested in hospice/palliative care. Hospice Nurse | How to become a Nurse Practitioner. Also, I believe Massachusetts General Hospital offers a fellowship for nurse practitioners interested in palliative care. Here is the link for more information on that program: Palliative Care Nurse Practicum/Observership - Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

As I said, if you have further questions, please do not hesitate to PM me. Good luck in your decision, regardless of what you decide!!

Laurie

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