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Discussion

Need some advise

Hi everyone,

I am going to be a new grad in May...(hopefully after passing NCLEX!!).

From doing clinicals, I have found that my heart is really into hospice. My philosophy is so much of the hospice fundamentals. Alot of my classmates want to get into different areas of nursing and think I am crazy to want to work with the dying. I feel like it is my calling to bring comfort and peace to those at the end of their lives. I had a friend who died of cancer a few years ago. We spoke of her impending death and what she wanted. She had come to terms as best as she could with her diagnosis and prognosis, but her biggest concern was being in pain. Thank God, she didnt know the suffering that so many have to endure. I worked in psych for 16 years and so I think I can appreciate the emotional and psychological processes that occur with the patient and the family. Ok, so here is my question: Do hospices hire new grads and what are your thoughts and feelings of a new grad going into hospice.

Thanks, I appreciate your comments,

Dianne

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    • Featured Replies

    A lot of places are going to want a year of experience elsewhere. But good luck! I have wanted to do this since I became a nurse.

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    if you're wanting to do hospice in the home, then yes, you will need at least 1 yr of med/surg or onc experience.

    but if you want to do inpatient hospice, better chance of being hired since there is always someone around for guidance.

    going into home hospice, is a more autonomous position...

    which requires experience in order to make a lot of independent decisions.

    that shouldn't stop you from applying, however.

    there are always those employers, who will hire you, based on your passion to work in this specialty.

    good luck to you, dianne.

    leslie

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    • Author

    Thanks, Leslie!! I was thinking it would be beneficial to get more technical experience, learn more of disease processes and get better with my assessment skills. I know I have the heart for it. At clinicals, I witnessed an 88 year old woman who just returned from dialysis, code and they worked on her for over an hour. It was just an awful experience! I know that she was not a DNR and family requested resuscitation, but it seemed so brutal. I just really believe that death is not always the enemy. I really feel that hospice allows comfort and peace and can bring so much to the end of life for the patient and the family.

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    Go and work on a medical or step-down floor. You will get to take care of lots of people who are dying, while improving your skills. This job would be terribly intimidating if I had not had a solid base of medical skills. You want to be the best hospice nurse you can be, and I am not sure that will happen without that solid medical basis.

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    • Author

    Thanks, Erin! I think you are absolutely right. At least in the hospital setting, I will have extra guidance needed until I can improve in different disease processes and basic nursing skills. Also getting a good assessment skills. I appreciate the advice!

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    • Guides

    Well, I just know we are a small rural hospice and we really need RN's.

    Our hospital hires new grads. For all areas. Of course we train the RN's very well for their area.

    We even recruit from nursing schools hundreds of miles from here.

    We really need nurses.

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    • Author

    What area of the country are you at?

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