Possible career change to hospice

Specialties Hospice

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Well, here I am, another nurse looking to possibly change jobs and work for a hospice agency. I interviewed today at Sta-Home (does anyone know much about this agency? just curious), and it went really well. I'm not really worried about whether or not I'll get the job; I think I will. But, I guess that my confidence level is really low right now. I wonder if I'll be good at it, if I can handle it, if it will be a good "fit" for me.........so many things running through my head. Anyone else know what I mean?

I've been in a hospital for about a year and a half now, ever since I got out of nursing school. I've worked in med/surg, NICU, and mother/baby (where I am right now). But, I haven't found my niche, my calling, whatever you want to call it. I guess that I would really hate to change jobs again and end up being miserable, again.

The pay's okay. It would be about what I'm making right now (working the night shift though). They pay for health and dental insurance, which is great. The mileage is 30 cents per mile (is this typical or a complete rip-off?), and they do rotate call for nights and weekends.

I know that it's not really an 8-5 job. But, I also want to have a life. I want to be able to get out of town for a couple of days if I need to. I need that, you know? I don't want to take this job only to find out that I have no free time other than work.

I don't know, guys. I'm just confused, I guess. Any advice?? This was mostly written as a "venting" sort of thing, so if it doesn't make sense, sorry! ;)

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The government reimbursement rate for mileage is 41 cents - it was 48 for a few months at the end of last year. This does not mean that your agency has to pay that rate, it just means that if they pay any more than that then you are responsible for taxes on it. If they pay less than that, you are able to file the remainder on your taxes to get a tax break. If you are worried about having a life, then I would ask questions about how often you'll be required to be on call, what the average case load is, how much support there is from other members of the team (SW, Chaplain, Volunteers, CNA's. It can make a difference. Also, how high is their census? The lower it is, the more on call you usually have to pull. Agencies with a higher census can afford to hire dedicated on call staff. Agencies differ so if the one you applied for is not right for you, apply elsewhere. I don't know what state you're in but there is not a shortage of hospice agencies here!

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doodlemom--

Thanks for responding. From what I understand, the census is pretty high. I live in Jackson, Mississippi and they cover 10 counties. It's a busy office from what they told me. They also mentioned the tax break, so I guess that's good. I wish I had been better informed before I went to the interview, so that I would've known what questions to ask. I guess I could call the director of nursing today and ask her, huh? :)

I don't know how good the team is, but I do know that they always have a "backup" on call if you can't get there right away (like if it's thirty miles away and you're on another visit). They claim that the team is great---social workers, chaplains, etc.

The DON also told me about the caseload---it's 10-12 patients per RN, with at least two visits to each patient required each week. Is that a typical caseload?

Again, thanks for the info. I appreciate any and all advice.

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doodlemom--

Thanks for responding. From what I understand, the census is pretty high. I live in Jackson, Mississippi and they cover 10 counties. It's a busy office from what they told me. They also mentioned the tax break, so I guess that's good. I wish I had been better informed before I went to the interview, so that I would've known what questions to ask. I guess I could call the director of nursing today and ask her, huh? :)

I don't know how good the team is, but I do know that they always have a "backup" on call if you can't get there right away (like if it's thirty miles away and you're on another visit). They claim that the team is great---social workers, chaplains, etc.

The DON also told me about the caseload---it's 10-12 patients per RN, with at least two visits to each patient required each week. Is that a typical caseload?

Again, thanks for the info. I appreciate any and all advice.

10-12 is a good caseload - so that sounds good. Some people on this forum have in the upper teens which is not manageable. I wish you the best of luck.

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What do you have to do as a Hospice RN? Im looking for other options to broaden my horizons. I work as HH RN and in LTC as well casual but wanted to know if Hospice is easier than HH??

Tricia:banghead:

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Some of the others who have worked on both sides may be better able to answer this but I have heard that home health nurses tend to have more visits per day and more paperwork. Hospice has a different focus, more interdisciplinary, less medical model and more psychosocial/spiritual emphasis. I doubt you will find anyone who says it is easier, but many find it more rewarding. Others find it too emotionally demanding. Whether it's for you depends on what you bring to it, and what you are looking to get out of it.

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Two visits to each patient a week sounds odd to me. Visits should depend on the patient's needs, not a number requirement. Some patients need two visits and some may only need bimonthly visits.

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Two visits to each patient a week sounds odd to me. Visits should depend on the patient's needs, not a number requirement. Some patients need two visits and some may only need bimonthly visits.

We have never done less than a weekly visit and those patients are very rare. Twice a week is our usual but a good share of patients end up needing more.

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