Jack Hazz BSN, RN

I have been a hospice RNCM for 6 years now and planned to take the CHPN certification for the longest time but never got to it. I finally decided I'd review, shell out the $415 and take the test early next year. I am more of a hands-on, vi...

Nice one and spot on Nurse Beth. There was a survey done in one of the hospital system in my area recently asking who patients trust the most when they are in the hospital. I was not surprised when the number answer is NURSES. Near the bottom a...

I did, but did not go in depth. Maybe I should. Thanks for the advice.

6 years RNCM here...Let's do that!

It is more likely mottling. Cells die mostly due to lack of oxygen at EOL, especially if they are imminent and they develop purplish...or sometimes looks like bruising...on their extremities and can sometimes spread all over, though I only saw that o...

RNCM here. I am hourly and see 4-5 pts daily on the average. Normally, at least where I work, 4 is the usual number of pts per day. Anything above that or if a pt has a lot of needs and we stayed maybe 2 hrs and over for that visit, is OT. That ...

Its more of the misinformation started by someone they look up to and perpetuated by people that are, surprisingly, mostly vaccinated, that the vaccines do not work without even knowing how vaccines work. People who I spoke with say they HEARD ...

Well, welcome to my world, where I play a part-time job of being an MD, pharmacist, social worker, hospice aid and chaplain. Plus when patients and family are frustrated, grieving and emotional, you also become a sponge to absorb it all, their anger,...

I'll be honest, I have coworkers who are not vaccinated. And yes, I look at them with tsk tsk tsk running through my brain. But then again, it is their choice. We can argue all day about trying to keep not only our patients safe, but family, friends ...

don't get discouraged and goodluck!

Depends on where you live in Ca. I live up North and cost of living is half less that of Bay Area...and I earn almost that amount stated above. What Bay Area workers do is they buy houses far from the Bay Area...problem is their commute is 2-3 hrs...

I am lucky enough to currently work in an institution that gives great support to the staff, at least in my department. The pay is up there, though not in the $100/hr (I wish) and usually just work 40-45 hrs weekly. I've worked in this comlany for th...

I have been applying at Kaiser for so many years until I finally decided to quit. What I learned from friends and relatives working there is basically, they hire from within or that dreaded "its who you know, not what you know". I've seen that "appli...

Looking at my PTO hours right now and I accumulate about 9.5 hrs every paycheck.

A lot of advice can be given, but only one thing you have to remember. At the end of the day, you're main focus is patient comfort at the end of life, not the family's nor yours.

My highest case load was 18 too. For me, 15 is pushing it. I am comfortable with 12-13. Good thing the hospice I work with cap it at 15.

Depends. Here in Northern California, particularly in the Sacramento County, I can name major hospice companies, both independent and those affiliated to hospitals. Vitas usually offers $35/hr, less if you are not an RN but I think they started just...

I agree. Most of hospice patients with TPNs are already on it prior to being admitted. I recently had a patient on TPN and I was horrified as my last TPN experience was 2 years ago. Good thing she uses CADD pump which I am familiar with and it all ca...

I feel for those who work unsupported by their supervisors. I've been in 2 hospice companies, one that is for profit and the other, non-profit. I've always gotten the support and help I needed and it probably is a horrible feeling to not have any...

I would like to disagree very strongly with the one that said hospital based hospice has nothing positive. I worked for a FOR PROFIT hospice like vitas before and then moved on to a NON PROFIT hospital based hospice and I would say it was a great mo...

I love hospice...I love working and developing relationship with my patients and families. Some are hard to deal with over-all, but most are loving and understanding and easy to deal with. But the hardest ones for me are the families that are still i...

Yeah, I've asked some of my seasoned collegues here and we all came to the same conclusion. Break it to them gently in the most honest and acceptable way of telling them based on how and who they are. And I have been doing this mostly... But I def...

So far, I have yet to draw blood or start an IV. Hospice frowns on IV because the disadvantage actually outweighs the benefits by a lot for someone who is dying. Plus medicare (if they have medicare, which is most of my patients) does not think hospi...

Lol... Rearview, I would like to agree with most of these wonderful nurses that posted in this thread. Hospice is a different kind of animal, but the main idea is the same as all other kinds of nursing... Taking care of our patients. I guess I am mo...

I'd love to get that POC flipbook... But our tablet already has all the accepted POC that our hospice company wants used. It was developed prescreened by our supervisors which are mostly nurses.