kaybay529

I am graduating in the next month and I feel my heart lies in the field of hospice. I am getting mixed reveiws on the subject especially by teachers, who say that it is a waste of my skills and to get at least a year of med-surg experience first. I feel that med-surg is a waste of my skills in the fact that I have a gift of connection with my patients and I love the psychosocial aspect of nursing, not just the skills. My question is: what do the experienced hospice nurses feel about his topic? Did you work in a hospital first? Do you feel that working in the hospital fist is imperative before working in hospice? I guess I am just looking for a little advice on the pros and cons of going into the field of hospice right out of nursing school. Thanks

Personally I think wearing gloves during vital signs and fundal exam is little unneccesary and I feel it really hinders the holistic feeling that I am trying to portray. But, this is obviously a personal choice that one shouldn't be critisized for. I don't feel uncomfortable to say "Let me grab a pair of gloves" and the patient understands the need.

I am getting ready to start my fourth (and final...YEA!!!) semester and we just did our 12-hour shift last month. It is not nearly as scary as it sounds. It flies by and I actually felt that it was easier because I had more time to do the things I needed to get done. Overall it was a very pleasant experience! I definately agree with the last poster: make sure you eat or you will hit a wall. I took a morning snack, a lunch and an evening snack. Hope this was at least a little bit helpful.

I had a similar experience, except that I luckily wasn't cut by it. I ended up having a defective ampule that wasn't scored. I wonder if that may have been your problem......