angel's assistant

FYI-- I saw at patient today that gets dialyzed 3x weekly. But her hospice diagnosis is peritoneal CA. I guess you just have to find a hospice that would accept him for lung CA and continue the dialysis and an unrelated treatment.

This reply is from a nurse that never wanted to ever deal with familys or dying pts. But through circumstance I am now a Hospice nurse. The first atribute you have to be a hospice nurse is you "calling" I think if you tell that to the interviewer you probably have the job wraped up. I would try to get as much experience in med/surg as possibel, then maybe some oncology just so you would be aware of the newest meds and treatments. I came from surgery and had no idea about chemo/radiation/meds. I had to look up Roxanol(liquid morphine). As you are waiting to get your experience you could become a hospice volunteer. Our hospice volunteers are a the largest assest our not for profit agency has. I don't work for a large hospice with big bucks, so my salary SUCKS, but I LOVE the people that I work for and I might turn out to be a hospice nurse after all. Oh, we are also building a hospice residency over the next several years, maybe this type of setting would be the easiest transition from hospital to hospice.

What you discribe is what Hospice nurses call Near Death Awarness (NDA). This happens quite often during the dying process. Usually though pts talk with their loved ones that have died. They also try and get afairs completed. Sometimes it is misdiagnosed as confusion. What a wonderful GIFT you all have given your family members to share such an intimate time with them.

What you discribe is what Hospice nurses call Near Death Awarness.