Volunteer?

I'd suggest going straight for your RN, LPN's have limited roles in hospice and many aren't hiring LPN's anymore.

I see. I do plan to pursue my RN in the future but at this time I am going to complete the PN program. I am completely open to starting out in any area. Basically I'm just wondering if volunteering will help in general..

yes

volunteer with the hospice

if they are a good agency stay with them while you finish your RN

I know a Director in a hospice that started EXACTLY that way.

I am starting vocational nursing school in the spring of 2014 and my goal is to work in hospice care. Because of your post Irene, I decided to volunteer with a hospice in my city. Thank you for the post, and thank you tewdles for seconding it. :)

Irene and Bella-

by ALL means volunteer. My hospice agency is soooo good to their employees. Any in you can get, go for it! But if you could get a CNA job with them instead, even if just on call, do that. You will get invaluable experience for school (as volunteers are not allowed to perform patient care). My biggest regret in nursing school is that I did not get a CNA job before or during the program.

Personally I think it's a great idea to volunteer! While I was waiting for my LPN license to process I volunteered for a hospice agency. I got to know the nurses there and got to visit different facilities in my area that I didn't know about! Some I learned were hiring too! It also kept me motivated about nursing being around patients and other nurses as opposed to doing nothing while waiting. Even though much of the time you're keeping patients company, I was still able to utilize my assessment skills. Because if there was anything wrong with the patient I was visiting, I could relay that information to the nurse. We also documented our visit. While I was volunteering, they weren't hiring LPNs at the time, but after a few months, they contacted me about an open position for an LPN and I jumped on it! I now work for them and I love my job! This is when I realized how much connections do matter. However, I noticed you're just starting school. Perhaps you can volunteer before you start school to establish familiarity with the staff and see what it's like.