Would hospice be a good fit for me?

[stellina615]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on the hospice board. I am currently working as an LPN on an inpatient psychiatric unit and will be sitting for my NCLEX-RN in May or June. I was hoping to find an RN position on a med-surg floor for a couple of years before specializing, but the job market in my area (New England) is such that it may not be possible. There is a per diem opening at a BEAUTIFUL area 10-bed inpatient hospice house. I spent one day there as a student and loved the way that the nurses and other staff got to spend so much time with the patients and families and were able to help patients and families through such a challenging period in their lives. I'm thinking that my experience in supporting patients with anxiety, pain, and grief issues in a psych setting might prove helpful in a hospice setting, but my biggest concern is whether I can actually handle the emotional stress that I imagine would affect hospice nurses. I wouldn't say that I am uncomfortable with death, but I am relatively inexperienced with it. Moreover, I'm a sensitive person and I imagine that I would have a hard time letting go of my patients after having established a relationship with them and their families. If the hospice house might be interested in hiring me, I would plan on shadowing another nurse before accepting the position, but I am just writing to find out if anyone else had similar concerns when they started out in this field and how they adjusted/coped. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,

Erin:heartbeat

[americanTrain]

I worked as medsurg nurse for 6 years with float to alot of different areas,

I took care of alot of hospice pts in the hospital. I was always envious of the

hospice nurses who came to our hospital, they always looked so professional. Never were they running around like chickens with their heads cut off like we were on the floor. I tried to break free from the hospital for years, finally I got my break.

Ive only been a hospice nurse for 4 months, but I can tell you that you do have to be strong in front of pts and their family; they are usually under a tremendous amount of stress dealing with the issues of death and dying and letting go of their loved one. You deal with alot of different emotions from the pt and family and not always on the same page.

One of the other things Ive found out is that you cannot wear your heart on your sleeve; one day the pt/family is kind and thinks your the best nurse ever, and the next day you go to see the pt/family and they turn on you like you've caused it all. Its especially hard when you have gotten close with them. You do get close to them. Then you become one of the family. My first 3-4 deaths were pts that I had not yet

gotton close to, so I was able to learn from the experience. I think that shadowing a hospice nurse in a facillity or in the home would be a great start.

Most people I know, say that once you've done it for 6 months, its in your blood. There is a great deal to hospice work and learning everyday, its never boring and I've learned so much more since changing careers.