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Hospice Nurse - Career Profile |
Career OverviewHospice nurses have a particularly difficult job emotionally. Hospice nurses perform many traditional duties of nurses to improve the comfort of patients who are terminally ill.
Like most other nurses, hospice nurses work closely with physicians, administer medications; observe, assess, and record patient symptoms. However, hospice nurses do not administer treatment with the intention of facilitating patient recovery. The hospice nurse acts to make terminally ill patients comfortable in their remaining days. The most important duty of a hospice nurse is to minimize the pain experienced by terminally ill patients.
Hospice nurses work in a variety of different environments, but they most often act as home-care nurses and spend several hours a day in patient homes.
The majority of hospice patients have fatal cancers, so hospice nurses have to be familiar with the management of pain for cancer patients. However, other hospice patients are suffering from AIDS, Lou Gehrig's disease, heart diseases and lung diseases that may prove chronic.
The patients treated by hospice nurses fall into a range of age groups and have a range of racial backgrounds and cultural beliefs. Due to the nature of the situation, their terminal status, hospice nurses must learn to be sensitive to patients feelings and wishes.
In addition to providing patient care, hospice nurses also coordinate the care of hospice patients in an administrative capacity, advising physicians as to their condition of patients and the best course of care. Hospice nurses are often a mediator between physicians and families of terminally ill patients.
The counseling skills they develop may also be used to work with a patient's social worker, home-care aide, physical, occupational, or speech therapist to promote the best possible quality of life for terminally ill patients.
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Career RequirementsTo become a hospice nurse, individuals are required to have a current license to practice as a registered nurses. They are also required to obtain a state license to practice as a hospice worker, which requires a valid registered nurse license and at least two years experience as a registered nurse in a hospice-nursing setting. The state licenses are offered as by the National Board of Certification for Hospice Nurses.
Although it is not mandatory, most hospice nurses have at least a four-year Bachelor's Degree in Nursing in addition to their qualification as a registered nurse. Many also study for advanced degrees, as many specialist fields in nursing do require Master's Degrees or post-graduate qualifications.
A typical hospice worker divides their time between four general areas of practice: direct care, educating, counseling, and management. Hospice workers are trained to give care to patients directly, to administer patient care, and to educate patients, their families, and staff in the care of the terminally ill.
The American Nurses Credentialing Center awards licenses to qualified hospice nurses and is the official source for more information about finding an accredited training course. Contact information features below.
American Nurses Credentialing Center
600 Maryland Ave., SW, Suite 100 West
Washington, D.C. 20024-2571
(800) 284-2378
American Nurses' Association
8518 Georgia Ave.,
Ste. 400,
Silver Spring, MD 20910
www.nursingworld.org
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Job OutlookIn the next decade, nursing will be one of the top 10 fastest growing professions in the United States according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Health care facilities will be looking to cut back on general costs so clinical nurse specialists may become the preferred alternative to more specialized medical professionals.
The future looks bright in the nursing field, with the number of jobs for registered nurses expected to increase at a rate far greater than that of most other jobs in the next couple of years.
Over the next decade or so, the nursing profession is expected to change as well. Nearly one out of every eight Americans is over 65 years of age and the size of the elderly population looks set to double by 2050, according to the US Census Bureau. Nurses specializing in care of the elderly, and this certainly includes hospice nurses, who often care for elderly patients, will be in particular demand.
Hospitals are constantly downsizing, cutting back on the number of general staff, and reducing the time of patients' stay as well, so at home patient care is likely to be the standard practice for nurses in the not too distant future.
There has also been some discussion about dividing the field of nursing into professional nurses and technical nurses. This will distinguish between those who have four-year degrees and those who have associate degrees. Hospice nurses with advanced degrees will likely be more secure in the job market if such a distinction occurs.
As the field develops, there will certainly be increased opportunity for hospice nurses to demonstrate leadership and to influence the direction of nursing at all levels, because hospice nursing will become particularly important as the population ages and a larger sample of the population is elderly and in poor health.
The role of the hospice nurse is and will remain a vital ingredient to ensure a positive experience for patients and staff.
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Career TrackHospice nurses have credentials that allow them to take numerous responsibilities in the field of medicine. They can choose to work day-to-day with terminally ill patients, practicing general medicine, or they can assist specialists in the treatment of patients requiring care to make patients comfortable and manage pain.
The career track of every hospice nurses may vary considerably. However, the general education, training, and experience of hospice nurses offers an excellent foundation for a career track in a variety of areas and in a variety of capacities, from patient care to hospital administration. Wherever your ambitions take you, the qualifications and experience of working as a hospice nurse is likely to help you get there.
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CompensationAlthough compensation for hospice worker varies according to their levels of seniority, the annual pay is generally equal to that of a registered nurse.
- Hospice nurse: $40,000 to $70,000
- General nurse: $40,000 to $60,000
- Licensed practical nurse: $35,000 to $45,000
- Nurse practitioner: $60,000 to $125,000
- Nurse supervisor: $55,000 to $85,000
- Registered nurse: $40,000 to $65,000
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