Clinical Hospice Registered Nurse (RN) PRN

Job Description Summary

The registered nurse plans, organizes, and directs hospice care, emphasizing community health education and experience. The professional nurse builds services to meet individual and family needs within homes and communities.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities

• Completes an initial, comprehensive, and ongoing comprehensive assessment of patient and family to determine hospice needs.
• Provides a complete physical assessment and history of current and previous illness(es).
• Utilizes the nursing process to provide professional nursing care.
• Affixes regular reassessments of patient and family/caregiver needs.
• Participates in revising the plan of care as necessary.
• Initiates the plan of care and makes necessary revisions as patient status and needs change.
• Uses health assessment data to determine nursing diagnoses.
• Develops a care plan that establishes goals, based on nursing diagnoses and incorporates palliative nursing actions.
• Involves the patient and the family in the planning process.
• Initiates appropriate preventive and rehabilitative nursing procedures.
• Administers medications and treatments as prescribed by the physician in the physician's plan of care.
• Counsels the patient and family in meeting nursing and related needs.
• Provides health care instructions to the patient as appropriate per assessment and plan.
• Aids the patient with the activities of daily living and facilitates the patient's efforts toward self-sufficiency and optional comfort care.
• Communicates with the physician regarding the patient's needs and reports changes in the patient's condition; obtains/receives physicians' orders as required.
• Works in cooperation with the family/caregiver and hospice interdisciplinary group to meet the emotional needs of the patient and family/caregiver.
• Attends interdisciplinary group meetings.

Position Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
• One (1) to two (2) years of recent acute care experience in an institutional setting, and one (1) to two (2) years of recent experience in home care.
• Current licensure in State and CPR certification.
• Bachelor’s degree, with one (1) year of hospice care experience preferred.
• Management experience not required.
• Responsible for supervising hospice aides.
• Excellent observation, verbal and written communication skills, problem-solving skills, basic math skills; nursing skills per competency checklist.
• Prolonged or considerable walking or standing.
• Able to lift, position and/or transfer patients.
• Able to lift supplies and equipment.
• Considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling and/or crouching.
• Visual acuity and hearing to perform required nursing skills.
• Must be a licensed driver with an automobile that is insured in accordance with state/or organization requirements and is in good working order.
• Hospice experience strongly preferred.