Hospice Registered Nurse

About the role

Join our company, where every day is an opportunity to deliver personalized, meaningful hospice and palliative care to patients facing life-limiting illness. We support patients and their families with dignity, comfort, and love.

Schedule

The preferred shift for this position is Monday–Thursday, 10:00 am–9:00 pm with on‑call coverage from 9:00 pm–8:00 am. You are additionally incentivized for being on call; historically on‑call visits are limited during weekday hours.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for patients and families, guiding them through every step of their hospice journey.
• Deliver and document skilled, hands‑on nursing care based on each patient’s individualized Plan of Care—in their home, assisted living, or wherever they call home.
• Perform initial and ongoing assessments to monitor patient condition and adjust care as needed.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team—including physicians, LPNs, CNAs, social workers, chaplains, and others—to build and refine personalized care plans.
• Provide emotional, physical, and spiritual support to patients and their loved ones, offering education, comfort, and bereavement guidance.
• Teach caregivers how to care for their loved one safely and confidently, offering both practical training and emotional reassurance.
• Communicate important updates in patient condition to the care team, ensuring timely and appropriate interventions.
• Maintain accurate, up‑to‑date clinical documentation and follow infection control and compliance standards.
• Support quality improvement and scheduling initiatives to ensure care is consistent, compassionate, and efficient.
• Help patients and families understand and navigate medication administration, hospice philosophy and services, symptom and pain management, and end‑of‑life processes and expectations.
• Perform comprehensive patient assessments and reassessments, including in‑person/telephonic RN assessments/screenings, and provide education to patients, family members, and caregivers as appropriate.
• Deliver skilled nursing interventions and symptom management aligned with goals of care.
• Develop and update individualized plans of care, including patient visit frequency to meet individual needs and risk identification.
• Coordinate care across interdisciplinary teams, including consultation with physicians and nurse practitioners.
• Provide patient and caregiver education regarding disease process, self‑care techniques, end‑of‑life care, medications, nutrition, and dietary needs.
• Communicate changes in condition or signs and symptoms of decline to the appropriate provider (e.g., NP, PCP, Hospice Physician).
• Support continuity of care by recognizing and supporting home health, palliative, and hospice referrals as appropriate, and recognizing and supporting transitions in levels of care.
• Document timely clinical records on all patients, including screening/assessment findings, physician orders, progress notes, and care plans.
• Maintain effective working relationships with the IDG and involve the team when the patient’s care plan warrants team participation to achieve desired outcomes.
• Participate in on‑call and patient support activities as applicable, conducting on‑call services in a clinically competent and responsive manner.

Core competencies

• Clinical excellence and sound judgment
• Patient‑centered communication and empathy
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Accountability and regulatory compliance
• Adaptability and critical thinking
• Timeliness of patient visits and documentation
• Accuracy and completeness of clinical records
• Patient and caregiver satisfaction
• Compliance with regulatory and policy standards
• Participation in team collaboration and IDG activities

Requirements

Education

Registered Nurse

Experience

• Minimum of one (1) year experience as an RN in acute care hospital, oncology, long‑term care, hospice, or home health.
• School internships and clinical hours may be considered as experience on a case‑by‑case basis.
• Hospice or palliative care experience preferred.

Licenses, certifications & registration

• Current license to practice nursing in the state of requested employment
• CPR Certification
• Current automobile insurance and valid driver’s license

Specialized knowledge & skills

• Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families along with understanding of hospice
• Ability to apply knowledge of the special needs of hospice patients and families
• Knowledge of roles of all disciplines providing hospice services
• Excellent patient assessment skills
• Knowledge of community resources
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Documentation and program management
• Knowledge of general nursing practice
• Thorough knowledge of managed care principles, regulatory guidelines (Medicare, Medicaid, ACHC), and human resource management principles

Working conditions

Patient’s homes and/or institutional settings and automobile. Potential exposure to infections, communicable diseases, odors, blood, excreta, and hazardous materials.

Personal traits, qualities & aptitudes

• Sensitivity to the impact of life and death issues faced by individuals with terminal illness
• Tact in dealing with these patients and their families
• Ability to support others at a time of crisis
• Flexibility to perform a variety of tasks, often changing from one to another of a different nature without loss of efficiency or composure
• Effective communication with people of all socioeconomic backgrounds
• Responsible functioning in the workplace, maturity, cooperation, flexibility, and tact in dealing with co‑workers and all members of the hospice team

Equipment / tools / work aids

• Ability to effectively operate nursing assessment tools, computers, facsimile equipment, copier, and cell phone/beeper
• Must have and maintain transportation for work use

Benefits

For all associates (Full‑Time, Part‑Time & Per Diem)

• Competitive Pay
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Career Advancement Opportunities
• National & Local Recognition Programs
• Teammate Assistance Fund

Additional Full‑Time benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Mileage Reimbursement or Fleet Vehicle Program
• Generous Paid Time Off + 7 Paid Holidays
• Wellness Programs (Telemedicine, Diabetes Management, Joint & Spine Concierge Care)
• Education Support & Tuition Assistance (ASN to BSN, BSN to MSN)
• Free Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
• Company‑paid Life & Long‑Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits (Pet, Critical Illness, Accident, LTC)

Position Type: Full‑Time | Company: Gentiva Hospice