Hospice Registered Nurse

About the role

Lead with Heart. Be the Difference. Transform End-of-Life Care. 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.

What You'll Do

• Be 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 not just to the patient, but to their loved ones as well—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 the organization's quality improvement and scheduling initiatives to ensure care is consistent, compassionate, and efficient.
• Help patients and families understand and navigate topics such as: medication administration, hospice philosophy and services, symptom and pain management, end-of-life processes and expectations.

Essential Functions

• 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 change in condition, or signs and symptoms of decline to appropriate provider (e.g., NP, PCP, Hospice Physician).
• Support the 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 IDG, and involve team when patient's care plan warrants team participation to achieve desired outcome.
• 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

• A minimum of one (1) year experience as an RN, either in acute care hospital, oncology, long-term care, hospice or home health.
• School internships and clinical hours may be considered as experience in individual cases.
• Hospice or palliative care experience preferred

Licenses, Certifications And/or Registration

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

Specialized Knowledge And Skills

• Knowledge of terminally ill patients and their families along with understanding of hospice
• Ability to apply knowledge of the special needs of hospice patient 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 (i.e., Medicare, Medicaid, ACHC, and human resource management principles)

Working Conditions

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

Personal Traits, Qualities And 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
• Must be able to demonstrate flexibility by performing a variety of tasks, often changing from one to another of a different nature without loss of efficiency or composure
• Communicate effectively with people of all socioeconomic backgrounds
• Responsible functioning in the work place, maturity, cooperation, flexibility, tact in dealing with co-workers and all members of the hospice team

Equipment/Tools/Work-Aids

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

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