The Duties of a Hospice Nurse

A hospice nurse has various duties assigned to her and each nurse will have to take care of her own specific duty. One of the duties is that of a case manager wherein a nurse is entrusted with a single patient and has to foster a relationship with this patient which is long-lasting and trusting. Nurses who are assigned such duties have to be registered nurses and should be able to work independently. A hospice nurse is the direct connection between the patient and the physician and has to give a detailed account about the patient. The nurse should be able to assess the patient's condition well and apart from being a critical thinker should also be a compassionate person. They are usually the ones who will share the patient's last minutes with them.

nursery furniture

Another duty of a hospice nurse is the admission or intake of a patient and this nurse is usually the first one who meets up and visits the patient. She explains the philosophy of hospice to the caregivers and figures out a plan for caring for the patient. After assessing the condition of the patient she coordinates with the physician about the medications which have to be given to the patient.

NURSE

The third category of nurses is the visiting nurses who stands in for the case managers. In case the assistance of a nurse is required suddenly and the usual case manager is not available a visiting nurse will stand in for her. Visiting nurses are also licensed nurse who follow-up on the regular routine care of the patient which has been chalked out by the case manager. These nurses are always on emergency calls especially to attend to patients who are about to take their last breath.

A nurse who hardly ever gets to see the patient but helps when the patient calls in and gives instructions, this is the triage nurse. These nurses are called upon to give instructions when there is an emergency and the case manager is not available. Such nurses should have great communication skills and be a critical thinker who can give efficient advice on the phone.

The Duties of a Hospice Nurse

NURSE