Qualifications
Required
- Graduate of accredited school of nursing.
- Two years recent nursing experience in acute, long-term care or home care/hospice/public health full time (in past five years).
- Current RN licensure in Minnesota.
- Ability to work independently.
- Demonstrated patient care planning and patient teaching skills.
- Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
- Current MN Driver’s License and daily access to reliable, insured vehicle.
- Computer literacy.
Preferred
- Bachelors Degree in Nursing or health related discipline.
- Home Care, Hospice or Public Health experience.
- Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) certification or CHPN certification after two (2) years full time employment.
Physical Requirements
- Free of physical and mental disabilities, which would interfere with the ability to independently deliver care to patients in their homes.
- Visual, auditory, and tactile acuity sufficient to make complete and accurate nursing assessments.
- Able and willing to drive a car in weather conditions typical of the upper Midwest.
- Must be able to speak, read, write and understand English.
Position Purpose
Service excellence is to be centered on patient care and patient relationships and is the responsibility of all employees. Teamwork is the norm and all employees will be held accountable to work as effective team members. Provide end-of-life care to patients needing palliative or hospice services in their home or community setting. May provide case management, admissions facilitation, clinical support, continuous care, after hours call, and/or other skilled nursing expertise with end-of-life care.
Accountabilities
- Identifying the patient’s and family’s physical, psychosocial, environmental, safety and developmental needs and individualizing the patient’s plan of care based on the needs identified.
- Assessing all aspects of the patient’s pain and developing an individualized pain management plan.
- Anticipating, preventing and treating undesirable symptoms or secondary symptoms.
- Identifying and addressing comfort care needs.
- Supporting, instructing and educating the patient, family, and caregiver.
- Documenting problems, nursing assessments, appropriate goals, care provided, care interventions and patient and family outcomes achieved from intervention and care provided.
- Coordinating all patient and family services.
- Maintaining the dignity of the dying patient.
- Supporting the patient’s and family’s unique spiritual and cultural beliefs.
- Providing holistic, family-centered care across treatment settings to improve the quality of life.
- Consulting and collaborating with the interdisciplinary team and others involved in the patient’s care.
- Providing care consistent with National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization standards of practice for hospice programs.
- Implementing care to achieve outcomes of comfortable and safe dying, self-determined life closure and effective grieving for patient and family.
- Supervising and directing care of other nursing personnel including RNs, LPNs, and Home Health Aides.
- Maintaining patient and personal safety regarding occupational health and safety.
- Participating in scheduled weekend work (i.e., visits or triage of patient calls).
- Participating in evening/night call schedule.
- Participating in Quality Improvement program.