A Day in the Life of a Hospice Nurse

Some people wonder how a hospice nurse can work with terminally ill patients who, by definition, expect to live six months or less. What motivates hospice nurses to bond with their patients and support their families and loved ones throughout the caregiving, dying and bereavement processes?

 

Turns out hospice nursing is both a challenging and rewarding career. “People always ask ‘How do you do what you do?’” said Erika Avila, R.N., Home Care Nurse at VITAS Healthcare. “It runs through my veins – it’s just what I do. It’s a roller coaster of emotions but I cherish and value the patients and families I care for.”

 

Building strong connections with patients and families is what motivates Avila to go to work each morning. Although many hospice nurses provide care at hospice inpatient units, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, she prefers to treat people in their homes, where people feel most comfortable. VITAS home care hospice nurses wear regular clothes to help the patient feel more at ease psychologically. “We don’t want them to feel like they’re in the hospital.”

 

Avila found her calling after completing a hospice rotation in nursing school and landed her first job in hospice. She said she is drawn to this area of healthcare because she likes being able to “help both the patient and the family.”

 

She added, “Helping six or seven people every day is worth the traveling. Patients and families look forward to her visits so much that when she arrives to their home they welcome her as if she was part of the family.

 

Like many who work in hospice care, Avila also has a personal motivation that drives her passion to care for others. Before finding her calling as a hospice nurse, her grandmother fell ill and Avila realized that she needed to learn how to provide care to terminally ill people. Today, most of the people she helps through hospice care are elderly, between 72 and 100 years old, which is why she says she views her elderly patients like she would a loving grandparent.

 

In addition to providing compassionate end-of-life care to elderly patients, hospice nurses also provide care to younger patients. The biggest challenge is when they have small children she says. “Dealing with children coming to terms with the passing of a parent is never easy and helping parents come to terms with their child’s terminal condition is even more challenging,” she said. As a parent of four, Avila can sympathize with families caring for sick children and the training she has received from VITAS Healthcare helps her understand family dynamics and relate to patients and their families on a deeper level.

 

Understanding the psychological aspects of nearing the end of life and feeling empathy for people in this situation are essential components of hospice nursing care, Avila said. In addition to providing excellent nursing care to her patients, Avila will sit with them, ask them how they’re doing and just spend time with them listening to them.

 

Remember that every person deserves dignity and respect, Avila said, no matter what their circumstances. Her advice for other nurses interested in hospice care is: “Do not ever lose your humanity, and remember to treat your patient how you would want someone to treat your loved one.”

 

In addition to VITAS’ strong bereavement program offered to patients’ families, Avila uses some of her own free time to attend patients’ funeral services to support the families she’s formed a strong bond with – a gesture that is very meaningful to her patient’s loved ones.

 

Helping multiple patients at a time to face end-of-life issues can be emotionally challenging for anybody, including hospice professionals. When asked how she copes with work-related burnout, she said, “I give it my all and when I start to feel super-tired, I take a day off.” The support she receives from her team at VITAS Healthcare, where she’s worked for the past four years, also helps tremendously, she says. The company also offers employee-wellness programs which include stress management and healthy living that come in handy when trying to prevent caregiver burnout.

 

Some days are more challenging than others, Avila admitted, but that’s the beauty of hospice she says, “It’s the most rewarding job or aspect of nursing there is.”