By Diane Psaras
Working in hospice offers some of the most purposeful, personal, and hands-on patient-care opportunities in modern medicine. Some nurses say it is one of the most rewarding nursing specialties because of the close, ongoing relationships they develop with dying patients and their families.
For many clinicians, hospice work brings them back to the reasons they chose a career in healthcare: personal connections, shared decisions, and one-to-one patient care.
For employers, the key question revolves around how to attract nurses to our unique specialty. Hospice employers cannot rely solely on the intrinsic rewards of this crucial nursing role. Keeping talent passionate and committed requires a deliberate focus on the things that matter most to them, including two-way communication, recognition for their work, and development and career growth opportunities.
What we’ve found, particularly through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, is that the experience of a patient who is nearing the end of life can only be as good as the care that person receives from VITAS employees. As a leading hospice provider, we need to take the best possible care of our own employees so they can provide the best possible care for our patients.
Successful, supportive healthcare work environments must start at the top if they are to inspire and sustain compassion and commitment among employees. At VITAS, our executive leaders instill a strong sense of purpose that enables our teams to turn their passion for healthcare into something palpable and satisfying as they focus on quality of life near the end of life for patients and families.
Culture-building starts with leaders who are present, accessible, and approachable with an authentic desire to listen to and learn from their staff.
Culture itself must be intentional, sustained, and proactive. At VITAS, we developed the VITAS Difference: an engagement and culture-building program that demonstrates and celebrates each team member’s contributions by living and breathing the behaviors and ethos that improve the lives of our patients and their families. The program’s three pillars uplift every employee, celebrate everyday excellence, and drive every aspect of patient-centered hospice care:
• Commitment: a vow to build trust and maintain a servant attitude to all, manifest by employees who show up on time for shifts and patient appointments and who communicate consistently with patients and family members before, during, and after visits
• Compassion: a promise to provide heartfelt care by listening actively and carefully to others’ needs, honoring the meaningful moments that our patients and their families invite us to share, treating everyone with empathy and respect, and making difficult situations better
• Can-Do Attitude: a mindset of going above and beyond to provide excellent care, consistently showing up with a positive attitude and collaborative spirit, and inspiring others to do the same
To embed sincere employee appreciation into everyday activities, we launched a recognition program in 2021 that spans the nation. We’ve been blown away by the response and responses. In the initiative’s first three days, employees submitted 1,500 anecdotes and words of praise to recognize fellow employees for their extraordinary work and real-life examples of putting Commitment, Compassion, and Can-do Attitude into action. This peer-driven recognition raises up our people and doubles down on our culture.
Attracting and retaining staff is a healthcare priority. A supportive culture allows team members to turn their purpose into something tangible, pursue their passions, and explore exciting new career possibilities. To every employee across the organization, we embrace and stand by the VITAS Employee Promise to foster a thriving workplace:
• Make everyday healthcare purposeful by tying it to the organization’s mission, values, and community
• Communicate values and expectations clearly, regularly, and openly with all staff – just as we ask employees to do with our patients and their families
• Demonstrate authentic buy-in from the top and find opportunities to cultivate ambassadors from within
• Create calls to action – fun ways to get employees engaged, connected, and encouraged to translate the organization’s values and beliefs into everyday behaviors
• Provide people with the resources and professional opportunities they need to stay motivated and feel appreciated and recognized
Behind every hospice patient success story is a team of compassionate and committed healthcare employees and professionals with a can-do spirit and a deeply held desire to make a meaningful difference.
Diane Psaras is executive vice president and chief human resources officer for VITAS Healthcare. The nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care is hiring passionate healthcare professionals. Apply for a fulfilling career at VITAS.com/careers.
