WHAT DOES A HOSPICE RN DO?

Published: Jul 22, 2025 - The Hospice Registered Nurse (RN) delivers and documents patient-centered care in the home setting, including admissions, while ensuring accurate and timely communication for continuity of care. This role involves clinical oversight of licensed and non-licensed personnel, delegation of care based on competencies, and the application of current nursing standards and hospice philosophy. The nurse also participates in quality improvement initiatives and assumes rotating responsibilities for evening, weekend, and holiday visits to meet patient needs.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Hospice RN

1. Hospice RN Responsibilities

  • Care Coordination: Coordinate patient/family care to support terminally ill patients and families in a home, skilled nursing facility, or residential care facility
  • Needs Assessment: Assess home care needs, being aware of the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects, as well as gather data on social, economic, and cultural factors that may influence health, well-being, and quality of life
  • Clinical Documentation: Prepare clinical notes and other required documentation within the required time frames
  • Interdisciplinary Consultation: Consult with the primary care provider and other health professionals
  • Team Collaboration: Develop and maintain rapport with patients and families and work well with an interdisciplinary team
  • Care Evaluation: Identify patient/family goals and evaluate the patient’s response to care
  • Care Planning: Involve the patient/family in the creation of a plan of care and provide care according to the plan
  • Case Management: Provide case management, advocacy, and resource linkage

2. Hospice RN Functions

  • Care Planning: Collaborate with physicians and other professionals to plan care
  • Patient Monitoring: Make frequent visits to the patient to evaluate their condition
  • Emotional Support: Provide support and comfort according to the individual patient's needs
  • Caregiver Coordination: Work with caregivers to plan and execute excellent patient care
  • Medication Administration: Help in administering medication
  • Medication Education: Teach and ensure appropriate use of medications, DME, and supplies
  • Symptom Relief: Alleviate sudden symptoms of the disease's end phase
  • Physician Communication: Notify a doctor for a patient's condition when deemed necessary
  • Documentation Assistance: Assist patients and their families with paperwork
  • Record Keeping: Maintain accurate records
  • Family Counseling: Help relatives cope with the upcoming loss and provide post-mortem support
  • Holistic Care: Provide compassionate care, active symptom management and emotional/spiritual support

3. Hospice RN Job Description

  • Health Assessment: Collects data and conducts focused nursing assessments of the health status of clients
  • Care Planning: Participates in the development and modification of the comprehensive plan of care for all types of clients
  • Patient Safety: Maintains safe and effective nursing care rendered directly or indirectly
  • Health Education: Participates in health teaching and counseling to promote, attain, and maintain the optimum health level of clients
  • Client Advocacy: Serves as an advocate for the clients by communicating and collaborating with other health service personnel
  • Care Evaluation: Participates in the evaluation of client responses to intervention
  • Policy Input: Provides input into the development of policies and procedures
  • Effective Communication: Communicates effectively with supervisor, staff, patients and families
  • Workload Management: Plans workload according to client needs and location, completing four to five patient visits per day
  • Policy Compliance: Exhibits full compliance with the agency policies concerning infection control, management of hazardous waste and client education/reinforcement
  • Professionalism: Conveys a positive image of the agency through personal appearance, attitudes and behaviors

4. Hospice RN Overview

  • Care Management: Understand nursing care management of patients as evidenced 
  • Comprehensive Assessment: Assessments that are complete, timely, and appropriate for physical, mental, psychological/social (behavioral), functional, financial, treatment, resource, and spiritual needs of patients
  • Problem Analysis: Analysis that defines problems capable of correction through home healthcare and hospice interventions and are prioritized in the development of the care plan
  • Care Intervention: Intervenes consistently with orders and changes interventions with orders to meet changes in patient need
  • Ongoing Evaluation: Evaluates each visit for the effectiveness of interventions and the patient's response to interventions
  • Direct Care Delivery: Provide direct patient care by assessing the patient for care needs, resources to meet needs, and developing a home care or hospice plan of care in conjunction with the physician
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures completion of required OASIS assessments according to regulations for home care and QAPI measures for hospice
  • Care Coordination: Coordinates implementation of the plan of care through a multidisciplinary home care or hospice team, community resources, and the physician

5. Hospice RN Tasks

  • Plan Compliance: Ensures plan of care is followed and that documentation complies with regulations
  • Productivity Management: Maintains a department productivity standard for visits and caseload management
  • Self-Scheduling: Responsible for professional for self-scheduling patient caseload with appropriate frequency and duration, and concurrently updates schedule throughout the day so that ongoing patient needs can be met
  • Patient Notification: Assures patients on caseload are notified timely of their visits and of any unplanned schedule changes, accommodating patient preferences for time of day
  • Preceptorship: Precepts newly hired nurses and students and serves as a resource person and professional role model
  • Team Communication: Maintains communication with the multidisciplinary teams
  • Order Management: Ensures that orders for necessary care plan changes are obtained
  • Timely Updates: Ensures that changes are communicated in a timely manner to the team

6. Hospice RN Roles

  • Care Documentation: Initiates documentation in the home and completely records all care delivery so that receiving staff have a record of care delivered by the end of each day, which includes admissions
  • Task Delegation: Delegates or assigns aspects of patient care to health care team members commensurate with their validated competency to perform the task
  • Practice Standards: Responsible for current nursing research, current nursing standards, home care, or hospice philosophy in order to maintain quality
  • Clinical Supervision: Responsible for clinical supervision of licensed and non-licensed assistive personnel
  • Quality Improvement: Participates in the agency's continuous quality improvement activities
  • Leadership Support: Assumes other leadership roles as required by the department
  • On-Call Coverage: Responsible for weekend and holiday coverage and evening call for agency and patient home visits on a rotating basis
  • Outcome Assurance: Assures clinical outcomes are met and sustained

7. Hospice RN Additional Details

  • Standards Alignment: Collaboratively establishes and supports the philosophy, goals, standards, and policies and procedures of the Nursing Department and the Mission of Holy Name Hospital
  • Ethical Practice: Delivers patient care in accordance with the ANA Scope and Standards of Care and Practice, Patient Bill of Rights, and the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses
  • Specialty Standards: Delivers patient care in accordance with specialty-specific standards (e.g., end-of-life care, national Hospice and Palliative Care guidelines)
  • Patient Assessment: Assesses the physical and psychosocial status of all Hospice and Palliative care patients
  • Care Planning: Responsible for initiating and managing a plan of care for all assigned patients
  • Care Implementation: Implements Clinical Plan of Care as indicated
  • Team Coordination: Communicates and coordinates care needs with all members of the health care team
  • Collaborative Practice: Facilitates collaborative practice with physicians, co-workers, and other providers
  • Patient Education: Initiates, implements, and evaluates patient teaching using appropriate education resources

8. Hospice RN Essential Functions

  • Pain Assessment: Adequately assess and reassess pain
  • Pain Management: Utilizes appropriate pain management techniques
  • Patient Education: Educates the patient and family regarding pain management
  • Symptom Planning: Assists in developing a pain management and symptom management plan to keep the patient as comfortable as possible
  • Physician Notification: Reassesses pain and notifies the primary care physician when pain is not manageable on the current medications
  • Leadership Skills: Models effective leadership skills through role modeling, mentoring, and effective communication
  • Care Referrals: Initiates referrals to and case conferences with other health care professionals and Interdisciplinary Teams
  • Staff Supervision: Directly supervises the practice of ancillary staff (LPNs, PCAs, Techs, Unit Secretaries, etc.)
  • Practice Support: Supports a professional practice environment by functioning as a role model and resource person

9. Hospice RN Role Purpose

  • Committee Participation: Participates in unit-based and organization-wide activities and committees
  • Crisis Response: Responds and directs changing workload to meet patient/unit needs during crisis and emergency situations
  • Safety Knowledge: Understands safety practices, emergency procedures, fire drills, evacuation procedures, and internal/external disaster plans and procedures
  • Equipment Proficiency: Understands the use of equipment and devices pertinent to nursing treatment, procedures, and practices
  • Learning Development: Identifies own learning needs with respect to nursing practice and pursues educational support to meet these needs
  • Policy Compliance: Understands and demonstrates compliance with all hospital and departmental policies and procedures
  • Evidence-Based Practice: Routinely utilizes Evidence-Based Practice literature, policy and procedure manuals, and other available reference materials to ensure consistency and accuracy in the delivery of care
  • Confidentiality Compliance: Maintains and respects staff and patient confidentiality

10. Hospice RN General Responsibilities

  • Time Management: Adheres to standards related to attendance, punctuality, observing correct time frames for meals/breaks, and utilizing time productively
  • Dress Compliance: Adheres to the Holy Name Hospice Department of Nursing Dress Code Policy
  • Environmental Safety: Maintains a clean, safe, and therapeutic patient environment
  • Physical Stamina: Performs extensive standing and walking, as well as bending and lifting
  • Professional Demeanor: Displays and maintains a positive professional demeanor
  • Task Execution: Carries out responsibilities in patient care and non-patient care areas
  • Staff Preceptorship: Functions as a preceptor for nursing staff and participates in the orientation of other unit employees
  • Policy Input: Actively provides input regarding updating and revising policies, procedures, goals, and objectives
Relevant Information
What Does A Hospice Nurse Do?