Some road trips involve multiple stops with a new adventure every day while others are a long drive to a well-known destination. If you prefer a specialty where you get to know your patients over a longer period of time and maybe even feel like a part of the family, one of these specialties may be for you.
Hospice
Hospice nurses care for patients that are expected to live six months or less. It’s an emotionally heavy job, and not everyone is cut out for it.
Patient Type:
- Hospice is end-of-life care for patients in the final stages of any condition.
- Hospice care usually takes place in the patient’s home, but hospice nurses can also work at skilled nursing facilities, hospice centers, and hospitals.
Unit Pace:
- Physically, hospice nursing is slow-paced, and hospice nurses aren’t running around with the same urgency as ER or ICU nurses.
- Even though it may not be as physically intense, the emotional part of this role is very intense. Death is a regular expected outcome for patients and nurses help facilitate a peaceful transition for the patient and be a resource and comfort to the remaining family members.
Experience Required:
- Any RN can become a hospice nurse, but some employers may require prior experience in another care setting to demonstrate assessment skills and previous experience interacting with and supporting patients and their families.
Certification:
- There are multiple certifications available for hospice nurses, but most require two years of experience in a related field.
- Nurses doing in-home hospice are required to have a driver’s license and have the means to travel to and from patient homes.
Final Destination vs. Pit Stop:
- Hospice nursing can certainly be a final destination as some nurses feel they are called to it. That said, this can be a very emotionally draining role, and some nurses may choose to move on if it gets to be too much. Transitioning to palliative care is usually pretty simple.
Palliative Care
Palliative care is different from hospice. While palliative care is also aimed at maintaining comfort and quality of life, patients are also receiving treatments to either cure or treat the disease.
Patient Type:
- Patients that receive palliative care are often suffering from serious or life-threatening illnesses, including patients with cancer, heart disease, lung disease, stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
Unit Pace:
- Palliative care nurses work in a variety of settings.
- In-home palliative care is less intense than that which takes place in a hospital.
Experience Required:
- Any RN can work as a palliative care nurse, but most facilities prefer a few years of experience in an acute care setting.
Certification:
- There are multiple certifications available for palliative care nurses.
Final Destination vs. Pit Stop:
- This is another role that can be emotionally draining, though some nurses enjoy this type of work and stay there for most of their careers.
- Going into hospice from palliative care or vice verse is common.
Home Health
Home health nurses care for patients in their own homes. There are multiple levels of home health, but nurses who choose this role must value autonomy and individualized care.
Patient Type:
- Patients vary a lot in homecare. Some are on ventilators and need 24/7 monitoring while others require IV medications, wound care, and assistance with ADLs.
Unit Pace:
- Home care is generally slow paced as it is just the nurse, the patient, and the family. If the patient becomes unstable, it can be a little more intense.
Experience Required:
- RN licensure is needed to be a home health nurse, and some facilities may require several years of acute care experience.
Certification:
- There is a home health certification available as well as multiple opportunities for continuing education credits.
Final Destination vs. Pit Stop:
- Homecare is a final destination for a lot of nurses for many reasons. One of those reasons is that nurses often become very attached to their patients and their families.
How to Make [_]Your Next Destination?
To reach the next step in your nursing career, you need a map to get you from where you are now to the specialty you aim to be. Knowing what the specialty is and the experience you need for a new specialty is only 2 of 6 steps to make that transition a reality.
For the other 4 steps needed to change nursing specialties:
Find Your Road Map: 6 Essential Steps to Change Nursing Specialty
