What do y’all think about a new grad starting in hospice as case manager? Is it difficult?
I don't think a new grad should be a manager of anything. Experience counts and Hospice, although rewarding, new grads don't have any experience in any specialty.
In my experience, new grad nurses fail at effectively case managing. Not only that, you really need to have experience with signs and symptoms and disease management. You’ll also need to know your pharmacology. Hospice CMs work autonomously, which is hard as a new grad. It’s been my experience that new grads have difficulty seeing the bigger picture in hospice and just don’t know what to do in managing not only the patient, but the families as well.
I find that older adults or persons more experienced with death find this job easier on their mental health.
I was an ICU nurse for 4 years as a new grad and that was tough but in a lot of ways hospice is harder. I’m a hospice case mgr now for 4 months and it’s a whole other animal. You are looking for decline in your patient and it’s the opposite of what they teach in school so would be tough for new grad. You also need the experience to confidently make decisions and recommendations on your own out in the field. You go into facilities and deal with staff that may have more real world nursing experience and that could be hard. The family dynamics can be hard if you don’t have the experience and confidence to advocate for the patient. Today I dealt with a daughter and son on completely different pages when it comes to their understanding of hospice philosophy and what we do for our patients. You have to be confident in communicating in ways that basically let someone know that what they want is not in their loved one’s best interests. You have to do it with grace and diplomacy. It’s not easy and comes with a lot of experience.
Good case management comes with experience, it cannot be "taught". Case management in any nursing field is challenging but with hospice, I find it's especially so because you are not only addressing the patient's physical, psychological, and social needs, but you are also working with families which can often bring its own complex dynamics into the case. Most nurses fresh out of nursing school do not have the life experience or nursing experience yet to do the role well, imo, especially with communication skills and time management. Hire someone who has had a few years under his or her belt and preferably a certification in hospice and/or case management. Your team will thank you for it.
Hi! I think that you are missing a variety of nursing experiences starting in a specialty like Hospice right out of school.
I chose not to work hospital my first year, and did LTC instead — It was a great experience for growth and change as a person and nurse!
I’m currently your friendly neighborhood ENT RN, but thought I wanted to do wound care right out of school. I do a lot of wound care in my current role, but I get to do loads of other things to.
I get it if Hospice is your passion—wound care is still a passion of mine—but there is a whole wide world of nursing out there, no need to wed yourself to a specialty right out of school 💖
AK nurse, mom, Q+, advocate
Start from the beginning. Learning empathy, different cultures, death experiences, grieving, compassionate communications with different ages...cases..diseases.....
There is much experience that is needed here....no new grad ...nope absolutely not.
When families are grieving they can tell sincerity or facade a mile away.
Experience is a must!
If you're a brand new nurse, it may not be a straight forward first position. I've done hospice case management for nearly 2 years. It is difficult in a number of ways, though you have quite a bit of leeway in terms of deciding orders, plans of care and appropriate interventions. Often patients may be considered high acquity but because hospice mainly emphasizes comfort, progressive care measures are usually discontinued, especially after a couple weeks. It is the most rewarding of all nursing positions(imo) you can get but the burnout is high, as there is 24 hour on-call with all hospice and it is a difficult job not to take home. If you are very patient focused,i'd say you're more likely to enjoy it. Either way, you will know quickly if you take a position.
Right, Gary. What Hospice do you own? You're obviously not listed online as a reputable owner in Granbury, you're not particularly well spoken, and you sound like you may actually be a 15 year old turd stain.
