Hospice CNA are the registered nurses, who offer care for terminally ill clients. These professionals work with the patients, during final stage of their life. They also provide mental and emotional support to the patient’s family members.
Here is the complete job description of hospice certified nursing assistants.
Qualifications
Personality Traits:
- Compassion
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- High ethical standards
- Keen observation skills
- Sympathetic and resilient
- Physical and emotional stability
Educational Qualifications:
- High school diploma
- At least seventy-five hours of nurse aide training
- An associate’s or Bachelor of Science degree in nursing
- License to work as a Registered Nurse
Responsibilities
- Providing palliative care to the terminally ill clients.
- Treating symptoms and managing pain of the patients.
- Providing up-to-date and accurate medical report of the patient to the doctor.
- Measuring and recording vital statistics (such as, temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure, etc.) of the patient.
- Taking care of nutritional needs of the patients.
- Responding to emergency situations.
- Cleaning soiled sheets and emptying bedpans.
- Administering medications.
- Taking care of sanitation and personal hygiene of the client.
- Helping patients in performing their routine activities.
- Comforting and providing emotional aid to sorrowful family members of the patient.
- Assisting nurses in other procedures, like inserting an IV in a sufferer’s vein.
- In case you are a part of a hospice team in a client’s residence, you need to do light housekeeping, like scrubbing floors, cooking, cleaning up the dishes after meals, taking out the trash, etc.
Working Environment
The job of a hospice nurse aide requires emotional strength, as they have to deal with the dying patients. The work environment may be unpleasant and hospice CNAs have to perform obnoxious duties. They can work in a several types of settings, such as nursing centers, residential care facilities, private homes, etc. They can also provide care in the patient’s home. They have to remain prepared for several emotions from hostility and anger to sadness and depression. These professionals are also expected to stay overnight, in case of emergency.
Salary
Hospice nurses can earn between $25.53 and $33.13 per hour. Annual salary ranges from $52,560 to $68,910. They can earn plenty of overtime due to occasional overnight stay and long hours spent with the client. Apart from salary, they can obtain other benefits, like paid leaves, medical insurance, sick leaves and retirement benefits.