• Generous paid time off package (4 weeks of vacation time, 2 weeks of sick time, 3 personal days, and 8 paid holidays)
• Medical, Dental, and Vision - paid 100% for employee only; competitive plan cost for dependents
• Health Savings Account (HSA) with matching employer contributions of up to $100 per month
• Company paid Long-Term Disability, Life and Accidental/Dismemberment, and Employee Assistance Programs
• Additional Life and Accident and Critical Illness, FSA/Dependent Care, Short-Term Disability, and other voluntary benefits are available
• 403(B) Retirement Savings Plan with company match up to 5%
• Mileage reimbursement
• End of year gift
• Tuition Assistance

Work Schedule

• Regular workdays are Saturday, Sunday, and Monday / 12 hour shifts
• Provides admission coverage on Saturday and Sunday based on referrals, patient needs, and operational priorities.
• On Monday, gives first priority to all GIP patients admitted during the weekend. Outstanding admissions are completed after required GIP visits and care coordination are finished.
• Maintains flexibility in daily scheduling to respond to patient acuity, referral volume, travel requirements, and changing organizational needs.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an approved school of nursing, preferably with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
• Current license to practice professional nursing in the State of Texas.
• Reliable means of transportation, a valid Texas driver's license, and automobile insurance.
• One or more years of clinical nursing experience. Strong assessment skills and experience with an interdisciplinary approach are preferred. One year of experience as a case manager for Hope Hospice is preferred.
• Understanding of family dynamics, conflict resolution, and principles of adult learning.
• Pain and symptom management skills, crisis intervention expertise, and patient and family teaching and counseling skills.
• Professional appearance, behavior, attitude, and integrity.
• Ability to work independently and interact effectively with patients, families, facility staff, physicians, and coworkers.
• Demonstrated flexibility, self-motivation, dependability, and commitment to teamwork.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Working knowledge of computers and electronic medical records.
• Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including the ability to make decisions, set priorities, and maintain timely, accurate, and orderly records.

Duties and Responsibilities

Admissions and Initial Assessment Process

• Visits the patient to assess and determine compliance with hospice admission criteria and performs a comprehensive initial nursing assessment.
• Communicates findings to the Medical Director and attending physician to complete the start of care and begins coordination of services.
• Educates the patient and family about hospice services, assesses needs and preferences, and initiates referrals for needed and desired services.
• Ensures the initial plan of care is based on a comprehensive assessment of physical, psychosocial, safety, age-related, spiritual, financial, environmental, and cultural needs, resources, and preferences.
• Ensures the initial assessment includes pain and symptom assessment, history of interventions and responses, and evaluation of the patient and caregiver's knowledge and learning needs.
• Reviews the plan of care with the assigned nurse, chaplain, social worker, hospice aide, and other appropriate team members.
• Completes all electronic communication and documentation accurately, completely, and within required timeframes in accordance with policy and applicable rules and regulations.
• Effective and professional collaboration, coordination, and relationship management with referral sources, facility/hospital staff.

Monday GIP Patient Management

• Reviews the weekend handoff and identifies every GIP patient admitted on Saturday or Sunday before beginning Monday field visits.
• Completes an in-person nursing visit for each weekend GIP admission and evaluates continued eligibility for the GIP level of care, current symptom burden, response to interventions, medication effectiveness, and changes in condition.
• Provides active clinical management of assigned GIP patients until responsibility is formally transitioned, including timely follow-up on symptoms, orders, and changes in the plan of care.
• Collaborates with the hospice physician and attending physician regarding symptom management, continued GIP eligibility, medication or treatment changes, and readiness to transition to a lower level of care.
• Collaborates with the social worker, hospital or facility care-management staff, patient, and family to begin or advance discharge planning as soon as clinically appropriate.
• Identifies the anticipated discharge setting, caregiver availability, equipment, medication, transportation, education, and other services needed for a safe transition.
• Keeps the patient and family informed of the plan of care, the purpose and daily review requirements of GIP care, and expected next steps in discharge planning.
• Communicates the patient's status, barriers, orders, and discharge plan to the interdisciplinary team and appropriate clinical leadership.
• Documents the visit, assessment, physician communication, interventions, patient response, continued GIP eligibility, and discharge-planning activity accurately and timely in the electronic medical record.
• After all GIP patients have been assessed and their immediate clinical and discharge-planning needs have been addressed, completes any admissions that remain outstanding or are assigned for Monday.

Interdisciplinary Team

• Coordinates development of the initial plan of care with interdisciplinary team members.
• Presents new patient admissions at the interdisciplinary team meeting as assigned.
• Provides clear handoff communication to the assigned case manager and other team members to support continuity of care.

Referrals and Education

• Creates opportunities for new referrals while working in the community.
• Presents Hope Hospice programs and services to others in the community as a member of the agency-wide marketing team.

General Responsibilities

• Supports the philosophy and objectives of Hope Hospice.
• Maintains professional competency and licensure.
• Stays current with accreditation standards and governmental regulations affecting hospice care.
• Works effectively both independently and within the interdisciplinary team structure.
• Documents effectively and timely to support optimal communication, reimbursement, accreditation, and compliance.
• Promotes a team approach through cooperation, mutual respect, flexibility, and dependability.
• Remains open, sensitive, flexible, and ecumenical, using good judgment and sound reasoning.
• Participates in appropriate meetings and activities, including performance improvement.
• Demonstrates responsible stewardship of organizational resources, including self-care.
• Seeks personal growth and contributes to an atmosphere of excellence, respect, and caring.
• Reads relevant materials and attends in-services, seminars, or conventions for professional growth.
• Assists with orientation of new employees or volunteers as assigned.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions