Job Description

Job Location: Christopher House - Austin, TX 78702
Position Type: PRN
Job Shift: Flexible
JOB TITLE:          RN
DEPARTMENT:  Christopher House Clinical

POSITION SUMMARY
The Hospice Registered Nurse delivers specialized nursing care to patients in an inpatient setting, focusing on symptom management, comfort, and quality of life. The RN performs comprehensive assessments of physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs, implements individualized care plans, and provides expert clinical interventions. Responsibilities include educating patients and families on disease progression and end-of-life care, while offering emotional support throughout the stay.
The nurse collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to coordinate services, communicates changes in patient status, and ensures accurate documentation. Additional duties include supervising support staff, managing medications and equipment, and preparing patients and families for transitions or end-of-life events. This role requires strong clinical judgment, compassionate communication, and commitment to maintaining patient dignity in a residential care environment.
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
REPORTS TO:  Team Lead
SUPERVISES:   None
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: All comments, actions and behaviors have a direct effect on the public’s perception of Hospice Austin. Interactions with patients, family members, physicians, referral sources, visitors, co-workers, etc. must be courteous, respectful, cooperative and professional. This behavior should promote an atmosphere of teamwork and positive relations.
EQUIPMENT/MACHINERY USED
Office equipment, automobile, infusion pump, enteral feed pump, CADD pump, nebulizer, wall oxygen concentrator and tanks, suction equipment.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Provides nursing care.
- Performs initial and ongoing assessment of the impact of the terminal diagnosis on the patient's physical, functional, psychosocial, and environmental needs, activities of daily living, risk for pathological grief, cultural and spiritual implications, and verbal and non-verbal communication patterns.
- Performs nursing assessments, i.e. Vital signs, pain assessment, breath sounds, etc.
- Triages patient care problems
- Manages discomfort and provides symptom relief
- Performs specialized nursing skills related to palliative and end-of-life care
- Initiates appropriate preventive and rehabilitative nursing procedures
- Consults with and educates the patient and caregivers (including home health staff) re: disease process, self-care techniques, end of life care, death and dying, comfort measures, medication use and side effects, etc. process for dealing with ethical issues
- Implements the individualized plan of care and recommends revisions to the plan as necessary
- Performs on-going evaluation of patient/family response to care
- Assesses the ability of the caregiver to meet the patient's immediate needs upon admission and throughout care
- Provides psychosocial support to patients and families
Coordinates nursing, personal and homemaker care.
- Attends IDTs: coordinates care with team members
- Informs the physician and other personnel of changes in the patient's needs and outcomes of intervention
- Determines scope and frequency of services needed based on acuity and patient/family needs
- Coordinates personal care, DME, and obtaining medications and medical supplies
- Coordinates all patient/family services and prioritizes needs with the members of the IDT
- Uses case management approach, referring to other services as needed
- Provides supervision of care provided by CNAs and LVN and paraprofessionals providing services to the patient according to regulatory guidelines
- Documents in a timely manner patient assessments, patient contacts, physician orders and progress notes that demonstrate progress towards established goals.
- Acts as a liaison between patient and physicians, hospital staff, home health staff, and other care team members to facilitate ongoing clinical care.
- Works with Hospice Austin and hospital staff, when applicable, regarding discharge planning, ordering DME, meds, etc.
- Evaluates own needs for support (self-care and using identified system(s) to meet the need
- Recognizes and maintains professional boundaries in relationships with patient/family/caregiver
- Provides preparation and support for patient’s death; pronounces deaths in accordance with state regulation, provides postmortem care, handles body and death event with respect and dignity and in accordance with patient/family/caregiver wishes
- Other duties as assigned.

QualificationsMINIMUM TRAINING, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
- Graduation from an approved school of professional nursing as determined by the Board of Nurse Examiners.
- Licensed as a Registered Nurse by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners.
- CPR certification.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- 1 year previous Hospice nursing experience.