Rozina Aziz The field of nursing offers a variety of career and educational opportunities, including palliative care nursing. Discover how to pursue this path.
What is a palliative care nurse?
A palliative care nurse is a registered nurse who provides comfort and support to patients in the latter stages of their illness. With compassionate hearts, they provide a comforting touch to those facing the harsh reality of terminal illnesses, offering both practical care and emotional support to make their journey a little less daunting.
They assist patients in controlling their symptoms and making educated treatment decisions. The relatives of patients who are terminally ill benefit greatly from the assistance of a palliative nurse, who also offers a break from the care they are providing. Compared to hospital nurses, palliative care nurses have much more one-on-one time with their patients, allowing them to better understand their psychological and physiological requirements.
This generally occurs in a hospice setting or at a patient’s home, and these quiet and serene environments are beneficial to forming bonds with patients. As a result, palliative care can be difficult on the heart because of the natural tendency to develop attachments to terminally ill patients. Ensuring patients are as easy as possible in their final days is tremendously gratifying.
What are the types of palliative care nurses?
All nursing degrees, from the associate’s to the BSN to the APRN, can lead to a career as a palliative care nurse (APRN). A palliative care nurse may do the following duties, depending on their level of education and experience:
General Care:
Evaluation and treatment of patients with various diseases.
Specialized care:
Specializing in a specific branch of medicine, such as pediatrics, oncology, or geriatrics, involves focusing on a particular area or condition.
Home Care:
Bringing comfort to those in their final days, our palliative home care service offers compassionate home visits as a crucial component of our mission.
Advanced medical care:
Nurses, the real-life carers of healthcare, bring their A-game to provide stellar palliative care to patients, from primary to specialty care and work seamlessly alongside physicians to make miracles happen.
What are some of the most common conditions that palliative care nurses treat?
A palliative care nurse can treat patients with serious conditions, including those with fatal diagnoses. Some examples are:
- Cancer
- Congestive Heart Failure
- Kidney Disease
- Respiratory Disease
- HIV/AIDS
- Alzheimer’s
- Parkinson’s
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
What does a palliative care nurse do?
The responsibilities and duties of a palliative care nurse are extensive and include the following:
- Monitoring the patient’s vital signs.
- Keeping patients clean and helping them get ready.
- Monitoring and managing patient pain levels.
- Giving medications as directed by doctors.
- Communicating with medical staff concerning patient care.
- Liaising with patient families to keep them informed and answer questions.
- Counseling patients through their emotions.
- Keeping track of patients’ medical histories.
- Following patient confidentiality regulations.
What are the Qualities of a palliative care nurse?
Effective communication skills are essential for a palliative care nurse’s success. In the world of healthcare, being an attentive listener and having a heart full of empathy is the ultimate superpower when it comes to connecting with your beloved patient and their families. Additionally, discussing topics such as death, dying, and family dynamics is necessary for the job.
This care is highly individualized based on the patient’s diagnosis, culture, background, and other factors. The palliative care nurse is a true nurse, maintaining composure and professionalism even in the face of overwhelming emotions.
Who do palliative care nurses work for?
The country’s largest employer of healthcare workers, the public sector employs many palliative care nurses. Palliative nursing positions may also be available with private healthcare organizations.
There are numerous chances to work with non-profit organizations that offer philanthropic support to patients with terminal conditions. In unusual cases, patients or their families may hire a self-employed palliative care nurse to provide in-home nursing services.
What are the skills of palliative nurses?
Besides all the technical and medical skills necessary for every nursing profession, palliative care nurses must possess the following talents and qualities:
Sensitivity and empathy:
Confronting a fatal illness is profoundly emotional for patients and their family ones. Being emotionally in tune with those they care for is a key advantage for nurses, as it enables them to meet their patients’ unique emotional needs easily.
Teamwork:
In a multidisciplinary team, nurses must respect the choices and behaviors of their coworkers. When working in a team, taking criticism in stride, being supportive, and asking for assistance is crucial.
Patient and composed demeanor:
Patients receiving palliative care may experience new and potentially life-threatening symptoms, challenging the nurse. Those who maintain composure can develop ideas and act carefully in a crisis.
Verbal and written communication skills:
Nurses must have excellent communication skills because they interact with patients, family members, and coworkers daily, for patients with difficulty communicating verbally, practicing active listening and paying close attention to nonverbal cues during treatment is important.
How to Become a Palliative Care Nurse?
There are opportunities for starting a career in palliative care nursing. While some educational requirements are necessary, many individuals can enter the field without delay.
Get Your Nursing Diploma, ADN, or BSN:
Nursing schools typically do not mandate students to declare a major. As part of their curriculum, nursing students typically take courses on anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, chemistry, and other medically related subjects in addition to soft skill development. The time required to earn an LPN degree is normally one year.
The minimal educational qualification to become an RN is a two-year associate degree in nursing (ADN). Prospective nurses can also choose to acquire their bachelor’s in nursing (BSN). A career counselor can advise you to make the correct option for your career aspirations. A college education’s price varies greatly from program to program. Certifications in palliative care include:
- Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Certified (CHPN).
- Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Certified (CHPPN).
- Registered nurse with CHPLN certification in hospice and palliative care.
Passing the NCLEX exam:
The National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) contains content nurses need to know to work safely. The test ranges from 60 to 145 questions with a time constraint of five hours. With each correct response, the test becomes more challenging. There is no “good score” for the NCLEX. The questions you get right will determine your score. To pass the NCLEX-RN exam after 2022, you must get at least fifty percent of the questions right.
Get RN Licensure:
Palliative care nurses can be either registered nurses or licensed practical nurses. To become a registered or practical nurse, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination. Every state’s license and certification requirements for nurses and nursing assistants differ. For example, in Missouri, RNs pay a $55 license fee. In Texas, RN licensure fees begin at $100. The cost of a CNA’s license is waived in several jurisdictions.
About Specializing Or More Study:
Becoming a palliative care nurse doesn’t require a specific degree, but for those with a passion for the field, certifications are available to skyrocket your expertise! Nurse practitioners (NPs) are a common career path for many nurses who continue their education. A master’s or doctoral degree in palliative care is required to work as a nurse practitioner. Nurse Practitioners hold a national license, giving them the freedom to practice their healing powers in any state they choose!
Submit an Application for Certification:
The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center offers certifications costing about $400. Initial certification for the CHPN, for instance, costs $415. The ACHPN costs $465. There are separate applications and costs for each kind of certification. Depending on the certification level, each exam can take anywhere from 2.5 hours to 3.5 hours. To be eligible, palliative nurses must have completed 500 hours of palliative care within the previous 12 months.
What is the work environment of a palliative care nurse?
Palliative care nurses operate in various settings, including hospitals, hospices, and the community. Hospices are care homes that offer significant medical care while being calmer, more domestic and more soothing than hospitals.
When providing palliative care in the community, nurses frequently visit patients at home to provide immediate medical treatment and give primary carers a break. It is common for them to travel to multiple appointments during their shifts.
The shift schedule for a palliative care nurse is similar to that of most other nursing specialties. These dedicated individuals sacrifice their social lives to serve the community, working night shifts, and weekends, and always being on call.
Nursing positions are offered on both full-time and part-time basis with most nurses opting for the full-time option. Those in this profession should have a certain level of endurance and stamina as longer shifts and strenuous tasks are not uncommon.
What other fields do nurses specializing in palliative care have?
Palliative care nursing is closely related to other nursing professions. They include:
Hospice Care:
Focuses on end-of-life care for patients with a prognosis of 6 months or less; does not involve curative treatments (palliative care may) (palliative care may).
Oncology:
This patient population’s complex physical, mental, and emotional demands frequently necessitate interventions akin to palliative care.
Pain management:
This particular symptom is the attention of pain management specialists.
What are the requirements for nurses working in palliative care?
You must participate in annual continuing education courses to keep your nursing license active and advance your knowledge as a palliative care nurse. The required hours will vary depending on the company and the state nursing regulatory agency.
What are the job prospects and salary for palliative care nurses?
Palliative care has rapid growth, and the demand will match that. In a recent survey, the overall number of hospital palliative care teams at facilities with 50 or more beds has climbed from 7% in 2001 to 72% in 2019.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nurses receive an average annual salary of $82,750 and can make a meaningful impact in their work. And with a projected 6% rise in jobs between 2021 and 2031, your career as a hero in scrubs is secure.
FAQ’s
Why is palliative care a profession?
Palliative care aims to enhance the quality of life for patients and their loved ones facing a terminal disease. Doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and nutritionists are all possible professionals in palliative care.
How long is the palliative care training program?
Palliative Medicine training offers a great chance to experience various settings and acquire the knowledge, abilities, and confidence to pursue a consultant job by the end of the four-year training program.
What Exactly Is a Palliative Care Course?
Patients with terminal illnesses and their family members who are providing care for them benefit greatly from palliative care. Palliative care should be part of healthcare services to improve quality of life, the ability to endure and benefit from treatment and improve survival.
What is the scope of palliative care?
A multidisciplinary palliative care team provides comprehensive symptom management and supportive care to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families. Treating pain, other symptoms, and psychological, social, and spiritual issues is crucial.
What medications are utilized in palliative care?
Medication for pain in palliative care – an appropriate opioid, for example, morphine, diamorphine, oxycodone or alfentanil. Midazolam, an opioid, is a common treatment for shortness of breath. Medication for anxiety – midazolam. Haloperidol, levomepromazine, midazolam, or phenobarbital are all medications that can be used to treat delirium or agitation.
Are antibiotics provided in palliative care?
Antibiotics are routinely provided in hospice and palliative care settings and many other healthcare settings. Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem linked to antibiotic misuse and careless application.
