Essay On Hospice Nursing

The skilled hands and compassionate heart of a nurse are symbols of prestige and trustworthiness. Being able to identify one's self as a nurse indicates that a nurse is someone who most people are willing to trust with their most confidential information. During times of need, a nurse can be a shoulder to cry on, a listening ear, a gentle and sincere touch when words cannot provide comfort, or one who breathes life back into a lifeless body. Nurses spend countless hours enduring their own pain, while relieving the aches and pains of others. Although the nursing profession is about providing care and humanity throughout the lifespan of patients; within the area of hospice nursing, providing care and humanity to a patient until the end of their …show more content…
Hospice is a term given to the type of care that is provided when the end of life is near, not a specific location. “The focus of hospice care is based on comprehensive physical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual care that is provided to terminally ill persons and their families”(Rosadahl p.1702). Hospice and palliative nurses distinguish themselves from other nurses in practice by their dedicated focus on end-of-life care. Hospice and palliative care includes 24-hour nursing availability, management of pain and symptoms, while also providing family support. Hospice care also helps family members manage the physical and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one. “The goal is to keep the client as comfortable as possible and improve the client’s quality of life” (Rosadahl p.1703). By providing continuous management of pain and other symptoms combined with compassionate listening and counseling skills, hospice and palliative nurse promote the highest quality of life for the patient and family. Regardless of the setting, hospice and palliative nurses should strive to achieve an understanding of specific end-of-life issues from the perspective of each patient and their family