Travel Hospice Registered Nurse
Colchester, VT
GHR Healthcare - PH Division
3x12 hrs

Hospice Travel RN Opportunity

Job Overview

• Specialty: Hospice / End of Life Care
• Employment Type: Travel
• Contract Length: 8 weeks
• Start Date: ASAP
• Assignment End Date: 2/8 (fixed end date)

Facility & Unit Information

• Hospice census of about 100 patients:

  • 21 beds in inpatient hospice (McClure Miller Respite House)
  • 80 patients in home, Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), and Assisted Living Facility (ALF) settings
• Unit Specialty: Home Health Hospice
• Teaching Facility: Yes
• Trauma Level: N/A
• Prior Travel Experience: Not required

Experience & Certification Requirements

• Minimum 3-5 years clinical experience
• Minimum 3 years clinical experience in hospice specialty
• Required Certification: AHA BLS
• Preferred: None specified

Patient Care & Caseload

• Nurse-patient ratio:

  • Home setting: 12-14 patients per nurse
  • Inpatient (MMRH) day shift: 5-7 patients
  • Inpatient overnight shift: up to 11 patients
• Patient Population: Primarily terminally ill adults (6 months or less prognosis), occasional pediatrics in home setting
• Patient Care Modality: Complex symptom management and education in hospice/end-of-life care

Clinical Responsibilities

• Symptom assessment and management requiring high-level critical thinking
• Pain management including continuous infusion and subcutaneous site care
• Central line care (PORT/IVAD, PICC, other central lines)
• Palliative sedation, tracheostomy care, rectal tube management
• Wound care, ostomy and drain management
• Venipuncture for labs/specimens
• Medication management and administration via multiple routes (IV, subcutaneous, oral, sublingual, rectal, etc.)
• Comfort with goals of care discussions and care planning with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team
• Strong communication and teaching skills for patients and caregivers

Orientation & Training

• Orientation length: 2-3 days
• Specialty testing: Facility requires full online onboarding prior to arrival
• Documentation system: Net Smart (orientation training provided)
• Medication system: Not applicable
• No floating required, but rotation between home hospice and inpatient hospice (MMRH)

Scheduling & Shifts

• Typical schedule: Tuesday – Friday, with flexibility to work weekends as needed
• Inpatient (MMRH) shifts: 7:00 AM – 7:30 PM (12-hour shifts), or 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM Monday-Friday
• Rotation includes weekend shifts at inpatient hospice and home hospice during the week
• Call coverage: Rarely needed, but may cover on-call team occasionally
• No self-scheduling or block schedules

Staffing & Support

• CNA/PCT support available (4 staff per shift)
• Advanced Practice Provider: Full-time Nurse Practitioner on unit
• Respiratory and anesthesia support: Not available 24/7
• Ancillary staff: No unit clerk/secretary

Equipment & Supplies

• Use of CADD pumps, feeding pumps, suction units, BiPAP/CPAP, nebulizers, IV pumps, glucose and INR monitors
• Agency-issued laptop and work phone provided

Dress Code & Appearance

• Business casual or non-hospital scrubs in non-institutional colors
• Closed-toe, supportive shoes required
• Limited jewelry, neat/tidy hair and beard, no nail polish

Additional Notes

• Must have excellent typing skills due to narrative-heavy EMR documentation
• Traveler case managers assigned geographic areas; weekend rotations may require travel within service area
• Strict protocols for patient/family communication using designated app
• Public transportation is not accessible; reliable personal or rental vehicle strongly recommended
• Vehicles should have all-season or snow tires from November through April
• COVID and flu vaccination declinations accepted with proper documentation
• Full work history including bed count, EMR, and facility type must be provided for credentialing
• Compliance requirements are truncated initially but must be fully completed within one week of start

This position is ideal for experienced hospice RNs comfortable with complex symptom management, end-of-life care, and working in both home and inpatient hospice settings.