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

Hospice RN Travel Opportunity

Location & Setting

• Hospice care with a census of about 100 patients:

  • 21 beds in an inpatient setting (McClure Miller Respite House)
  • 80 patients in home, Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF), and Assisted Living Facility (ALF) settings
• Patient population primarily adults, occasionally pediatrics in home setting
• Terminally ill patients with prognosis of 6 months or less

Unit & Work Environment

• Specialty: Home Health Hospice
• Teaching facility: Yes (but no teaching hospital experience required)
• Nurse-patient ratio:

  • Home setting: caseloads of 12-14 patients per nurse
  • Inpatient (MMRH): day shift 5-7 patients, overnight up to 11 patients
• CNA/PCT support available (4 staff per shift)
• Advanced Practice Provider: Full-time Nurse Practitioner primarily at inpatient site
• Orientation: 2-3 days, includes online onboarding prior to arrival
• Documentation system: Net Smart (orientation provided)
• Medication system: Not applicable (specific to hospice)
• Floating: Not required, but cross-setting training encouraged
• Charge nurse duties: Not required
• Scheduling:

  • Inpatient (MMRH): 7-7:30 shifts (12 hours)
  • Home hospice: 8am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday with weekend rotation
  • Rotation between home hospice and inpatient unit
• Call coverage: Rarely needed, may cover on-call team
• Holiday work: Travelers must work 2 out of 4 major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Day)

Clinical Requirements & Skills

• Minimum clinical experience: 3-5 years total, with at least 3 years in hospice or related specialty
• Certifications required: AHA BLS
• Experience with complex symptom management and end-of-life care education
• Strong critical thinking skills for symptom assessment and management
• Comfortable initiating and participating in goals of care discussions with patients, families, and care teams
• Medication administration via multiple routes: IV, subcutaneous, oral, sublingual, rectal, and others
• Strong communication and teaching skills for patients and caregivers

Clinical Procedures & Equipment

• Pain management including continuous infusion and subcutaneous site care
• Central line care (PORT/IVAD, PICC)
• Palliative sedation
• Tracheostomy and rectal tube management
• Wound care, ostomy, and drain management
• Venipuncture for labs/specimens
• Equipment used includes CADD pumps, feeding pumps, suction devices, BiPAP/CPAP, nebulizers, IV pumps, glucose and INR monitors, laptops, and agency-issued phones
• Respiratory and anesthesia support not available 24/7 onsite

Work Environment & Dress Code

• Dress code: Business casual or non-institutional scrubs, closed-toe supportive shoes
• Jewelry limited, no nail polish, neat/tidy hair and beard
• No floating required, but some geographic travel within service area (Chittenden & Grand Isle Counties) may be expected during weekend rotations

Additional Notes

• Narrative-heavy electronic medical record (EMR) requiring excellent typing skills
• No block scheduling; shifts Monday through Sunday
• All employment gaps over 90 days must be explained
• Complete work history required for submission (including bed count, EMR, facility type)
• Reliable personal transportation strongly recommended (public transportation not available)
• Vehicles should have all-season or snow tires November through April

Contract Length

• Tentative assignment length: 16 weeks (interpreted as 16 weeks)

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