Hospice Registered Nurse
Charlotte, North Carolina
Novant Health Outpatient Hospice

Job Opportunity: Registered Nurse - Hospice

Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Employment Type: Travel/Contract
Contract Length: 13 weeks

Job Description

• Provide nursing care in a home health/hospice and skilled nursing setting.
• Care for patients with a prognosis of 6 months or less to live, primarily geriatric.
• Focus on end-of-life care including after treatment survivorship and cultural awareness.
• Manage medication administration and pain management using WHO analgesic ladder, adjuvant therapy, breakthrough dosing, pediatric dosage calculations, pain assessment, and pharmacologic/non-pharmacologic interventions.
• Perform symptom assessment and management for conditions such as altered mental status, anorexia/cachexia, aphasia, constipation/diarrhea, nausea/vomiting, and pressure ulcers.
• Conduct patient and family education, goal setting, intake assessments, and support.
• Follow Medicare state regulations and proper medication disposal.
• Participate in call rotations Friday through Sunday, 8 PM to 8 AM, approximately every 4-5 weeks for evening shifts.
• No float requirement; weekend on-call rotation only.
• Work schedule: 40 hours per week, 8-hour shifts from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Average daily census: 63 patients, approximately 5 visits per day.
• Use EPIC Remote Client and SBAR communication tools (EPIC experience preferred).

Required Qualifications

• Valid Registered Nurse (RN) license in North Carolina
• Minimum 2 years of hospice nursing experience, including hospice experience within the last year
• Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification issued by the American Heart Association or American Red Cross
• Experience in home health and skilled nursing settings
• Experience with after-treatment (survivorship) end-of-life care
• Cultural awareness related to end-of-life care
• Medication tolerance experience
• Expertise in pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain interventions
• Pediatric dosage calculation experience
• Knowledge of Medicare state regulations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with death pronouncement, death/dying counseling, spiritual needs identification, perideath family care, and postmortem care.
• Knowledge of ethical and legal issues such as advanced directives, medical futility, organ donation, and palliative sedation.
• Skills in equianalgesic opioid dosing and PCA pump management.
• Phlebotomy and IV management skills.
• Experience with durable medical equipment (DME) authorization.
• Symptom management of ascites.
• EPIC experience in home health hospice is a plus.

Orientation & Training

• 40 hours of unit-specific orientation in addition to general hospital orientation.
• Ongoing competency exams and medication/pharmacology competency required.
• Must complete required background checks and health screenings prior to start.
• Fit testing for N95 mask or PAPR training required.
• Annual flu vaccination or approved exemption required during flu season.
• Various compliance and facility-specific trainings required before and during assignment.

Additional Information

• Mileage reimbursement provided at IRS standard rates.
• Scrubs are not provided; RNs wear navy blue attire.
• Interview required via Zoom prior to offer.
• Background checks, drug screening, immunizations, and health documents must be current and compliant.
• References and employment history documentation required as per agency standards.

Patient Population

• Primarily geriatric patients receiving hospice care with life expectancy of 6 months or less.

Call & Scheduling

• Call rotation Friday, Saturday, Sunday nights (8 PM - 8 AM).
• Evening call shifts approximately every 4-5 weeks.
• No float requirement.
• Weekend on-call rotation only.

This position is ideal for RNs with hospice and home health experience who are comfortable managing complex symptom and pain management in end-of-life care, and who are interested in a travel contract opportunity in North Carolina.