In this episode I make some announcements on future plans for the show. ============================== As always, don’t forget to call, text or email to leave feedback! I would love to hear from you! 816-834-9191 James@confessionsofahospicenurse.net ============================== Be sure to check out thehospicenursingcommunity.com for extra content as well as hope, help and encouragement from other hospice nurses just like you!...
In this episode my good friend, Mike Barrett, returns to the show to share his own story of losing his mother in the last month. Mike shares with us why he wanted to share this with us so soon after his mother’s death. He also goes into detail on how overwhelming everything was. He explains how hard it must be for our patients and their caregivers who have no medical knowledge yet are still expected to make sure difficult decisions. Finally, at the end of the show, mike shares with us how is fai...
In this episode I talk about the importance of asking good questions that help our patients and caregivers move forward in their acceptance of an end of life experience. The questions in this episode are the following… Is what I’m seeing something new? What does the word “hospice” mean to you? What do you hope these appointments will do for you? What do you plan to do when she stops feeding herself? Does he/she seem comfortable to you? What does comfortable look like for you? How can I best help...
Welcome to part 2 of the top 10 things I have learned in my first 10 years as a hospice provider! In this episode I cover items 6-10 of my list. 6. Work/life balance doesn’t happen by accident 7. Hospice is about repeatable and predictable behavior in every department 8. Haloperidol is the best first option to treat terminal restlessness 9. Staff centric agencies build the best foundation for success 10. Hospice is 80% psychosocial….for everyone In this episode I encourage everyone to check out ...
Welcome to episode 57 of The Hospice Nursing Podcast! In this episode I start with the top 5 things I have learned in my 10 years of hospice experience. Case management is the foundation of all hospice care Case management success is in the details There is not just one way to do hospice Model the behavior you want to see in others Your current company isn’t as bad as it seems, and the company you want to move to isn’t as great as it seams. While covering these ideas, I make sure to point out th...
I’m back from a 6 month break from producing the show! In this episode I explain why I chose not to record any episodes in the last 6 months. I then review some of the things I learned during a massive growth spurt at my agency. I review the importance of self care, and I share some of my own personal health issues this year. I share what I learned about the importance of an orientation program. I explain the importance of hospice leadership being willing to get out into the field and help durin...
In this episode I answer 3 questions from the hospice nurse support group on facebook. The first question has to do with giving liquid morphine every 6 hours scheduled and PRN morphine every 3 hours PRN. The second question involves using Tramadol for pain management. The third question has to do with elevated vital signs for actively dying patients. ============================== As always, don’t forget to call, text or email to leave feedback! I would love to hear from you! 816-834-9191 James@...
In this episode I explore 11 things I learned from my 30 year friendship with Chuck Schroeder. Chuck Schroeder went to be with Jesus on March 21st 2024. He was a monumental figure in my life. After speaking at his Celebration of Life service, I decided to do a podcast episode sharing what I learned from him. In this episode I explore the following lessons I learned from Chuck. Plan your work. Work your plan. Never give up on someone Don’t be afraid to help your team Meet you team’s emotional nee...
In this episode I am privileged to interview Barbara Karnes, RN. Barbara is an award winning end of life educator, award wining nurse, NHPCO Winner 2018 & 2015 International Humanitarian Woman of the Year. Yeah, she’s a big deal, and she took time out of her busy schedule to spend some time on the show. To start out the episode, Barbara tells us the story of how she first entered hospice as a volunteer even though she was an RN. She shares with us the origen story of “The Blue Book” also kno...
In this episode I discuss the three-legged stool that makes up a hospice agency. The three legs are Sales, Operations and Clinical. If either of these legs is having problems, the stool is at risk to fall down. I recently had a listener ask me to discuss the differences between office staff and field staff. She asked the following question. I am wondering if you have already completed a podcast on the differences between what management does in the office compared to what field nurses do, and ho...
For this episode I decided to share a recent interview I did for the Nurse Keith podcast. It was a great time to share with Keith’s audience some of my observations from the world of hospice. I believe this was a great opportunity to share hospice with a whole new audience. Take a minute to visit Keith’s web site, and throw some support his way! https://nursekeith.com/ ============================== As always, don’t forget to call, text or email to leave feedback! I would love to hear from you! ...
In this episode I answer a listener email question regarding death visits. No two death visits are alike, so in this episode I try to cover some of the basics. I cover some of the following topics. Call the funeral home as quickly as possible It’s not about you Don’t always be in a hurry to interject yourself Be sensitive to other cultures To stay or not to stay Post mortem care Clothig Then I finish the episode telling several stories from my own experiences and some of the things I did well, a...
In this episode I answer the following question from a listener. Hi, any chance of getting a podcast on Service Failures? I've been in hospice for around two years. I hear the term thrown around, but can't quite grasp all the details. I don't see any podcasts or blog posts around this subject, but I suspect the knowledge would be quite valuable. Thanks, Jade I answer Jade’s question in two parts. I start by addressing Medicare’s Conditions of Participation for all hospice providers. For the seco...
In this episode I focus on the top 6 concepts I believe are essential to promoting the growth of a hospice office. Ultimately, the administrator is responsible for creating an environment for success. Any administrator who wants to blame others for lack of success, is an administrator nobody wants to follow. Here is the list of items I focus on during this episode. Foster healthy relationships between sales and clinical Take ownership of the branch Create a consistent and repeatable experience L...
In this episode I review my strategies when I have family members who are afraid to tell their loved one that hospice is being consulted for care. I spend some time helping you understand the real difference between patients who can understand what they are being signed up for versus patients who are confused and can’t understand the decisions being made for them. I talk about using my Clinical Data Sheet during conversation and assessment to gather information and ask questions. I offer access ...
Welcome to 2024! For today’s episode I decided to present you with 3 things I feel like every hospice nurse needs to find success and peace of mind! In this episode I review the importance of making sure we pull into our driveways at the end of the day with all of our work completed. I point out the importance of making sure all of our charting is done at the bedside. I review some of the differences between a visit nurse and case manager. My second point focuses on the importance of establishin...
This episode is all about leadership. Everyone in hospice is a leader, and being a leader is completely different than being a boss. In this episode I provide some practical advice to help make sure we never lose our perspective on what our nurses go through every day. I encourage administrators and clinical directors to do ride alongs with a field nurse at least twice a year. I spend quite a bit of time talking about avoiding spending a lot of time trying to place blame for agency failures. In ...
In this episode I perform (if you want to call it that) dramatic readings of 11 posts from my blog. You can view and read the blog posts from the following links. The Last Bath The Last Prayer Hospice Is Like Haircuts? Be Like Aunt Joyce My Friends Keep Dying A Night at the Park The Last Kiss The Guardian I Remember Angie Whatever You Say, James It’s Okay To Die On Thanksgiving ============================== As always, don’t forget to call, text or email to leave feedback! I would love to hear f...
For this episode I take one of my coaching sessions from inside The Hospice Nursing Community and bring it to the show. This is something I have ever done before. In general, I like to make sure content inside of The Hospice Nursing Community is unique and cannot be found anywhere else. In this episode, I review 8 different characteristics that I believe are essential for a successful case manager to possess. Reliability The agency and its patients will suffer if they have a case manager who cal...
In this episode I answer the following question from May. May has been charged with a hospice startup. “I always strive to maintain the values of empathy and fairness, and I am committed to being an unwavering advocate for our team and our patients. Currently, we've encountered challenges with documentation using Matrix Care. The process has proven to be time-consuming, and I am reaching out to see if you have insight on how to optimize the documentation procedures. I would greatly appreciate an...
In this episode I step aside from clinical talk, and revisit a phone call I had with listener Chauncey. Last week I had a great conversation with Chauncey. We discussed the challenges a new marketer can face when working a territory for the first time. In this episode I discuss the difference between referral sources that provide a lot of referrals versus the ones that only provide a few or have never provided a referral. I call these crock pot referral sources and microwave referral sources. Du...
In this episode I answer the following question sent to me by Pamela. “Any interest in a show that highlights weekend/evening staff. The challenge I face is communication. If staff do not add thorough notes, email/call me, or otherwise give report, It really makes my job a struggle! Also, remembering we are part of team. I am blessed with a great team, but can see where this position could be undervalued. I personally love being weekend on call! It is like semi retirement. Feel free to reach out...
In this episode I answer a question from Gina. In a recent email from Gina, she asks the following question. “One topic I would love for you to cover is that of high case loads - and what you consider that number to be, what number is considered ideal for excellent, superior care and how to manage/re-work your visit frequencies when those loads are high.” During this episode I do cover what I consider to be a normal caseload. I explain that our caseload should really be measured by how many visi...
In this episode I review the 3 large projects I completed in my first 4 months as administrator. I share the challenges most agencies face when it comes to tracking room and board charges for LTC patients. I review the extensive orientation program I implemented to make sure all new staff get a solid and predictable onboarding experience. The third project I completed was a revamp of our referral and admission process that ended in a 90 minute training session with the entire organization. Durin...
In this episode I welcome back Shelley Henry from Amity Group to discuss the “Your Opinion Matters” hospice nurse survey she conducted last winter. During the episode Shelley shares with us the 3 biggest takeaways she got from doing the survey. Redundant Documentation Nurse-to-patient Ratios Compensation Shelly shares some of her discoveries surrounding redundant documentation that adds almost an entire day to the week. Shelly also shares with us her tour schedule for October 2023 that covers th...
In this episode I explore the frequent, maybe even normal, conflict that can arise between sales and clinical. I review what I believe the clinical team needs to do to be more accommodating and show the sales team we are serious about growth. I also review some things that the sales team can do to help lessen some of the stress they can inadvertently place on the clinical team. I review the fact that our patients can, at times, misrepresent what the sales team has said or promised to them. The s...
In this episode I review some of the challenges we can face when caring for patients with a long history of substance abuse. During the show I review the psychosocial reasons we will find ways to not admit people who need hospice. I also discuss how we can easily complicate the qualifications for hospice when we interject our own feelings and fears into the situation. At the end of the show I share the story of a heart failure patient with special needs, and how we adjusted our plan of care to m...
This is part 2 of my conversation with Kris from The Hospice Nursing Support Group on Facebook . During part 2 if this conversation I ask Kris the following questions. How does IDT work at the hospice house? Do all hospice house patients die? How do you describe the hospice house to your admissions? What are the pros and cons of being an inpatient hospice nurse? ============================== As always, don’t forget to call, text or email to leave feedback! I would love to hear from you! 816-834...
In this episode I welcome back Kris from The Hospice Nursing Support Group on Facebook . This episode will be the first as we discuss the 4 levels of care that Medicare requires all hospice organizations provide. During the episode I explain that my conversation with Kris will be broken into two shows due to the amount of content we covered. For this portion of the show, we cover the following questions. All the different names that are used for Inpatient Hospice Care. Where can Inpatient Hospic...
In this episode I explore the realization that, if we are honest, we all have feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. Imposter syndrome is something that we all will face at times in our lives. We will especially face imposter syndrome when we are adventurous and are willing to take on new challenges. In this episode I review many of the different ways we can experience imposter syndrome and why we might experience it. I mention a recent article where I explain why hospice nurses are not trying t...
