St Croix Hospice is seeking an Admissions Nurse for the McHenry, West Lake County and East Rockford, North Dekalb area. The Admissions Nurse plans, organizes and directs hospice care and is experienced in nursing, with emphasis on community health education/experience. This professional nurse builds from the resources of the community to plan and direct services to meet the needs of individual and families within their homes and communities.

Patient Care

• Completes an initial, comprehensive assessment of patient and family to determine hospice needs. Provides a complete physical assessment and history of current and previous illness.

• Provides professional nursing care by utilizing all elements of nursing process.

• Assesses and evaluates patient’s status by:

• Writing and initiating plan of care

• Regularly re-evaluating patient and family/caregiver needs

• Participating in revising the plan of care as necessary

• Initiates the plan of care and makes necessary revisions as patient status and needs change.

• Uses health assessment data to determine nursing diagnosis.

• Develops a care plan that establishes goals, based on nursing diagnosis and incorporates palliative nursing actions. Includes the patient and the family in the planning process.

• Initiates appropriate preventive and rehabilitative nursing procedures. Administers medications and treatments as prescribed by the physician in the physician’s plan of care.

• Counsels the patient and family in meeting nursing and related needs.

• Provides health care instructions to the patient as appropriate per assessment and plan.

Communication

• Completes, maintains and submits accurate and relevant clinical notes regarding patient’s condition and care given. Records pain/symptom management changes/outcomes as appropriate.

• Communicates with the physician regarding the patient’s needs and reports changes in the patient’s condition; obtains/receives physicians’ orders as required.

• Communicates with community health related persons to coordinate the care plan.

• Teaches the patient and family/caregiver self-care techniques as appropriate. Provides medication, diet and other instructions as ordered by the physician and recognizes and utilizes opportunities for health counseling with patients and families/caregivers. Works in concert with the interdisciplinary group.

• Provides and maintains a safe environment for the patient.

• Assists the patient and family/caregiver and other team members in providing continuity of care.

• Works in cooperation with the family/caregiver and hospice interdisciplinary group to meet the emotional needs of the patient and family/caregiver.

Additional Duties

• Participates in on-call duties as defined by the on-call policy.
• Ensures that arrangements for equipment and other necessary items and services are available.
• Assumes responsibility for personal growth and development and maintains and upgrades professional knowledge and practice skills through attendance and participation in continuing education and in-service classes.
• Actively participates in quality assessment performance improvement teams and activities.

We offer amazing benefits including growth opportunities! We have career opportunities both locally and regionally and many of our leaders have grown from within the company and truly understand how vital each role is in creating quality care.

• The opportunity to work 1-1 with our patients, impacting their life and their families.
• Two medical plan choices
• Dental, vision and life insurance benefits
• Customized Mental Health Support Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• 401k Retirement Plan with up to 4% employer matching
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Company-paid Basic Life Insurance, AD&D, Short Term and Long-Term Disability
• nVoq (voice to text dictation) - not available at all locations

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing. One (1) to two (2) years of recent acute care experience in an institutional setting, and one (1) to two (2) years of recent experience in home care.
• Current licensure in State and CPR certification.
• Associates degree required, bachelor’s degree, preferred.
• One (1) year of hospice care experience preferred.
• Management experience not required.