Hospice General Inpatient Nurse

Description

At Granite VNA, New Hampshire’s largest home health and hospice provider, we believe in helping patients and their families navigate end-of-life care with dignity, comfort and grace.  The care we provide is personal and meaningful.  Join our mission-driven team and deliver high-quality nursing care in the heart of New Hampshire.

We are seeking an experienced and empathetic Hospice General Inpatient Nurse to join our caring and collaborative team in Concord, NH. Based at a local hospital, this role offers the opportunity to guide patients and families through the hospice admission process and provide clinical expertise during a pivotal moment in their care journey. 

Why Nurses Choose Granite VNA: 

• A supportive leadership team who leads with compassion and integrity
• Autonomy and purpose 
• Collaboration with a team full of dedicated, knowledgeable and supportive professionals 
• Competitive pay, mileage reimbursement and generous benefits
• Ongoing professional development and opportunities for career growth
• At Granite VNA, we care for our team the same way we care for our patients—by creating a safe, respectful, and supportive environment. That’s why we offer AVADE Training for field staff and Armed Intruder Training for team members in other roles. 
• Clothing stipend for Granite VNA–embroidered apparel so you can proudly represent our organization in the community. 
• Oh, and did we mention lakeside sunsets and fresh air?

Position Overview

Reporting to the Hospice Director, the Hospice GIP RN serves as an embedded hospice specialist within the hospital setting, providing direct General Inpatient (GIP) hospice care and acting as the key liaison between hospital teams and the hospice agency. Additionally, this role will serve the hospice team’s needs for same day admissions in facilities and community and act as back up to the Hospice House as needed. This role ensures seamless coordination, symptom management, and compassionate end-of-life care for patients who qualify for the General Inpatient level of hospice service as well as those at other levels of care and in different locations as needed. 

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• Complete General Inpatient (GIP) admissions for eligible patients, ensuring all assessments, orders, documentation and care plans are initiated correctly.
• Deliver direct nursing care to GIP-level hospice patients within the hospital setting.
• Collaborate with hospitalists, hospice medical directors, hospital nursing staff, palliative care teams, and case managers to ensure seamless care transitions and coordination
• Educate hospital staff on hospice eligibility criteria, hospice philosophy of care, and symptom-management best practices
• Coordinate the referral and intake process for hospice GIP patients: working with hospital case management/palliative team and your hospice liaison
• Participate in daily interdisciplinary team (IDT) rounds (virtual or in-person) with hospice physician, social worker, chaplain and nursing team
• Ensure documentation compliance within both hospital and hospice electronic medical record (EMR) systems.
• Monitor and manage complex symptoms in accordance with hospice protocols and CMS GIP regulations.
• Support smooth transitions of care, including discharge planning and communication with families.  
• Provide admission visits to those routine level hospice patients who require same- day admission in the community or facility as needed.
• Partner with the Hospice House and Community teams, as appropriate and feasible alongside other responsibilities, to identify and close service gaps in patient care.
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with key contacts within targeted hospital systems. 
• Serves as an ambassador of Granite VNA for all Agency programs.
• Works collaboratively with the Hospice Liaisons to deliver exceptional, responsive service to hospital partners - anticipating needs, facilitating efficient transitions, and ensuring continuity of care.
• Safely operate a personal vehicle while traveling throughout Granite VNA service area to provide patient visits and/or attend meetings.

Other Job Functions

• Attends in-services/conferences required for the position to improve job performance
• Accepts other assignments deemed appropriate for skills and capability.
• Travel to assigned work locations is expected.
• Performs job duties in a safe manner to prevent injury to yourself and others.

Expected Hours of Work 

Work hours generally are scheduled between Monday – Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. 

However, occasional evening, weekend or holiday work hours maybe needed based on Agency needs.

Requirements

• Current RN license in the state of practice (BSN preferred).
• Minimum 2 years of hospice or acute care experience (GIP or palliative care background strongly preferred).
• Strong clinical assessment and symptom management skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with interdisciplinary teams.
• Familiarity with both hospice and hospital documentation systems preferred. 
• Valid driver's license, reliable transportation and an acceptable driving record.