A day in the life of a hospice staff nurse
I'm Molly, and this Dying Matters Week I'd thought I would give you a glimpse into a typical day in my life as a staff nurse at Bassetlaw Hospice.
My day begins when I walk through the door and greet the team of the day and the night team at 7am. We usually start the day with a cup of tea whilst we listen to handover to see how the patients have been overnight.
Then we do a walk around and greet the patients. We can have up to 6 patients staying with us on the inpatient unit at any given time. Some may be with us for symptom management and others may be in their last stages of life.
As I do my rounds, I check on our patients, giving them their 8am medication. Then the healthcare assistant on that shift will help me to help the patients with their breakfast and attend to any personal care needs they may have, whether they would like a shower or a bath for example. While administering medications and engaging in conversations, you can determine your patients' individual needs and monitor their progress, assess whether they are improving or if there has been any changes in their condition.
At 9am the medical team which includes our consultant, advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) and therapy team arrive to catch up with the recorded handover. If it is a Tuesday this is MDT multi-disciplinary team which is at 10.30am. It may be at this point that we discuss if there are any potential admissions, referrals or discharges.
The care of a hospice patient requires all of the team because we aim to treat people holistically; looking at them as a whole person, which means addressing their physical, social, emotional and spiritual elements of their condition.
In a hospice there is always a lot to organise, including ordering medication, planning discharges, preparing for admissions, documentation, assessments as well as the general care of patients.
Medication and repositioning rounds continue throughout the day to ensure the patients get the best possible specialist care. This includes setting up syringe drivers to better manage pain or other symptoms or help keep the patients who are at the end of their life peaceful and rested.
To ensure continuous care we work 12 hour shifts. The patient will have their own allocated nurse for the shift, which enables us to really develop a good rapport with people and their families.
We often have a laugh together, and we strive to go that extra mile to make a difference, always going with what Is most important for the patient; creating Glastonbury festivals, weddings, afternoon teas, spa and pamper days, and bringing Christmas early.
Once our shift wraps up at 7.30pm, we conduct a handover with the night staff. We thank one another for the day and appreciate the opportunity to make each day meaningful.
I have worked at Bassetlaw Hospice for 3 and a half years and I absolutely love my job. It is a privilege to work in a team where we are always there to support each other. This is what makes our hospice a delightful place to work - the genuine care we have for one another and our patients.
Bassetlaw Hospice provide a community and day therapy service to people aged over 18 who have been diagnosed with cancer or a progressive long-term condition. Find out more about Bassetlaw Hospice .
