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How Much Do Hospice Nurses Make – When nurses enter the field, they often have visions of caring for patients as they heal and possibly even save lives. But hospice nurses work in a completely different context – their patients are all at the end of their lives.
Being a hospice nurse is difficult, but it can also be gratifying if you can handle the emotional toll. Life as a hospice nurse is a selfless act. You commit your nursing practice to being present for patients as they face the end of their lives and supporting their families and loved ones during the grieving process.
How Much Do Hospice Nurses Make
For those called to hospice, this career is an opportunity to provide compassionate palliative care and emotional support, but its challenges may not be for everyone?
Hospice Nurse Make A Difference Notebook Planner Journal: Cute, Homeschool, College, To Do List, 6×9 Inch, Mom, 5.24 X 22.86 Cm, 120 Pages, Planning, A5
In 2022, the average salary for nurses is $70,717.94 in all 50 states. This comes to an average hourly wage of $34.00.
Hospice nurses are RNs who specialize in palliative care. They act as caregivers to patients in their last weeks of life, offering comfort and emotional support to their loved ones. Being a hospice nurse requires tremendous empathy and robust mental health because you will always be surrounded by people coping with the most challenging experience of their lives.
In addition to providing pain management and comfort to their patients, hospice nurses collaborate with physicians and care teams. Their goal is to minimize patients’ discomfort as much as possible so that they have the highest quality of life until they pass on.
Unlike other types of nursing, hospice nurses do not expect their patients to improve. Nothing they do can save their life, but they can make a big difference when someone is nearing their last days.
Patients Want A ‘good Death’ At Home, But Hospice Care Can Badly Strain Families
From pain and medication management to care and companionship, the hospice nurse plays a critical role during this period of a person’s life. Although they may not have a long life expectancy, the hospice nurse can make their time less difficult. Sometimes they even help their patients find peace and joy during their last weeks on earth.
Actually reports a higher average annual salary of $80,627 based on 6,000 reported salaries as of July 28, 2022.
Payscale.com averaged 193 salary profiles on July 5, 2022 and found the typical annual salary for a hospice nurse to be $72,266.
The average hourly wage for a hospice nurse in the United States is $34 an hour. Exact rates will vary depending on your location and level of nursing experience. Indeed reports an average hourly wage of $33.29, while Payscale reports a base hourly wage of $31.15.
Careers In Death Care: A Day In The Life Of A Hospice Nurse
How much do hospice nurses earn in your country? Here’s a full breakdown of the average income in the United States.
Hospice nurses earn different salaries based on their education, experience and location. If you are starting your career, you can expect a lower base salary than a nurse with several years behind them.
Most employers require a hospice nurse to have at least two years of palliative care experience before they can work full-time as a hospice nurse. Therefore, as you gain experience, your salary will likely grow to reflect your developing skills.
While hospice nurses don’t need advanced degrees, you can earn more if you have a BSN over an ADN or a master’s degree over an undergraduate degree.
Is Hospice Only For The Dying?
Location is also a dominant factor in nursing salaries. Income can vary significantly by state and even between organizations. If you don’t mind moving, you might be able to nearly double your salary in a low-paying state by moving to one with a higher average.
A nursing career begins in nursing school. Then they can earn an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The graduate pathway offers more excellent training in nursing theory and clinical management, which can be helpful when creating care plans for hospice patients.
After you complete your degree, which takes between two to four years, you can take the NCLEX exam. After passing the national certification exam, you can obtain your nursing license and begin working as an RN in your state.
On average, expect at least four years of education and work experience before you are qualified for hospice nurses near you.
Reflections On Being A Hospice And Palliative Care Nurse
That being said, you can still make a decent salary as an RN just starting your career. RNs with ADNs and BSNs both qualify for decent starting salaries.
When choosing your nursing specialty, it is good to consider practical factors such as working hours, environment, type of patient and income. Although salary alone is not your deciding factor in becoming a hospice nurse, it is still an important part of the job.
Because hospice nurses take on such emotionally demanding work, it is only fitting that they be fairly compensated for their selflessness and expertise.
As in all nursing professions, pay will vary depending on location, employer and even between individual nurses. A senior hospice nurse with 10+ years of experience will likely earn a higher salary than a newbie.
When Is It Time For Hospice? When To Call Hospice Care
It would be best if you measured the fairness of your salary based on the national average, your state average, and the average salary of nurses you work with who have similar qualifications.
If you feel you are not being paid fairly, open a conversation with your employer. You have every right to ask for more pay, and it’s important to be your own advocate.
Hospice nurses can be paid hourly or annually, depending on their schedule and where they work. For example, they are more likely to be paid hourly if they work on the hospital floor. However, nurses who work in hospice or palliative care clinics may be more likely to be paid.
Explore job postings near you to get an idea of what your salary schedule might look like working as a hospice nurse. Even if you are paid hourly, you can still earn the average annual salary in a typical 40-hour week.
Public Health Nurse Vs. Community Health Nurse
Yes, hospice nurses are paid overtime like any other nurse who works more than 40 hours a week. Your overtime pay is usually your hourly wage plus time and a half. Overtime rates may also apply when you work on holidays or the night shift, as these are less sought after by other nurses.
Because they work in both private and public healthcare, the pay for hospice nurses varies. The best way to determine where you earn the most is to compare the salary listed on job postings near you.
In states with higher demand, hospitals may pay more than private facilities with long-term staff. On the other hand, some private hospices may want to build a full team, so they are willing to offer a competitive salary.
According to our research, hospice nurses are paid the highest in California, where the average hourly wage is $51.92. The typical annual salary for a hospice nurse in California is $107,990.00. California pays hospice nurses 53% more than the national average.
Pre Hospice’ Saves Money By Keeping People At Home Near The End Of Life
What you can live on depends on your living expenses and financial needs. It’s not easy to tell someone what salary will make them financially secure with so many variables; however, if you budget well and live within your means, the average hospice nurse salary is enough to live on in most states.
Remember that living in a metropolitan area will lead to higher costs, including housing and transportation. You should also factor in student loans and personal debt when considering your ideal salary.
A note about our data. We use the median of data collected from The BLS at data.bls.gov and other salary data sources such as Salary.com, Indeed.com and Zippia.com. We believe this is the best average to follow, rather than the mean or mode. The mean will find the average of all wages in each state; the mode will favor the most frequently reported wages. However, the median will find the middle. All data in this report will favor the median salary from all ranges, meaning 50% will fall below and 50% will be above the salary data reported below. On the other hand, we have removed data from Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands from the data we have retrieved because we have focused on the 50 US states plus the District of Colombia. Our contributing writers draw on diverse educational and professional backgrounds to create content for . This work has been developed in collaboration with one or more of our writers….
Elizabeth Clarke is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. Her experience spans emergency departments, cardiac units, pediatric emergency care and occupational health care. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing…
Nurse Helps Create Patient And Family Centred Hospice
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