Hospice service need nurses who have specialized in this area of nursing and who are in a position to give compassion to the terminally ill patients, along with the nursing care.
This is a very demanding job and those who go in for it have to have the mental strength to cope with the day-to-day problems of the terminally ill and watch them dwindle and pass away.
Most do become attached to the patients because they are caring for them intimately and when the patient dies it is a blow to the nurse too.
Some may not be able to handle the stress of their own personal family problems and those of hospice care.
Before taking on such a responsibility they should make sure that they can deal with it mentally.
The mind-set should be one where the nurse is mentally strong and feels satisfied that she has made a difference to a person who was on the last leg of his life and made them feel a lot better.
Looking after a terminally ill patient need not be at the hospice facility or in a nursing home.
Many of the patients are taken care of at home and a single nurse is assigned to a particular patient and would have to manage their case completely.
This would mean interacting with the physician and handling all the medication, therapies and psychological requirements of a patient who is in this condition.
The care is also extended to the patient's family who are also going through a mentally low period because they know that they will be losing their loved one soon.
Though the main job of a nurse is to administer medicines for pain control they also have to give mental support to the families.
The nurse has to record and monitor the patient's symptoms even though they are terminally ill and make a report to the doctor on a daily basis.
Anyone who wishes to be of service as a hospice nurse has to complete a normal nursing course before going in for this.