A Hospice Nurse Reflection

Renee Frith, RN, BSN, Patient Care Director

When I walked through the doors of Hospice of Dubuque in the spring of 1998, I never looked back. I had worked as an oncology nurse for the prior eight years, a job that was very fulfilling and dear to my heart. I was thirty years old, married with four small kids at home, all under the age of five. Life was busy, and I had a good job in which I felt comfortable and competent. One Sunday, I came across an ad from Hospice of Dubuque looking for an RN Nurse Case Manager, and I couldn’t ignore an inner feeling of wanting to know more. That same week, I walked into the hospice office with two small children, asked for an application, filled it out, and set up a time to interview. The rest is history. Sounds like a perfect time to make a major life decision and change a career path, right?

I knew I was called to do this very special type of nursing, but what I didn’t know was how impactful and fulfilling hospice work would be. I had the privilege and honor of spending my first eight years as an RN Case Manager, caring for a caseload of patients and families at bedsides across the tri-state area. There were long days and busy call nights, ancient voice pagers, pay phones, paper charts, and a variety of emotions that I did not expect. There were also moments when people asked where I worked, and when I told them, the responses would be, “Oh,” or “How can you do that job?” The answer has always been very clear to me—this is the best care possible.

I spent the next two years working as a Hospice Intake Nurse, taking new referrals and meeting with patients and families to explain hospice services and financial benefits. Once patients and families were allowed to tell their stories and have their initial concerns and questions addressed, an admission into hospice care was arranged, if desired. The best part of this role was to see their relief—how fear of the word “hospice” would dissipate from the faces of patients and families. I was often asked, “What is the downfall of enrolling in hospice care?” My answer was simple, “There isn’t one.” If a person has exhausted aggressive treatment options or has chosen to forgo them, then it is not too soon to enter into hospice care. To this day, I have never heard a patient or family say they wished they would have waited longer to start hospice services. It is always the opposite, “We wish we had done this sooner.”