How To Become a Hospice Nurse: Career Guide

Q: Is hospice a specialty in nursing?

Yes, hospice nursing is a nursing specialty focused on providing end-of-life care to patients with terminal illnesses. Hospice nurses manage symptoms, coordinate care and provide education and emotional support to patients and their families.

Q: What qualities make a good hospice nurse?

Qualities that can benefit hospice nurses include empathy, emotional resilience, patience, cultural sensitivity and strong interpersonal skills. These qualities can help nurses compassionately support patients and grieving family members while maintaining professional relationships and emotional boundaries.

Q: Can you switch to hospice nursing from another specialty?

Yes, nurses can transition to hospice nursing from another nursing specialty. Nursing specialties can focus on a patient population, care setting, health condition or bodily system, and nurses may move between specialties as their career interests and goals change.

Q: Do hospice nurses work in hospitals?

Yes, hospice nurses can work in hospitals, as well as nursing homes. Often, they work for a hospice care agency, traveling to different patients’ homes to provide in-home care. They may also care for inpatients in hospice care centers.

Job Description

What Is a Hospice Nurse?

A hospice nurse is a registered nurse (RN) who provides end-of-life care to patients with terminal illnesses. Hospice nurses focus on managing pain and other symptoms, coordinating patient care, educating family caregivers and providing emotional support. Like other RNs, a hospice nurse must have a nursing degree and RN licensure, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).^{(See disclaimer 1)} Although it may be possible to begin working in the hospice nursing specialty right away, it’s helpful to have some clinical experience at the bedside, according to Coursera.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Hospice Nurse Career Snapshot

Hospice nursing is a specialized area of nursing focused on caring for patients near the end of life. The career typically requires RN licensure and relevant clinical experience,^{(See disclaimer 1)} with optional professional certification from the Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) for nurses who want to further demonstrate their expertise in hospice and palliative care.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

Key Duties

What To Know

Symptom Management

Manage pain and other symptoms through medications, wound care and other palliative treatments

Patient Care

Assess patients, monitor health changes and provide appropriate end-of-life nursing care

Family Support

Educate family caregivers and provide emotional support throughout end-of-life care

Care Coordination

Coordinate services and work with physicians, social workers, chaplains and other healthcare professionals

Career Requirements

Complete a nursing education pathway, pass the NCLEX-RN^{(See disclaimer ®)} and obtain state RN licensure

Optional Certification

After gaining hospice nursing experience, RNs may pursue specialty certification through HPCC

Role

What Does a Hospice Nurse Do?

A hospice nurse provides end-of-life care to patients with terminal illnesses, focusing on pain and symptom management, care coordination and patient and family support. Hospice nurses may administer medications, provide wound care, set up medical equipment and educate family caregivers about providing care and what to expect at the end of life. They also provide psychosocial support to patients and their families.

Key responsibilities of a hospice nurse include:

Symptom management

Hospice RNs focus on providing palliative care to ease pain and other symptoms. Palliative care may include medications, wound care and oxygen therapy.

Care coordination

Hospice nurses coordinate care services, such as by requesting durable medical equipment the patient needs.

Patient and family education and support

They educate patients and family caregivers about end-of-life care and provide emotional support.

Outlook

Hospice Nurse Salary and Job Outlook

For those considering hospice nursing, broader employment data for registered nurses can offer context about the profession they would be entering. According to the BLS, registered nurses had a median annual salary of $97,550 in May 2025.^{(See disclaimer 4)} Job growth of RNs is projected to be 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 180,800 openings projected each year, on average, during that period.^{(See disclaimer 5)}

These figures apply to registered nurses across specialties rather than hospice nurses specifically, but they can help illustrate the overall employment and earning landscape for RNs pursuing specialized areas of practice, including hospice care.

3,660,100

Projected employment of all RNs in 2035^{(See disclaimer 5)}

$97,550

Median annual salary for all RNs in May 2025^{(See disclaimer 4)}

6%

Projected job growth rate for all RNs from 2025 to 2035^{(See disclaimer 5)}

Workplace

Where Does a Hospice Nurse Work?

Hospice care is usually provided in the patient’s own home. Patients with terminal illnesses may prefer to live out the remainder of their lives in the comfort and privacy of their homes, and so hospice RNs travel among different patient homes to provide care. However, some hospice nurses do work in inpatient settings, according to Johnson & Johnson.^{(See disclaimer 6)}

The most common work settings for hospice care nurses are:^{(See disclaimer 6)}

Patients’ private homes

Often, hospice nurses work with patients and their family members in their own homes, bringing equipment and supplies with them.

Hospice care centers

Some terminally ill patients move into hospice care centers, where they can receive 24/7 care.

Nursing homes

Nursing homes offer a more collaborative, team-focused work setting for hospice RNs compared to private homes.

Hospitals

Hospitals provide hospice care onsite to inpatients.

Career Path

How To Become a Hospice Nurse

Becoming a hospice nurse starts with completing a nursing education program, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), followed by passing the NCLEX-RN and obtaining state RN licensure.^{(See disclaimer 1)} Nursing programs combine coursework with hands-on learning experiences, including skills labs, simulations and clinical rotations.

After becoming an RN, gaining bedside clinical experience in an area such as medical-surgical nursing can be helpful before transitioning into hospice nursing.^{(See disclaimer 2)} After gaining hospice nursing experience, RNs may also choose to pursue specialty certification through the HPCC.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

Follow these steps to learn how to become a hospice nurse:

Complete a nursing education program

Take nursing coursework, complete skills labs and participate in immersive simulations and clinical rotations to earn a BSN degree — one of the academic pathways for becoming an RN.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Obtain RN licensure

Pass the NCLEX-RN licensure exam to obtain licensure as a registered nurse. State-issued licensure is a requirement to practice as an RN.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Consider gaining clinical experience

It can be helpful to gain clinical experience at the bedside in a non-hospice capacity before transitioning into hospice nursing.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Consider hospice and palliative nursing certification

After gaining hospice nursing experience, consider pursuing optional specialty certification through the HPCC.

Education

Hospice Nurse Education Requirements

A future hospice nurse must earn a nursing degree, such as an ADN or BSN, to be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN licensure exam.^{(See disclaimer 1)} These programs combine didactic classes with hands-on learning experiences, including labs and clinical rotations. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), enrollment in nursing programs is on a multi-year upward trend. The AACN’s 2025 survey showed an increase of 7.6% in nursing school enrollment compared to 2024.^{(See disclaimer 7)}

283,303

Number of students enrolled in BSN programs in 2025^{(See disclaimer 7)}

What Degree Do You Need To Become a Hospice Nurse?

420 Matching Degrees

Skills

What Skills Does a Hospice Nurse Need?

Hospice RNs need strong clinical skills, especially in areas such as IV and catheter insertion and management, medical equipment set-up and operation and patient assessment, according to ShiftMed. Hospice RNs may also assist patients with the activities of daily living (ADLs).^{(See disclaimer 8)}

They also need to have excellent patient and family caregiver education skills. Along with clinical skills, hospice nursing professionals must have a diverse set of soft skills, such as the ability to work independently in patients’ private homes.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Some essential soft skills for hospice nurses include:^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Compassion and empathy

These nurses work with patients facing imminent death and grieving family members. Compassion and empathy are essential.

Emotional resilience

It can be emotionally challenging for nurses to care for patients who will not recover.

Cultural sensitivity

Different cultures hold varying perspectives on death and dying.

Interpersonal skills

Hospice RNs must be able to develop a good rapport with family members, cultivating a trusting provider-patient/family relationship.

FAQ

Hospice Nurse Frequently Asked Questions

Explore the following frequently asked questions to learn more about this nursing specialty and how to become a hospice nurse.

Is hospice a specialty in nursing?

What qualities make a good hospice nurse?

What’s the difference between hospice and palliative care?

The difference between hospice and palliative care is that while palliative care refers to treating and managing symptoms, hospice care focuses on managing symptoms and side effects, rather than on curing a disease. Hospice care involves palliative care, however, palliative care is also given to patients who are not in hospice care and may well expect their conditions to be cured or well-managed. In contrast, hospice care is solely for patients who are believed to be near the end of life.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Can you switch to hospice nursing from another specialty?

Do hospice nurses work in hospitals?

What skills do hospice nurses need?

Some of the most important clinical skills for a hospice nurse include airway management and IV and catheter insertion and management. Hospice RNs also need to set up and operate medical equipment, administer medications and perform patient assessments.^{(See disclaimer 8)} Along with clinical skills, hospice RNs can benefit from strong soft skills in areas like emotional resilience, communication, empathy and patience.^{(See disclaimer 2)}

Career Fit

Is Becoming a Hospice Nurse Right for Me?

Hospice nursing may be a good fit for RNs who are comfortable providing end-of-life care, supporting patients and families through grief and working with a high degree of independence. Consider your interests, strengths and preferred work environment when deciding whether this nursing specialty aligns with your career goals.

Becoming a hospice nurse may be a good fit if you:
- Are passionate about supporting patients and families during end-of-life care.
- Are comfortable working with patients who are facing death.
- Can provide compassionate emotional support to patients and grieving families.
- Are comfortable working independently while collaborating with a healthcare team.
- Can build close, professional relationships while maintaining appropriate emotional boundaries.
Becoming a hospice nurse may not be the best fit if you:
- Prefer nursing roles focused primarily on curative treatment.
- Are uncomfortable regularly caring for patients at the end of life.
- Prefer a work environment with more direct supervision and less autonomy.
- Are uncomfortable providing emotional support to patients and grieving families.
- Find it difficult to maintain professional emotional boundaries when forming close relationships with patients and families.
- Have trouble setting emotional boundaries.

Consider gaining clinical experience and learning more about hospice care settings and responsibilities to determine whether the specialty aligns with your strengths and long-term nursing career goals.

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