Hospice Nurse: Job Description and Salary

Written by: University of Tulsa • Jul 15, 2026

A smiling nurse and a hospice patient sit together on a couch.

Patients who have a terminal medical prognosis of six months or less can opt for hospice care. Hospice nurses are registered nurses (RNs) who provide care for patients who are terminally ill. A primary goal of hospice nursing is to provide comfort and dignity to patients at the end of their lives. In this emotional time, hospice care provides physical, emotional, and sometimes spiritual support to patients and their families.

Hospice care remains an important end-of-life care option in the United States. In 2024, 1.91 million Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in hospice care for at least one day, according to 2025 data from the National Alliance for Care at Home.

As demand for compassionate, patient-centered care continues, hospice nurses can play a crucial role in supporting patients, caregivers, and interdisciplinary care teams. With so many individuals requiring this specialized care, hospice nurses are expected to continue to be in high demand. In fact, employment opportunities are projected to grow much faster than the U.S. job market as a whole.

If you’re interested in a career as a hospice nurse, you should learn the importance of the role, including the job description, salary expectations, and educational requirements.

What Is a Hospice Nurse?

Hospice nurses work with patients who have terminal illnesses. To qualify for hospice care, patients typically need a prognosis of six months to live or less. A hospice approach focuses on quality of life and comfort in situations where treatment options aren’t possible or aren’t chosen by the patient.

Hospice nursing may also appeal to those exploring non-bedside nursing roles because hospice nurses often combine direct patient care with care coordination, family education, symptom management, and interdisciplinary support. While many hospice nurses still provide hands-on care, the role can involve more holistic, relationship-centered work than many traditional bedside positions.

Hospice Nurse Job Description

Hospice nurses play an essential role in providing, innovating, and customizing hospice care for patients seeking comfort and quality of life improvements. While the specific job can vary depending on the work environment and patient requests, common duties performed by hospice nurses include:

Monitoring patient vital signs
Assessing comfort levels
Identifying ways to personalize care
Offering physical, emotional wellness, and mental support to patients and their families
Collaborating with specialists to provide care

Specialist Hospice Nurse Positions

Specializations can alter the standard hospice nurse job description to include other duties. Some positions require additional steps to become qualified, so prospective candidates should be aware of the job specifications to ensure they fit with their career goals.

Specialist hospice nurse positions include:

Admission Nurse

Admission nurses are often the first hospice professionals to meet with patients and their families. These nurses assess patients’ conditions, identify immediate care needs, and help determine whether hospice services are appropriate. They also explain what hospice care involves, answer family questions, and help set expectations for the care process.

Triage Nurse

Triage nurses respond to urgent patient or caregiver concerns, often by phone or during on-call shifts. These nurses assess symptoms; determine situations’ seriousness; and decide whether additional support, home visits, or emergency intervention is needed.

Case Manager

Hospice nurse case managers coordinate care across patients’ hospice teams. This may include reviewing care plans, monitoring changes in patients’ conditions, communicating with physicians and social workers, and helping ensure that patients’ physical, emotional, and practical needs are addressed.

Visit Nurse

Visit nurses provide routine in-person care for hospice patients, often in patients’ homes or long-term care facilities. Their responsibilities can include assessing symptoms, administering medications, changing dressings, educating caregivers, and helping patients remain as comfortable as possible.

Hospice Nurse Work Environments

Because of the focus on comfort and quality of life, hospice care typically occurs in patients’ homes, though it can also be provided in residential care facilities, nursing centers, and hospitals. Some hospice nurses travel around an area to visit patients in their homes, while others remain in a care facility to work directly with patients.

Salary and Career Outlook of Hospice Nurses

While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t provide data specific to RNs working in hospice care, the median annual salary for registered nurses was $93,600 as of May 2024, with the highest 10% earning more than $135,320.

The career outlook for registered nurses is strong, with the BLS projecting that positions will increase 5% between 2024 and 2034, which is faster than the 3% average projected growth for all occupations. For hospice nurses, the broader RN outlook suggests steady demand for licensed nursing professionals who can provide patient-centered care, coordinate treatment plans, and support patients and families through serious illness and end-of-life care.

How to Become a Hospice Nurse

Most hospice nurses follow a traditional registered nurse pathway before moving into hospice or palliative care. Explore the path to becoming a hospice nurse.

1. Earn a Nursing Degree

If you want to become a hospice nurse, you’ll need to complete an approved nursing education program. Registered nurses commonly begin with a nursing diploma, an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or a BSN.

A BSN can be especially helpful for nurses interested in hospice care because baccalaureate nursing education emphasizes broader preparation in areas such as clinical reasoning, leadership, communication, population health, and evidence-based practice.

If you already have a bachelor’s degree in another field, an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program provides a faster pathway into nursing. ABSN programs allow students to transfer credits from their previous degrees and avoid repeating general education requirements.

2. Become a Registered Nurse

After completing an approved nursing program, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and meet state licensure requirements.

3. Gain Experience

Once licensed, new RNs can gain clinical experience in settings such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and palliative care programs. These experiences help nurses build the assessment, medication management, patient education, and communication skills needed in hospice settings.

Hospice nursing is typically a role that nurses move into after building hands-on patient care experience in other areas. Employers may prefer candidates who are comfortable assessing pain and symptoms, communicating with families, coordinating with physicians and social workers, and supporting patients through serious illness.

4. Earn Certification

While typically not required for hospice nursing roles, certification can demonstrate specialized knowledge and commitment to the field. The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center offers the Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) credential for experienced hospice and palliative registered nurses.

The Center to Advance Palliative Care reports that hospice and palliative certification is available for multiple roles, including registered nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing assistants, and licensed practical/vocational nurses.

Explore Hospice Nurse Education Options Today

If the hospice nurse job description matches your skills and career goals, explore the educational pathways that can help you enter the nursing field. The online Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at The University of Tulsa is designed for students who already hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree and want to transition into nursing.

Through rigorous coursework and clinical learning experiences, the online ABSN program helps students build foundational nursing knowledge, develop patient-centered care skills, and prepare for the NCLEX-RN exam in as few as 21 months.

Find out how TU’s online nursing programs can prepare you for the next stage of your nursing career.

Recommended Readings

What Are the 3 P’s in Nursing?

RN vs. BSN: Why Earn Your BSN?

What Is Roy’s Adaptation Model of Nursing?

Sources:

National Alliance for Care at Home, 2025 Facts and Figures: Executive Summary

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Baccalaureate Education

American Association of Colleges of Nursing, The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice

Better Team, Hospice Nurse Job Description

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hospice Care

Hospice & Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC), Certification