Hospice and palliative care nurses are registered nurses who work in collaboration with other community and health care providers e.g. social workers, physicians and chaplains. Together they work to meet the needs of the patient and family facing terminal illness and bereavement. The main difference between this and other nursing specializations, is that the medications that a hospice nurses administers and the symptoms they record are not intended to aid a patients recovery, but to make the remaining days of their patient as comfortable as possible.

Duties of a Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse include:
- Observing patients and recording their symptoms
- Liaising with physicians, social workers and chaplains
- Administering Medication
- Supporting the patient and his/her family emotionally
- Ensuring that the final days of the patient are as comfortable as possible

Where they work:
Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses work in many locations including Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Hospices. They can also visit patients in their own homes.

Qualifications:
Hospice nurses must first qualify as registered nurses, and gain two years full time experience as a registered nurse in a hospice environment. Once this experience has been attained you can complete a Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing program and sit the certification examination. The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses (NBCHPN), offers Hospice and palliative care nursing certification. The Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurses exam, and the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurses exam, are both accredited by the American Board of Nursing Speciality.