Saturday, October 31, 2009 12:16 AM CDT
All in a Day's Work: Hospice nurse Kay Wheeler
By DAWN SCHABBING, Features Writer
Kay Wheeler stands next to the bed as she cares for a patient at her Shelbyville home.
After making sure the patient is comfortable and checking all of the vitals and needed supplies, it is time to move on down the road.
There is still paperwork to be done before finishing up her day.
Not seemingly rushed, she gives a warm, gentle hug to both the hospice patient Barbara Highland, 77, and her husband, Jake.
Wheeler of Charleston works as a home hospice nurse with Lincolnland Hospice, an affiliate of Sarah Bush Lincoln Health System. She cares for terminally ill patients at home visits.
She could be described as a specialist in “end of life” care. Her duties include offering the patient physical, emotional and spiritual support.
“Hospice is caring for people and their families in the end stages of their lives,” Wheeler said. “Not only do we take care of their physical needs, their comfort issues, and disease-related issues, but we take care of the whole person — their heart, their soul and their fears.
“That’s the part that really endears me. The nursing part is important, too.”
But Wheeler was quick to credit a team of people who make the hospice program work: doctors, social workers, certified nurse’s aides, office staff and others.
“Hospice (work) is a whole team. I couldn’t do what I do without having what the team does behind me,” she said.
According to MedicineNet.com, the word “hospice” comes from the Latin “hospitium,” meaning guesthouse. It was originally described as a place of shelter for weary and sick travelers returning from religious pilgrimages.
Today, Wheeler describes her career as a hospice nurse as part of a team to help improve the quality of life of a patient who doctors believe is in the last six months of his life.
The goal is to maximize the patient’s quality of life through things like pain control and emotional support for the family.
Hospice nurses also work in long-term care facilities.
Wheeler appreciates the fact that what she does in her day-to-day work actually matters.
“It is not insignificant, the things we do,” she said. “You don’t always realize how much it has impacted someone’s life until years later. Years later, people remember what we did together, and the time we spent, and how special it was.”
Mrs. Highland said having Wheeler come by three times a week is a “big help.”
“My husband does lots. He does all the cleaning, and pretty much everything,” she said. “But he doesn’t do the ‘nurse things’. Having Kay come in helps tremendously.”
Wheeler said she averages three to five patients a day, and has certain counties she typically covers in Lincolnland Hospice’s 19-county region.
Lincolnland Hospice nurses are available 24-7. Someone is always on call and available to answer questions or make an unscheduled home visit.
That’s all in a day’s work.
“Nobody likes to be on call, but it is a very necessary part of what we do,” Wheeler said. “I’m more than willing to answer phone calls all night long. Sometimes a phone call makes it all seem bearable.”
Wheeler said she travels an average of 400 to 500 miles each week, and on-call weekends could bring more miles. Driving in unfavorable road conditions isn’t most desirable, either.
“To be a home health hospice nurse, you have to have self-discipline. You need skills in time management, and know how to schedule visits in an orderly fashion so the patient’s needs are met — No. 1,” she said.
Wheeler said she always had the desire to be a nurse, but waited to go to school after her children were older. She’s “passionate” about her career and about hospice, she said.
“A hospice nurse takes in the emotional, physical and spiritual needs. It’s not only OK to pray with them, but it is encouraged to do that. You can’t separate those things in a hospice setting.”
Patients in this region are referred to Lincolnland Hospice by doctors, nursing homes and family members. Everything a hospice nurse does for a patient comes through a doctor’s order.
Sometimes patients get well and hospice care is no longer needed, Wheeler said. But when that isn’t the case, hospice workers are there until the end of life, and there for the family who might need bereavement support, too.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or 238-6864.
Trade tidbits
Kay Wheeler
Age: 54
City of residence: Charleston
Family: five children, two grandsons
Current job/title and place of employment: Lincolnland Hospice registered nurse
Number of years in present occupation: 13
Salary range for this occupation: Salary varies with experience and education.
What education/training/background did you complete before beginning this job/career? Associate degree and registered nurse degree from Parkland College. Became a registered nurse in 1994. Worked at St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur, for one year. Had filled in as a hospice nurse for Lincolnland Hospice, but became a full-time hospice nurse in 1997.
What is the most enjoyable and/or best part of your job? Feeling like I’m doing something that matters. I’ve made life-long friends. Hospice nurses take in the emotional, physical and spiritual needs of the patient. When you share something as intimate as the end of someone’s life, it is a gift.
What is the hardest and/or least enjoyable part of your job? Paperwork and computer charting is time consuming, but necessary. Some days I’ll have long hours and there can be a lot of traveling miles and time on the road. Bad weather makes it difficult some days to do this job.
What advice can you give to young people today who are interested in this career? You have to have self-discipline and time management skills. You have to be prepared with supplies at each home visit. This isn’t a career a nurse without some experience can go into. Often times you are on your own out there and if you aren’t confident in your nursing skills, there’s nobody to go to and ask questions.
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misfit2 wrote on Nov 2, 2009 3:49 AM: