The two levels of hospice nurse certification are differentiated by education attainment. A regular hospice and palliative nurse has completed an approved registered nurse program. An advanced hospice and palliative nurse has also completed a graduate degree in nursing. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Diploma or Associate Degree in Nursing are qualifying registered nurse programs.
For the nurse who seeks to attain advanced hospice and palliative certification, completion of a Master of Science in Nursing program is required. This 24- to 28-month program covers chronic pain and disease management, patient diagnosis, clinical rotations, ethics, management and special patient populations.
Once the nurse has completed the academic training required for hospice nurse certification, the nurse must take the registered nurse licensure examination. This six-hour examination covers the entirety of nursing procedures and protocols that were studied in the BSN, ADN or Diploma programs.
Attaining work experience is a significant portion of the hospice nurse training requirements. Registered nurses must accumulate at least 2,000 hours of hospice-related experience during a two-year period.
Finalization of hospice nurse training involves satisfactory completion of a hospice and palliative nurse certification examination. Those with graduate degrees complete the Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse examination and those without graduate degrees complete the Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse examination.