Hospice Nursing Academy

Become confident at the bedside.

Practical hospice training for RNs and LPNs — from your first visit as a hospice nurse to precepting the next generation. Learn hospice eligibility, IDG, documentation, symptom management, and the communication skills that carry a family through the hardest week of their life.

What you’ll learn

Topic 1

Hospice RN Orientation

What every new hospice nurse needs in their first 30, 60, and 90 days — from paperwork to bedside rhythm.

Topic 2

Hospice Eligibility & LCDs

How to read Local Coverage Determinations, document decline, and make the eligibility call with confidence.

Topic 3

IDG & Case Management

Prep, present, and follow through on the interdisciplinary group meeting so every patient is truly a team patient.

Topic 4

Symptom Management

Pain, dyspnea, wounds, agitation, secretions — evidence-based approaches you can carry into the next home visit.

Learn more
Topic 5

Documentation That Passes Audit

Write notes that survive ADR/TPE — narrative decline, family observations, and measurable indicators.

Topic 6

Family Communication

The words that land: breaking bad news, discussing prognosis, honoring wishes, and holding silence.

Topic 7

Death & Dying Education

What to teach families about the last days, active dying, and after-death care.

Topic 8

Visit & Caseload Rhythm

How experienced hospice nurses structure their week so nothing (and no one) falls through the cracks.

Topic 9

RN Clinical Competency

Self-assess against the core hospice RN competency framework and identify your next growth edge.

Content grounded in authoritative sources

CMS Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Ch. 9NHPCO Standards of PracticeHPNA Core CurriculumCAPC Palliative Care ToolkitVitalTalk

Educational content only. Not a substitute for your organization’s policies, your medical director’s clinical judgment, or current CMS guidance. See individual pages for author/reviewer bylines and last-reviewed dates.

Learn hospice. Master hospice. Stay in hospice.

Create a free account to save your progress, earn achievements toward the Hospice Professional Passport, and get personalized next-step learning.