57: What to Expect When Your Patient is Dying with Hospice Nurse Hadley

Nurses are trained to treat and save lives, but hospice nurses focus on a different set of skills. As host Sarah says in this episode as she speaks with Hadley Vlahos, RN, “fixing isn’t the only great thing we can do as nurses.”In this episode and her new book, The In-Between, Hadley shares what it’s like to care for patients that are dying and what she’s learned from their end of life wisdom. She offers insight into what to expect as a patient is passing, what type of vernacular to use with grieving families, and lots more.Hadley and Sarah also discuss hard-to-describe things like the energy shift that happens after a patient passes, and an often unexplainable final burst of energy many patients have when they are close to dying. Plus, Sarah shares her life-changing first experience with a dying hospice patient in the ER.Whether you plan to work in hospice or not, tune in to hear tips on how you can be a better nurse to dying patients and their families!Topics discussed in this episode:Misconceptions about hospice nursingWhat you can expect when a patient is dyingSigns that a patient is passingHow nurses can make patients more comfortable in their final daysThat final burst of energy before deathHadley’s most life-changing patientWhat you feel after a patient passesHow you can be compassionate towards patient’s loved onesTips for speaking to family members about death and dyingUsing the words “death” and “dying”Lessons Hadley has learned from her patientsTo purchase Hadley's Book "The In-Between":https://www.amazon.com/dp/059349993XFollow Nurse Hadley on Social Media:https://www.instagram.com/nurse.hadley/

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Do you want to go from dreading emergencies to feeling confident and ready to jump into action to rescue your patient? Well, this show will let you see emergencies unfold through the eyes of a Rapid Response Nurse. With real life stories from the frontlines of nursing, host Sarah Lorenzini MSN, RN, CCRN, CEN, a Rapid Response Nurse and educator, shares her experiences at rapid response events and breaks down the pathophysiology, pharmacology, and the important role the nurse plays during emergencies. If you want to sharpen your assessment skills and learn how to think like a Rapid Response Nurse, then Sarah is here to share stories, tips, tricks, and mindsets that will prepare you to approach any emergency. Every episode is packed full of exactly what you need to know to handle whatever crisis that could arise on your shift. It’s one thing to get the right answer on the test, but knowing how to detect when YOUR patient is declining and what to do when YOUR patient is crashing is what will make or break your day… and might just save your patient’s life.