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Hospice Nurse interview questions

A hospice interview is less about whether you can nurse and more about whether you can do it alone, in someone's living room, with a frightened family watching. Expect the panel to push on symptom management, how you talk about dying, and whether your charting would survive an audit. Here's what they ask, why, and how to answer like someone who's already done the work.

11 questions7 minute read

Part 1

1.Why hospice, and why now?

Why they ask

Agencies lose a lot of nurses who came in expecting a gentler, slower job. They want to hear that you know what the work actually involves.

How to answer

  • Name a specific patient or moment from your acute care work that pushed you toward end-of-life care
  • Show you know the job includes driving, on-call, heavy charting and family conflict, not just bedside comfort
  • Say what you want to be good at: symptom control, teaching families, working independently
  • Keep it about the patients and the work, not about escaping your current unit

2.A family calls at night because their father is gasping and agitated. Walk me through what you do.

Why they ask

This is the core of home hospice triage. They want to hear a real assessment over the phone and a clear plan for comfort meds before you decide whether to drive out.

How to answer

  • Ask targeted questions: breathing pattern, color, pain signs, last bowel movement, urine output, what meds were given and when
  • Check the comfort kit and PRN orders, then coach the family through giving the right dose
  • Call back after the dose has had time to work, and go out if symptoms don't settle or the family can't cope
  • Loop in the on-call physician if the orders don't cover what you're seeing, and chart the call

3.How do you teach a scared caregiver to give morphine?

Why they ask

Families often under-dose because they think morphine will kill their loved one. Your teaching decides whether the patient is comfortable between visits.

How to answer

  • Start by asking what they've heard about morphine and address the fear directly
  • Explain in plain words what it does for pain and for the feeling of breathlessness
  • Show the dose with the actual syringe, have them draw it up while you watch, and write it down somewhere visible
  • Tell them exactly what to watch for and when to call
4.Tell me how you'd document decline for a recertification.

Why they ask

Hospice eligibility is audited, and a case manager whose notes don't show decline can cost the agency and the patient. They want proof you understand this without being told.

How to answer

  • Describe concrete, measurable findings: weight or arm circumference changes, intake, functional status, new wounds, more time in bed
  • Compare against earlier visits so the trend is visible in the note
  • Mention using a functional scale your agency relies on, such as the Palliative Performance Scale
  • Say you'd raise it with the team if a patient seems stable, rather than stretching the charting
5.A son wants his mother sent to the hospital. His sister wants her to stay home. What do you do?

Why they ask

Family conflict is constant in hospice, and you can't take a side. They want to see you keep the patient's wishes at the center and use the team.

How to answer

  • Find out what the patient said she wanted, and check for an advance directive or health care proxy
  • Listen to each sibling separately so each feels heard
  • Bring in the social worker and, if helpful, the chaplain or physician for a family meeting
  • Stay clear that you'll support whatever decision is made while keeping her comfortable

Part 2

6.Walk me through a death visit.

Why they ask

It's a routine part of the job, and there are practical and regulatory steps you can't skip even while a family is grieving.

How to answer

  • Confirm the death, and follow your state's rules and agency policy on who pronounces
  • Give the family time and offer to help bathe or position the body if they want
  • Destroy leftover controlled substances with a witness and document it
  • Call the funeral home, notify the physician, social worker and chaplain, and finish the chart
7.How do you look after yourself after a hard stretch of deaths?

Why they ask

They've watched good nurses quit from accumulated grief. They want to know you have something real, not a slogan.

How to answer

  • Name what actually works for you, whether that's a debrief with a colleague, exercise, or time away from your phone
  • Mention using the team, including the chaplain or bereavement staff, when a death hits hard
  • Show you can tell when you need to ask for help or a lighter week
8.How would you manage a caseload when a crisis blows up your route?

Why they ask

Home hospice days rarely go to plan. They want to see you reprioritize and communicate instead of silently dropping visits.

How to answer

  • Triage by symptom burden and risk, not by distance
  • Call the families whose visits you're moving and tell them when you'll come instead
  • Ask the office or a teammate to cover a visit when you can't safely fit it in
  • Catch up your charting the same day so the next nurse on call knows what happened
9.Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician's order.

Why they ask

Hospice nurses often know the patient better than the medical director, who may rarely see them. They want someone who advocates clearly and professionally.

How to answer

  • Pick a real example with a clear clinical reason for the disagreement
  • Explain how you raised it, with specific assessment findings rather than opinion
  • Say what changed as a result, and what you learned about presenting a case
10.How do you answer when a patient asks you if they're dying?

Why they ask

You'll get asked this, sometimes in front of family who don't want the answer said out loud. They want honesty delivered with care.

How to answer

  • Start by asking what they're noticing or what made them ask
  • Answer honestly in plain language, without giving an exact time
  • Leave room for what they want to talk about next, and offer the chaplain or social worker if they'd like

Part 3

11.What charting system have you used, and how do you keep up with it?

Why they ask

Late charting is the most common complaint about hospice case managers. They want to know you won't fall weeks behind.

How to answer

  • Name the EMR you've used, such as Epic, WellSky or Homecare Homebase
  • Describe charting at the point of care or right after each visit in the car
  • Mention how you'd handle a system you haven't used before

Questions to ask them

Ask at least two. It shows you're picking them too.

  • How many patients does a case manager usually carry here, and how big is the territory?
  • How is on-call staffed, and how often would I be on the rotation?
  • Am I paid for charting time and mileage, and how does per-visit pay work if you use it?
  • What does orientation look like before I take my own caseload?
  • What support does the team offer after a hard death or a difficult family?

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