Some people suffer from untreatable illness and are just waiting for death. They have no possibility of recovery. There is a job which makes these patients’ death more comfortable and peaceful through a special kind of nursing. This special nursing helps patients physically and psychologically. The job is hospice nurse.

Role
Hospice nurses make the lives of terminal patients comfortable. Hospice nurses don’t try to extend or shorten patients’ lives. Since many terminal patients suffer from cancer, alleviating pain is one of the important roles in hospice nursing. Hospice nurses try to make patients more comfortable by regulating symptoms and helping patients feel secure. They also check the effect of the drugs they administer to patients to find ways to offer them relief. Cancer patients suffer not only from physical pain, but also from psychological pain which comes from being close to death. It is hard to find ways to relieve patient’s psychological pain. Hospice nurses help patients to have a positive attitude towards life by providing a peaceful living space.

Qualifications
Hospice nurses have to have some qualifications, and they are different in each country. In the USA, nurses with a nursing certificate have to complete training in a hospice for a year and pass an exam. In order to become a hospice nurse in Korea, nurses with the national nurse license must have experience with terminal cancer patients and 3 years of clinical work experience.

Future
Chang Yoon-jung, head of the Department of Hospice and Palliative Care in the National Cancer Center, said since there are about 54 medical institutions and about 860 sickbeds which support palliative care, there is a lack of accommodation for a total of 73,000 cancer patients in Korea. As the Ministry of Health and Welfare has promised to support 54 palliative care specialized organizations with a total of 2.7 billion won, it is expected to require many hospice medical staff including hospice nurses.