Hospice WorkerOdds of Hanging On

Sometimes hanging on involves both career and personal components. For starters, you'll need a reasonable assurance that hospice social worker job opportunities will continue to be available. With the increase in the number of older Americans, along with many families' desire to provide a dignified end-of-life experience for their loved one, hospice care is likely to continue as a viable alternative to hospital-based care.

Perhaps you would like to refocus your career into a leadership role, such as heading up a hospice agency or helping to shape future social workers at a college or university. Maybe you would like to serve as a policy advocate for hospice care, helping to steer resources toward expansion of this rewarding field.

Regardless of the hospice social work path you choose, your physical, mental, and emotional health depends on regular self-care. You'll need a professional support network to help you handle a patient's passing and a family's grief. You'll need to take some well-deserved time off when you feel it necessary. Finally, staying involved with activities you enjoy, people who enrich you personally, and a religious or spiritual base will help you achieve the life balance you need.