Position title: Registered Practical Nurse
Reports to: Manager of Hospice Residence
Start Date: As soon as possible
End Date: Sept 30, 2026
Location: Hospice Peterborough
Starting Rate: $28.64 per hour
Wage range: $28.64 - $30.38 per hour
Type of employment: Temporary, Casual
Work hours: 12-hour shifts, days, nights, evenings, weekends, holidays
Pension: HOOPP pension plan optional
Hospice Peterborough is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to enhance the comfort, dignity and quality of life of individuals and families living with or affected by life-threatening illness or grief.
Hospice Peterborough won the “Employer year of the year award” From the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce recently. Hospice Peterborough is seeking a casual Registered Practical Nurse.
Nursing staff in the residence care program will be upholding a culture of excellence in client and family care. Staff involvement and education, strong organizational values and performance expectations ensure that nurses in our organization can practice according to the scope and philosophical underpinnings of their profession.
Job Purpose/Summary:
The Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) will be responsible for providing professional, evidence-based client-centered care for individuals staying in the Hospice Residence including all aspects of client and family care in accordance with the Regulated Health Professionals Act and College of Nurses Ontario Standards. The RPN will be holistic, careful, and ethical in interactions with clients, families and colleagues, and make sound judgements based on experience, knowledge and scope of practice.
The RPN will work in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. They will provide care and be part of a care delivery team with the Registered Nurse (RN), Personal Support Worker (PSW) and any volunteers assigned to the Hospice Residence.
The RPN will complete admission assessments and care-planning across the 8 domains of physical and psychosocial/spiritual care, lead and provide client care, use critical thinking skills to recognize when to use validated assessment tools. The RPN will always be willing to actively participate in the Organization`s accreditation process.
The RPN will liaise with the Physician/Nurse Practitioner and other Health Care Workers to support the client and family. The designated nursing authority is the Registered Nurse (RN) as outlined by the College of Nurses of Ontario Three Factor Framework which will be utilized to match the nursing category with the client needs. The framework involves the consideration of three factors of equal importance: the client, the nurse, and the environment, and deliberating on how they apply to the situation. (College of Nurses of Ontario Practice Guideline)
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
Care of clients living in the Hospice Home
In accordance with standards and scope of practice outlined in the Regulated Health Professions act and by the College of Nurses of Ontario:
- Plans individualized appropriate care for clients through assessment and consultation with the client, and/or substitute decision maker as appropriate regarding needs, wishes and preferences for care.
- Provides competent, evidence-based clinical care that respects client autonomy and uses critical thinking skills.
- Recognizes the importance of maintaining a home-like environment while also following Health and Safety and Infection Prevention and Control principles and practices.
- Engages in interdisciplinary consultation with external care partners as necessary to provide client centred, evidence-based care.
- Demonstrated expertise with pain and symptom assessment and management within their scope of practice, in clients receiving palliative care.
- Identifies opportunities for resident participation in decisions that affect the residents’ rights and lifestyle and assist staff in encouraging the residents’ participation in the decision-making process.
- Administers medication appropriately including participating in: narcotic control, management of medications, application of treatments and dressings, transcription of Physician/NP orders, and other skills as required.
- Participates in mandatory education/training in-services for skill development and updates on new and/or relevant information on best practices.
Organizational Responsibilities:
- Supports the team-based culture of Hospice where everyone steps up to support residents, families and the operation of the Hospice Residence including participating in:
- Initiatives to support and improve hospice care in our organization and in the sector. Including but not limited to health and safety, risk management, evaluation, and quality assurance.
- Health and safety training, including WHIMIS, and applies this knowledge in the workplace.
- Collaboration with volunteers in the workplace.
- Completion of administrative reports.
- Annual performance appraisal.
- Fulfillment of all responsibilities in accordance with the by-laws, policies and procedures and standards of Hospice Peterborough.
- Care with a willingness to accept other duties as required.
Key Competencies:
- Competence: Demonstrates and maintains competence and standards of care in relation to knowledge (both a broad base knowledge and a depth of knowledge in palliative care), critical thinking and technical skills and strive to improve the quality of his/her dimension of practice as per the CNO reflective practice.
- Attributes of professional nursing practice: Works in partnership with other nurses and health care professionals in providing holistic client-centered care, being highly organized in managing activities and time, have the ability to adapt, respond and manage many complex tasks simultaneously, working autonomously as appropriate and having an open mind and nonjudgmental manner. Shows concern and empathy in a supportive manner in both written and verbal communication to colleagues, clients, and families. Knowledgeable of and works within the scope of practice.
- Ethics: Understands, upholds, and promotes the ethical standards of the profession. Is caring and ethical in interactions with clients, families, and colleagues. Supports an inclusive environment that is culturally sensitive and assuring that privacy and confidentiality and dignity are maintained.
- Personal commitment: Has confidence in one’s abilities, and takes responsibility for one’s actions, including having a sound understanding of the boundaries and limitations of the scope of his/her nursing practice. Works in compliance with all applicable health and safety legislation and established policies and procedures. Participates in the development of Hospice Palliative Care policies and procedures and preparation for Accreditation.
Hospice Palliative Care Specific Competencies:
- Facilitates empathic and responsive relationships between those experiencing life-limiting conditions and their care teams.
- Demonstrates leadership that encourages colleagues to foster a caring environment that supports all staff working in sensitive situations.
- Applies a dignity conserving approach to care when providing support.
- Practices person-centred palliative care that incorporates the unique contributions of the family and caregivers
- Identifies and addresses beliefs and attitudes of society and health professionals towards palliative care that undermine access to high quality palliative care.
- Addresses misperceptions that the person, their family, their caregiver(s), and colleagues have about palliative care.
Communication
Optimizing Comfort and Quality of Life
- Screens and assesses and manages pain.
- Screens and assesses and manages delirium.
- Screens and assesses and manages respiratory symptoms.
- Assess and manage gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Assess and manage fatigue.
- Manages hydration and nutritional concerns.
- Assess and manage bleeding and thromboembolic events.
- Palliative sedation therapy
- Identifies and addresses psychological, spiritual, and existential needs.
Safe and appropriate medication practices
- Demonstrates knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and side-effects of classes of medications commonly used in palliative care.
- Assesses the efficacy of pharmacological treatments in alignment with the College of Nurses Medication Standard
- Demonstrates understanding of the principles of dose adjustment with regard to the frail, elderly, children, those with altered metabolism or organ failure and individuals approaching imminent death.
Care planning and collaborative practice
- Develops therapeutic relationships with the person, family, caregivers, and their care teams to define goals of care and to develop, implement and evaluate a plan of care.
o Facilitates participation of the person in their care planning
o Identifies and integrates strengths of the person in their plan of care.
o Safely and appropriately delegates aspects of care to the family
o Assists the family in care giving and acquiring respite care.
o Engages in family and team conferences.
o Develops a plan of care for the family.
o Periodically reviews treatments, including medications, to ensure congruence with goals of care and illness trajectory.
Last Days and Hours
- Demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of pain and symptom assessment and management unique to last days and hours of life.
- Assesses and manages families’ and caregivers’ needs through end-of-life.
- Anticipates and plans for end-of-life needs.
- Identifies individuals who are in the end-of-life phase.
- Assists the family to cope with emotional responses, maintain a desired level of control, share preferences and needs.
- Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of caregiver exhaustion.
- Encourages the person and their family to make timely preparations following death.
- Educates the family about the changes to expect in a person’s condition at end-of-life including signs of imminent death and associated comfort measures.
- Anticipates the person’s needs at end-or-life, ensuring medications and supplies are available.
Loss, Grief, and Bereavement:
- Demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge of the grieving process and reactions in order to support patients and families throughout the disease trajectory.
- Demonstrates the ability to proactively respond to complex grief reactions and processes using own skills or appropriate referral to supportive care.
Professional and Ethical practice:
- Applies a comprehensive understanding of contemporary legal, ethical, and professional standards to the provision of quality palliative care.
- Facilitates discussion and management of ethical and legal issues in conjunction with the person, their family, and their care team.
- Debriefs about ethical and legal issues individually and as a team, with appropriate professional(s)
- Actively influences and promotes palliative care strategic initiatives and policy development.
Education, professional development, and advocacy:
- Educates the person, their family, and their caregiver(s) about palliative care and the palliative approach.
- Provides information appropriate to the uniqueness of the person and family.
- Understands principles of dissemination of research and best practices to build capacity in other team members.
- Advocates for research related to the field of palliative care.
- Advocates for the needs, decisions, and rights of the person by recognizing potential vulnerabilities.
- Supports principles of autonomy and self-management
- Promotes equitable and timely access to palliative care resources.
- Identifies the determinants of health for the populations served andcontributes to efforts to ensure equity, including, but not limited to: barriers to access to palliative care and resources.
- Promotes Advance Care Planning, Goals of Care, and Health Care Consent in alignment with Ontario legislation
Qualifications:
- Registered Practical Nurse in good standing with the College of Nurses Ontario with the requisite practice insurance.
- RPN diploma with demonstrated commitment to continuous learning.
- Preference may be given to candidates who have completed: CAPCE, Fundamentals of Palliative Care or equivalent educational courses in another jurisdiction.
- At least 2 years demonstrated experience working with hospice palliative care.
- Evidence of a demonstrated client centred approach to care and ability to work with families.
- Evidence of current CPR certification. (It is the responsibility of the RPN to maintain their own CPR certification during their employment with Hospice Peterborough)
- Skills in client assessment, planning, communicating with doctors, nurse practitioners and other health professionals.
- Ability to practice collaboratively with other members of the direct care team including volunteers.
- Ability to communicate professionally and compassionately with clients and families as well as health care providers.
- Demonstrated computer skills.
- Demonstrated knowledge of infection control, good body mechanics and safe use of client lift and transfer in the provision of care
- Experience collaborating with unregulated health providers and volunteers in a team environment.
All employees at Hospice Peterborough are eligible to join the HOOPP pension plan.
Applications (cover letter and resume) must be emailed, mailed or hand-delivered, and received by June 3, 2026 by 4pm. (Applications will ONLY be accepted if received as directed.)
Please address your application to:
Rochelle Bowers
Hospice Peterborough,
325 London Street Peterborough, ON K9H 2Z5
[email protected]
Questions can be directed to Erin O’Brien at [email protected] or 705-742-4042 x 250.
Thank you for your interest. Please note that only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Hospice Peterborough is an organization that strives to embrace the spirit of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive and barrier-free environment in which all individuals have access in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under relevant policies of Hospice Peterborough. Applicants will need to make their needs known in advance.
Pay: $28.64-$30.38 per hour
Benefits:
- Employee assistance program
Work Location: In person
