Most palliative care vocational nurses are generalists. However, there are specialties in palliative care, such as oncology and geriatrics. Hospice and palliative care nurses can become Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurses (CHPN).

Palliative nurses practice in a variety of settings. The most common setting is the patient's home. Palliative nurses also work in the hospice units of medical facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and other long-term care settings. Patients typically die within a month of enrolling in a hospice program. In contrast, palliative care nurses are more likely to practice in long-term care facilities and have more extended involvement in their patients' end of life.

In order to be an effective palliative care nurse, the vocational nurse needs an understanding of a specific...

Those areas include: pain management, end-stage disease process, loss and grief, and bereavement care. However, in addition to medical knowledge, palliative care nurses need to have an awareness of ethical and legal considerations that nurses in other areas are not required to have.
As in other practice areas, the vocation nurse functions within the scope of practice defined by local laws, SGNA Standards of Care, and the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses' Code for Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurses. The vocational nurse is responsible for observing the patient for changes that would indicate a change in treatment, providing education the patient and his family, administering medication, assisting the doctor or registered nurse with therapeutic treatments, and documenting patient data.