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Hospice aide skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Marina Orobinskaia,

Marina Orobinskaia

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical hospice aide skills. We ranked the top skills for hospice aides based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 21.6% of hospice aide resumes contained home health as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a hospice aide needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 hospice aide skills for your resume and career

1. Home Health

Here's how hospice aides use home health:

Manage personnel records for all home health aides and conduct reference checks, criminal background checks and abuse registry checks.
Determine staffing needs and schedule home health aides for optimal patient coverage and care.

2. Patients

Here's how hospice aides use patients:

Provided end-of-life care to resident patients, supporting patients and families medically and emotionally.
Provided social and emotional support to family and patients transitioning.

3. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how hospice aides use cpr:

Certified in CPR, Hospice Certified in Palliative care.
Skilled in activities of daily living, behavioral management, crisis prevention/intervention and CPR certified.

4. Care Plan

Here's how hospice aides use care plan:

Handled electronic documentation, attended care plan meetings, and provided family support and education.
Followed care plan provided by case manager and stayed in communication with the case manager regarding any changes to the patient.

5. HHA

HHAѕ - Hоmе Hеаlth Aіdеѕ offers реорlе wіth disabilities, chronic іllnеѕѕеѕ оr соgnіtіvе іmраіrmеntѕ, аѕ wеll аѕ ѕеnіоrѕ wіth age-related іѕѕuеѕ, bаѕіс and реrѕоnаl ѕuрроrt іn the соmfоrt оf their оwn homes rаthеr than a nursing facility.

Here's how hospice aides use hha:

Participated in developing and updating HHA records and procedures.
Assist with scheduling HHA and precepting new members of the team as the Hospice Aide Preceptor.

6. Direct Patient Care

Here's how hospice aides use direct patient care:

Provided comprehensive direct patient care to critically ill patients.
Provided direct patient care for bathing and emotional support at End-of-Life.

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7. Direct Supervision

Direct supervision is a term used to indicate that a person is supervising a certain task or a certain person while being physically present or in close proximity. It refers to the presence of a person and the availability of their supervision in something if it is needed.

Here's how hospice aides use direct supervision:

Demonstrated ability to work efficiently without direct supervision.
Provide skin care Work under direct supervision of a nurse.

8. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how hospice aides use vital signs:

Take vital signs and give showers or bed baths, assist with personal hygiene, and light clean up in their area
Obtain daily vital signs, such as blood pressure, temperature, weight, O2 levels, Light meal preparation.

9. Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is the terminology used to describe the state and measurement of cleanliness and health in one's mouth and, sometimes, the surrounding areas. The most basic way of ensuring and improving a good oral hygiene is the regular brushing of one's teeth, but trips to the dentist and other healthcare professionals are a common need, even if it is just for check-ups.

Here's how hospice aides use oral hygiene:

Provided bathing, dressing, skin care, oral hygiene, companionship, assisted with feeding, assisted with ambulation.
Assisted patients in feeding, bathing, toileting, skin and nail care, oral hygiene and ambulation.

10. Palliative Care

Here's how hospice aides use palliative care:

Volunteered as a caregiver, at a 5-bedroom hospice and palliative care home for men and women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
Direct palliative care of terminally ill clients in the home, nursing, or assisted living facility

11. Compassionate Care

Here's how hospice aides use compassionate care:

Help with Activities of Daily Living and provide caring and compassionate care to individuals that were in the stages of dying.
Provided compassionate care to post-surgery patients by bringing items such as water, extra pillows, food etc.

12. Nutritious Meals

Here's how hospice aides use nutritious meals:

Planned and prepare nutritious meals, including shopping and groceries.
Planned, purchased, prepared, and served nutritious meals.

13. Blood Pressure

Here's how hospice aides use blood pressure:

Recorded oral temperatures, pulse, respiration and blood pressure upon request from case manager.
Measured and recorded temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and respiration rate.

14. Skin Care

Skіn care іѕ a rоutіnе daily procedure оf сlеаnѕіng, mаѕѕаgіng, аnd/оr mоіѕturіzіng of the ѕkіn to еnhаnсе іtѕ appearance аnd аllеvіаtе skin соndіtіоnѕ. It is аlѕо thе trеаtmеnt of wound hеаlіng, rаdіаtіоn therapy аnd some mеdісаtіоnѕ еѕресіаllу thе face оr hands. Skіn care іnсludеѕ nutrition, avoiding excessive ѕun exposure, and uѕіng еmоllіеntѕ рrореrlу.

Here's how hospice aides use skin care:

Provided basic skin care to prevent breakdown of tissue over bony prominence and reported observations to the RN.
Provide hygiene and skin care to prevent breakdown and educate caregivers in this manner.

15. Compassion

Here's how hospice aides use compassion:

Cared for patients in their last days of life with compassion and care.
Display care, compassion and understanding at the end of life.

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What skills help Hospice Aides find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on hospice aide resumes?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Experience, good program attended.

What soft skills should all hospice aides possess?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Friendliness, positive energy, leadership.

What hard/technical skills are most important for hospice aides?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

There are no more or less important skills. You need to learn all of them to excellence and what is most important - use your critical thinking when you do them.

What hospice aide skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Penny Ridenour

Dean of School of Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

To differentiate yourself from the other new professionals entering healthcare after graduation, pay attention to the soft skills employers are looking for. Listening, empathy, and communication skills polish professional persona. Also, developing skills in resiliency will equip new professionals for a growing career in healthcare.

Do you want to know more?

List of hospice aide skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a hospice aide resume and required skills for a hospice aide to have include:

Home Health
Patients
CPR
Care Plan
HHA
Direct Patient Care
Direct Supervision
Vital Signs
Oral Hygiene
Palliative Care
Compassionate Care
Nutritious Meals
Blood Pressure
Skin Care
Compassion
Customer Service

Quality Care
Hospice Care
Catheter
Emotional Support
Hospice Philosophy
Urinals
Companionship
Rehabilitation
Nursing Home
ADL
Bedpans
Fluid Intake
Cleanliness
Nail Care
Bed Linens
Hair Care

Life Care
Oral Care
Colostomy
HIPAA
Medical Equipment
Mouth Care
Senior Care
Dentures
Medication Reminders
ROM
Terminal Illness
Motion Exercises
Hoyer Lift
Bed Baths

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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