Tammy Estes, left, Amy Brust and Linda Rieckhoff, Bothwell Home Health & Hospice, were recently certified by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses.
Three employees at Bothwell Home Health & Hospice were recently certified by the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses.
Amy Brust passed the Hospice and Palliative Care RN Certification exam. Brust has been a nurse for 25 years and obtained her nursing degree from State Fair Community College. She has been with Bothwell since 1988 and serves as supervisor of Bothwell’s hospice program.
Tammy Estes passed the Hospice and Palliative Care LPN Certification exam. Estes has been a nurse for 32 years and obtained her LPN certificate from the Marshall Vocational-Technical School. She has been with Bothwell since 1987 and has worked with Bothwell Hospice since 1992.
Linda Rieckhoff passed the Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Assistant exam. Rieckhoff has been a nurse assistant for six years and obtained her CNA from the Warrensburg Area Career Center. She has been with Bothwell Hospice since 2006.
“Certification validates a nurse’s competence and knowledge in the specialized area of hospice and palliative care,” said Jamie Seifert, director of Bothwell’s Home Health & Hospice, located in Thompson Hills Shopping Center in Sedalia. “This certification in nursing is highly valued and provides formal recognition of our staff having achieved a standard of knowledge in the specialty.”
The certification examination for hospice and palliative nurses is accredited by the American Board of Nursing Specialties, and each certification is valid for four years.
Hospice and palliative care nursing focuses on a patient’s and family’s physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs during a terminal illness and through bereavement.
To be eligible for the RN examination, an applicant must hold a current, unrestricted registered nurse license in the United States and have at least two years of experience in hospice and palliative nursing practice. An LPN must have a current, unrestricted license and two years of experience in hospice and palliative care practice. A hospice and palliative nursing assistant provides this care under the supervision of a registered nurse and has 2,000 practice hours in the past two years.
Bothwell Home Health & Hospice provides home health-care services for the elderly, ill and disabled. It uses a multidisciplinary team approach to provide for the needs of individuals and families facing the advanced stages of a terminal illness. For more information, visit the Bothwell website at brhc.org.
