Inside Patients’ Homes

Abstract

This study examined the metaphors used by home hospice nurses when describing their experiences working with dying patients. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 home hospice nurses from a midsize for-profit hospice organization that provides services to approximately 230 patients each year. The interviews revealed four main metaphors emphasizing how home hospice nurses conceive and communicate their experiences working with patients: a calling, hallowed ground, going with the flow, and life lessons. These metaphors highlight how home hospice nurses transcend organizational role descriptions, feel empowered to make a difference, appreciate the inevitable unpredictability of their work, and draw upon patient interactions for self-reflection. The findings reveal a consistent emphasis on the positive and rewarding aspects of hospice work and prescriptions about how nurses should perform their role. Metaphors identified in this study could be used to recruit prospective home hospice nurses and strengthen training or education programs.