“We Are All Just Walking Each Other Home”: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Rural Hospice Social Workers in “Companioning” the Dying

‘So being here is. . . I feel like I’m being a social worker again, at the hospice’: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore social workers’ experiences of hospice work

“…The role in the hospice was seen as offering greater autonomy than previous social worker roles in different settings, offering an opportunity to be true to their idea of the job and the values that attracted them to the profession in the first place: "When they go to get jobs they find themselves being assessment officers, so all that training goes down the pan because they don't end up using a fraction of it." (Luke, lines [29][30][31].…”

“…Research has highlighted that those involved in hospice work find the work both a struggle (for example because of heightened emotions) and rewarding (noting that social work in end-of-life care can feel like a privilege), 25 alongside the importance of meaning derived from the work. 31 However, there is recognition of a need to determine how to enhance worker well-being and mitigate the potential cumulative detrimental impacts of end-of-life care work. 25 The role of vulnerability and self-care for emotional health has important implications for practice, 31 with self-care and informal support networks, for example, able to mediate the emotional challenges of hospice social work alongside professional structures and work being ‘a calling’.…”

“… 31 However, there is recognition of a need to determine how to enhance worker well-being and mitigate the potential cumulative detrimental impacts of end-of-life care work. 25 The role of vulnerability and self-care for emotional health has important implications for practice, 31 with self-care and informal support networks, for example, able to mediate the emotional challenges of hospice social work alongside professional structures and work being ‘a calling’. 27 , 32 , 33 ‘Compassion satisfaction’ too, appears to be a mediator for burnout and compassion fatigue.…”