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(Specialist Palliative Care Nurse, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Palliative Care, Hospice Nurse, Community Palliative Care Nurse)
Health & Social Care
Salary
€36,000 - €72,000/yr
Level
Senior
Outlook
Growing
Sector
Health & Social Care
As a Palliative Care Nurse you provide specialist nursing care to patients living with life-limiting illnesses, focusing on comfort, dignity, and quality of life rather than curative treatment. You assess and manage complex symptoms such as pain, breathlessness, and anxiety, working closely with doctors, social workers, physiotherapists, chaplains, and other members of the multidisciplinary team. You support not only the patient but also their family and loved ones, offering emotional guidance and practical advice throughout the illness and into bereavement. Palliative Care Nurses work across a range of settings in Ireland, including inpatient hospices, acute hospital specialist palliative care teams, community palliative care services, and patients' own homes.
Listen: a day as a Palliative Care Nurse
You arrive at the inpatient hospice at 07:45 for the 08:00 handover. The night nurse gives you a verbal report on each patient, and you check the electronic patient record system for any changes to medication orders or observations recorded overnight. One patient has had a difficult night with breakthrough pain, so you flag this immediately for the consultant-led ward round later in the morning. By 08:30 you begin your morning rounds. You carry out a full assessment of each patient on your caseload, checking comfort levels, skin integrity, and any new symptoms. You administer medications from the controlled drugs cabinet alongside a colleague, as Irish regulations require two registered nurses to sign off on opioid administration. You document everything carefully in the patient's care plan on the system, as NMBI standards require accurate and contemporaneous records.
Entry to nursing in Ireland requires completion of a four-year Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing (NFQ Level 8) at a recognised institution such as UCD, TCD, UCC, University of Galway, DCU, UL, or RCSI, with registration subsequently required with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). Leaving Certificate subjects that strengthen your application include Biology, Chemistry, and English at Higher level, as CAO points for nursing programmes are competitive. Following general registration and clinical experience, nurses pursue specialist palliative care education, typically a Postgraduate Diploma or Master of Science in Palliative Care (NFQ Level 9), available at institutions including UCD, UCC, and University of Galway. Some nurses enter via the Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner (RANP) pathway after accumulating significant supervised clinical experience in palliative care. Continuous professional development is mandatory under NMBI requirements, and specialist competency frameworks guide ongoing practice in this field.
Most nurses gain two to four years of general clinical experience before specialising in palliative care, often moving into a Staff Nurse role within a hospice or hospital-based specialist palliative care team. Further postgraduate study at NFQ Level 9 and accumulation of supervised practice allows progression to Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in Palliative Care, a recognised and well-established grade within the HSE. Experienced CNS practitioners may advance to Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP) level, taking on autonomous prescribing and caseload management responsibilities. Leadership roles such as Director of Nursing within a hospice, or academic positions in palliative care education at Irish universities, represent senior career destinations.
Artificial intelligence tools are beginning to support palliative care nursing through predictive analytics that can identify patients likely to benefit from early palliative input, helping teams intervene at the right time. AI-assisted documentation and decision-support systems can reduce administrative burden, allowing nurses to spend more direct time with patients and families. However, the deeply human dimensions of palliative care — compassionate presence, nuanced communication, and emotional support — are areas where AI has very limited capacity to substitute for skilled nursing. The overall effect of AI in this field is likely to be supportive rather than disruptive, enhancing clinical efficiency while the human relationship remains central.
→ Palliative Care Nurse (Current role)
Organisations in Ireland that employ people in this occupation.
Harold's Cross & Blackrock, Dublin
Leading Irish hospice delivering inpatient and community palliative nursing care
Nationwide
Employs specialist palliative care nurses across hospitals and community settings
Limerick
Specialist palliative and end-of-life nursing in Munster's leading hospice
Dublin
Supports palliative nursing practice, education, and community care programmes
Cork
Inpatient and outreach palliative nursing care serving Cork and region
Raheny & Blanchardstown, Dublin
Nurses provide specialist palliative inpatient, day, and home care
Dublin
Paediatric palliative care nurses support children with life-limiting conditions
Galway
Delivers community and inpatient palliative nursing across the West of Ireland
Dublin 9
Hospital-based palliative care team supports complex inpatient symptom management
Carlow/Kilkenny and Midlands
Out-of-hours palliative nursing support for patients in community settings
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