Barbara Feduska, RN - Director of Patient Services

Barbara Feduska, RN, BSN, spends little time providing direct care to Mission Hospice & Home Care patients, but for many of them and their families, she’s the comforting voice on the telephone.

They’ve come to know her as the person who arranges their care, and as someone they can speak with when their nurse is not available. Barbara, Director of Patient Services, is the administrative link between the patients and Mission Hospice & Home Care caregivers, as well as deployment supervisor of hospice and home care staff.

“Entering hospice can be a hard step for many people, and my job is to help ease that transition,” said Barbara during a recent interview. “I help families and caregivers to plan for and provide the best care possible for each patient, and I often offer support over the phone until a nurse arrives.”

She’s also become well known to hospital discharge planners and referring physicians. It’s often Barbara who explains to callers what hospice is and what services are provided.

“I’ve learned a lot about end-of-life care, and it’s rewarding to share that information with families who are new to hospice,” she said. “I wish I’d had someone to turn to for comfort and advice when my parents were dying.”

During Barbara’s early nursing career, she specialized in pediatrics and teaching Lamaze childbirth classes. In 1988, she was looking for a new dimension in her life and got her real estate license, working in commercial real estate for the next 15 years.

It wasn’t until 2004 that her friend Dani Magilligan–a Mission Hospice & Home Care board member–encouraged her to go back into nursing and talk to the Mission Hospice team.

More than five years into the job, she still finds the organization a great fit. She loves her conversations with patients, as well as being able to support the direct-care nurses who provide services. Her duties are increasing with the addition of the new Advanced Care Program, but she’s taking it in stride.

“Direct patient care is very rewarding, but I feel I can make the greatest impact on our patients and Mission Hospice in my current role,” she said. “It’s wonderful to work hard and feel good about what you do.”

THE NUTSHELL

CAREER
• Pediatric Nurse and Childbirth Instructor, from mid-1960s
• Commercial Real Estate Professional, 1988-2004
• Mission Hospice & Home Care, 2004-Present

EDUCATION
• B.S. iN Nursing, University of Pittsburgh

PERSONAL
• 35-year Peninsula resident
• 3 sons, 4 grandchildren