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You will have to check your jurisdiction, where I live the law states:

A person cannot act as attorney for personal care if they (1) provide healthcare to grantor for compensation; or (2) provide residential, social, training or support services to the grantor for compensation unless they are the grantor’s spouse/partner/relative.
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Reply to cwillie
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I say no, conflict of interest. And it does not look good. You could have coerced the patient. I think its unprofessional.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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If the nurse is working with this patient through an agency then I would first check their contract since this may be a conflict of interest/financial abuse situation.

Otherwise as stated by others, anyone can be a PoA for someone.

If the patient is in hospice the PoA will need to check on them often because their responsibility is to manage their affairs and maked decisions on their behalf in their best interests, and this includes when they become incommunicado.

Is this nursing only the MPoA? Or also the FPoA? There are 2 conditions when it becomes active: durable and springing. This patient also hopefully has a Advance Healthcare Directive/POLST or other instructions so that the MPoA doesn't have to guess.
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Reply to Geaton777
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A person can appoint anyone as POA.
A few questions....
Is the Nurse going to remain the patients Nurse when he/she is appointed POA? If so there are Boundary issues that may come up. there may be ethical questions that might come up.
Is the Nurse employed by the Hospice? Again boundary and ethical questions arise.
If the patient has family this might enter into a whole 'nother realm of problems.

Now. The "easy" part.
How often should the POA communicate...As often as is necessary.
And communication should be with the persons that are involved. That may be the patient, the Hospice, the family. But ultimately decisions rest on the POA.
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Reply to Grandma1954
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Ummmmmm.
Your question makes no sense.

First of all, ANYONE can be a POA. A person chooses his POA from among his friends, his family members, his bankers, his attorneys, his friends, his associates, and sure--even his nurses.

Now your question shows that you may have zero idea of what a POA is, how a POA is appointed, what a POA is required by the HIGHEST STANDARDS OF THE LAW as a fiduciary, to accomplish. You may not understand that you are required to keep meticulous records of every single penny into and out of accounts and that doing less can land you in the slammer.

So I would suggest educating yourself.
Look up "POA in the state of ____________(your state). Legal rules and regulations.
Before you accept such a designation do attend an elder law attorney.

Accepting POA from an "incompetent" or "dying senior in hospice while you are a nurse" MAY BE considered elder abuse. Again, we are looking at the cold slamming of a metal jail door.

I leave it to you to see an attorney to discuss all of this before taking on a legally binding fiduciary duty held to the highest standards under the law, and remembering that ignorance is no excuse before the law, and in fact may get a couple of years added to a sentence.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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