Clinical Practice: Provides initial and ongoing clinical assessment for patients with advanced and/or progressive medical conditions who are referred for palliative care consultation. Modifies the plan of care, as needed, in collaboration with the attending and/or consulting physicians and through the use of approved protocols. The main foci are: symptom management; assistance with decision-making, especially in the context of critical care settings and non-beneficial treatment; collaboration with the interdisciplinary team to provide and facilitate emotional, spiritual, and bereavement support, and coordination of care until death or discharge.

 

Education: The Palliative Care NP acts as a resource to staff for clinical issues that arise. He/she performs clinical competency assessment and evaluation of team annually. Identifies educations needs of staff and collaborates with BSHR Education to address them. Participates in family conferences. Assists in the formal and informal training of student and residents in the health professions and clinical pastoral care. Collaborates with BSHR Marketing Services to plan and/or present community service and public educational programs.

 

Leadership: Assists in formalizing and developing palliative care into a clinical service line for acute care patients/families. Supervises palliative care team members and assures 24/7 coverage for referral and follow-up visits. Maintains a palliative care registry. Participates in utilization management process for palliative care patients, along with Care Management. Has quantitative capacity to track length of stay and cost-savings data analyze trends and collaborate in the preparation of financial reports. Assists in developing and deploying a quality assurance plan. Organizes, conducts, and supports the palliative care interdisciplinary group meeting.

Current license to practice as a Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner in the State of Virginia. Masters degree in Nursing, including advance practice preparation, is required. Minimum entry level: at least one year of experience as a nurse practitioner; at least five years varied experience in nursing/healthcare. This position requires certification in Hospice and Palliative Nursing (CHPN, advanced) to be obtained within 15 months of hire.

Broad clinical knowledge, excellent patient assessment skills and problem-solving ability are foundational. Knowledge of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to managing symptom distress in seriously ill and dying patients is required. The Palliative Care NP must possess excellent interpersonal and communications skills, especially with families experiencing conflict or distress, and other health care professionals. The Palliative Care NP needs to be able to effectively teach patients, families and staff members at all levels of training and in diverse settings (bedside, classroom, professional meetings). He/she should be a confident mentor and coach for colleagues/staff. In addition to being self-directed and a self-starter, he/she needs to be equally comfortable in seeking guidance and assistance when needed.

Prior experience in program development, leadership, team building, education, and/or quality improvement is desirable. Formal end of life education such as ELNEC or EPEC is preferred. He/she needs to be able to use standardized formulae to calculate length of stay and cost-savings data. Computer literacy in Windows-based systems/software is needed.