Advanced Practice Provider Lead (NP or PA)

APP Team Lead

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center | Inpatient - Hospital Setting New Jersey License Required

NJ Palliative Care Solutions is seeking a highly skilled and compassionate APP Team Lead to provide clinical leadership and operational oversight for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants delivering palliative care services across Central New Jersey.

The APP Team Lead will serve as both a clinical leader and practicing provider, supporting high-quality, patient-centered care for individuals living with serious illness and complex chronic conditions. This role is responsible for mentoring APPs, promoting clinical excellence, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, and helping drive quality, access, and operational performance across the organization.

The ideal candidate is an experienced advanced practice provider with strong leadership abilities, expertise in serious illness management, and a passion for improving quality of life for patients and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Clinical Leadership
• Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance, and support to nurse practitioners and physician assistants
• Promote evidence-based palliative care practices and consistent clinical standards across the APP team
• Serve as a clinical resource for complex patient cases, symptom management, goals-of-care discussions, and care transitions
• Support interdisciplinary collaboration among physicians, nurses, social workers, care coordinators, behavioral health staff, and community partners
• Participate in case reviews, interdisciplinary rounds, and quality improvement initiatives
• Direct Patient Care
• Deliver comprehensive palliative care assessments and follow-up visits in home-based, outpatient, virtual, or facility-based settings
• Manage patients with advanced illness, chronic disease burden, and complex symptom needs
• Facilitate advance care planning and serious-illness conversations with patients and families
• Coordinate care plans with primary care providers, specialists, hospitals, hospice agencies, and community services
• Ensure timely documentation and adherence to organizational care standards
• Team Development & Supervision
• Mentor, coach, and support APP team members in clinical practice and professional development
• Assist with onboarding, orientation, and training of newly hired APPs
• Conduct regular team meetings, peer support sessions, and performance check-ins
• Support scheduling coordination, productivity management, and workload balancing
• Foster a collaborative and mission-driven team culture
• Quality & Operational Excellence
• Monitor clinical quality metrics, documentation compliance, and patient outcomes
• Assist leadership in developing workflows, protocols, and best practices
• Participate in initiatives focused on reducing avoidable hospitalizations and improving patient satisfaction
• Support organizational growth, service expansion, and operational efficiency efforts
• Collaborate with leadership on strategic planning and program development
• Community & Provider Engagement
• Build collaborative relationships with referral partners, healthcare systems, and community organizations
• Represent NJ Palliative Care Solutions in professional and community settings as appropriate
• Support education and awareness initiatives related to palliative care services

Qualifications

• Required
• Current New Jersey Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant license
• National board certification as an NP or PA
• DEA license and CDS registration
• Minimum 5 years of clinical experience, including experience in palliative care, hospice, geriatrics, oncology, internal medicine, family medicine, or complex chronic disease management
• Minimum 1–2 years of leadership, mentoring, or supervisory experience preferred
• Strong communication, leadership, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in interdisciplinary care settings
• Preferred
• Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care (ACHPN or equivalent) preferred
• Experience in home-based care, value-based care, or population health programs
• Familiarity with telehealth platforms and EMR systems
• Bilingual skills a plus

Core Competencies

• Clinical excellence in serious-illness care
• Compassionate patient and family communication
• Leadership and team development
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Complex symptom management
• Advance care planning facilitation
• Operational and quality improvement
• Time management and adaptability

Performance Metrics

• Success in this role may be measured through:
• Patient and caregiver satisfaction
• Clinical quality outcomes
• Documentation accuracy and timeliness
• APP team engagement and retention
• Reduction in avoidable hospital utilization
• Productivity and access metrics
• Compliance with organizational and regulatory standards

Work Environment

• Role involving direct patient care, virtual collaboration, and administrative leadership responsibilities
• Travel throughout New Jersey may be required
• Flexible scheduling with occasional after-hours clinical support as needed

Mission Alignment

NJ Palliative Care Solutions is dedicated to improving quality of life for patients and families facing serious illness through compassionate, coordinated, and patient-centered care. The APP Team Lead plays a vital role in advancing this mission by supporting clinical excellence, team collaboration, and accessible palliative care services across New Jersey.