ADULT PALLIATIVE CARE ADVANCED PRACTICE PROVIDER

Job Title

This position is field based, working in Skilled Nursing Facilities and patient homes throughout Berkshire County.

This position requires an Advanced Practice Provider License - A Master's Degree in Nursing or Physician Assistant Studies.

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) cares for individuals and families with compassion, support, and expertise as they navigate a life changing illness or end of life.

The APP leads the Palliative Care team by performing patient / family evaluations that include establishment of goals of care, complex pain and symptom management, assessment of psychosocial needs and collaboration with attending or specialty physicians to provide goal directed care.

Essential Job Functions:

• Provide high quality, patient-centered palliative care to patients at home and in skilled nursing facilities in Berkshire County.
• Perform comprehensive health assessments for the purpose of evaluating, treating, and providing comfort care to individuals as appropriate.
• Formulate appropriate differential evaluation, develops treatment plan to include appropriate diagnostics; identifies non-pharmacological interventions, recommends appropriate pharmacological agents, and provides education. The plan is based on mutually established priorities to maximize the health potential and wishes of the patient and family.
• In collaboration with the attending physician, specialists, and hospital staff, demonstrate ability to engage in serious illness conversations, counsel patients and family members about diagnosis, goal setting, and end of life, and complete necessary documentation to meet regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate palliative care for patients, ensuring a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan, while demonstrating excellent clinical skills and ethical, relevant judgment. Recommends diagnosis, treatment, consultation, and follow-up in collaboration with the attending and specialty physicians as well as the HCIB Medical Director.
• Communicate and document clinical findings, treatment plan and care provided in the patient's medical record in a manner consistent with acceptable standards in order to support sound medical practice and reimbursement for services provided.
• Knowledgeable of Palliative Medicine Quality Measures collection, documentation and reporting
• Offer advice and information to staff and referring physicians on medical interventions consistent with the plan of care and/or palliative care needs.
• Consult with attending physicians, palliative care staff and referral sources as requested, so pain and symptom management for patients is effectively and expeditiously accomplished among team members.
• Provide follow-up evaluation to patients and families and clinical consultation to hospice or palliative care staff as needed.

Qualifications

Masters or better in Nursing or related field.

Minimum of two (2) years of professional experience in health care. Experience in a hospice care preferred. Experience in acute care in an institutional setting preferred. Experience in homecare preferred. Understands hospice philosophy, and issues of death/dying. Possesses and maintains current CPR Certification. Current Massachusetts licensure: Nurse Practitioner or Physician Associate/Assistant. Valid driver's license. Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Certification preferred.