Palliative Nurse Practitioner

Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner (Nursing Home Setting)

We are seeking a compassionate and experienced Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner (NP) to provide comprehensive palliative care services to residents in skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, and assisted living communities. The Nurse Practitioner will partner with residents, families, facility staff, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams to improve quality of life, manage symptoms, facilitate goals-of-care discussions, and support complex medical decision-making.

This role focuses on delivering patient-centered care that aligns treatment plans with each resident's values, preferences, and healthcare goals while reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and enhancing resident and family satisfaction.

HealthDrive delivers on-site primary/post-acute care, palliative care, behavioral health, dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and audiology services to residents in long-term care, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Each specialty offered by HealthDrive is one that directly impacts the quality of daily life for the deserving residents we serve. HealthDrive connects patients in need of vital healthcare to practitioners committed to dignity and excellence.

Responsibilities

Clinical Care

• Conduct comprehensive palliative care assessments for residents with serious, chronic, or life-limiting illnesses.
• Evaluate and manage symptoms including pain, dyspnea, anxiety, depression, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and other distressing conditions.
• Develop individualized care plans in collaboration with residents, families, and facility staff.
• Provide ongoing follow-up visits and monitor disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
• Order, interpret, and review diagnostic tests, laboratory results, and other clinical data as appropriate.
• Coordinate care with primary care providers, specialists, hospice agencies, and facility teams.

Goals of Care & Advance Care Planning

• Lead goals-of-care conversations with residents and families to ensure care aligns with patient preferences and values.
• Facilitate discussions regarding prognosis, treatment options, quality of life, and end-of-life care planning.
• Complete and review advance directives, healthcare proxies, MOLST/POLST forms, and code status documentation.
• Provide education and emotional support to residents and families facing serious illness.

Medication Management

• Review and optimize medication regimens with an emphasis on symptom management and deprescribing when appropriate.
• Prescribe medications and treatments in accordance with state regulations and organizational policies.
• Monitor for medication effectiveness, adverse effects, and potential drug interactions.
• Collaborate with pharmacists and facility clinicians to improve medication outcomes.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Participate in interdisciplinary care conferences and family meetings.
• Educate facility staff on palliative care principles, symptom management, and communication strategies.
• Serve as a clinical resource for nursing staff regarding complex palliative care cases.
• Collaborate closely with social workers, therapists, chaplains, physicians, and hospice partners.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain timely, accurate, and complete clinical documentation within the electronic medical record.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and facility regulations.
• Document goals-of-care discussions, treatment recommendations, and care plan updates.
• Support quality improvement initiatives related to palliative care outcomes.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree from an accredited college/university
• State professional Nurse Practitioner license
• Board Certification Required
• DEA/Controlled Substance License
• Valid driver's license
• Ability to travel to facilities in assigned territory
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with on-site staff.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Ability to use email, the internet, and to learn other healthcare related software.