Palliative Nurse Practitioner

Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner (Nursing Home Setting)

We are seeking a compassionate and experienced part-time (3 days per week) 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.

Responsibilities

• 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.