PALLIATIVE NURSE PRACTITIONER - HOSPITAL BASED

About the Role

Liberty Hospice provides state-of-the-art care and pain management services to patients and families facing terminal illness, delivered by specially trained staff with an emphasis on strength, dignity, and compassion.

Responsibilities

• Respond promptly to inpatient palliative care referrals from hospital providers.
• Perform comprehensive palliative assessments, including:
  • Pain and symptom management
  • Psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual distress
  • Functional status and disease trajectory
• Develop and implement individualized palliative plans of care in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team.
• Prescribe medications, treatments, and interventions within the NP's scope of practice and state regulations.
• Provide ongoing reassessment and follow-up during hospital admission as clinically indicated.
• Facilitate discussions regarding prognosis, treatment options, code status, and advance directives.
• Assist with completion and documentation of advance care planning and medical decision-making tools.
• Support patients and families through complex decision-making with compassion and clarity.
• Lead or support goals-of-care conversations with patients and families.
• Collaborate closely with hospital physicians, nursing staff, case management, social work, chaplaincy, and therapy services.
• Identify patients appropriate for:
  • Continued inpatient palliative follow-up
  • Transition to outpatient palliative care
  • Transition to hospice services when appropriate
• Coordinate referrals and handoffs to Liberty hospice or community-based palliative teams.
• Serve as a clinical resource to hospital staff regarding palliative and hospice eligibility and services.
• Document all assessments, consultations, care plans, and follow-up notes accurately and timely in the designated electronic medical record.
• Ensure documentation meets regulatory, billing, and Liberty policy requirements.
• Participate in quality assurance, utilization review, and performance improvement initiatives as assigned.

Qualifications

• Palliative care nurse practitioners are advanced practice Registered Nurses who complete specialized course work at the Master's or Doctoral degree level.
• Certified as a Nurse Practitioner in state of practice.
• Certification as an Adult or Family Nurse Practitioner.
• Preferred Hospice or Palliative Care nursing experience.
• Must have knowledge of the framework, function, and organization of a Palliative Care Program and their role as a member of the patient care team.
• Maintain a working knowledge of the principles and practice of medicine according to industry standards of care, accepted practice guidelines, agency policies and procedures, and reimbursement guidelines.
• Able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Able to use a computer and have a working knowledge of a variety of computer applications.
• Must possess high-level problem-solving, critical thinking, and reasoning skills for use in patient care planning and problem resolution.
• A minimum of fifty (50) hours of continuing education is required every two years.
• Maintain CPR certification and maintenance of Nurse Practitioner licensing requirements and other licensure requirements.
• Must have a valid drivers' license.
• Must accept travel based on agency needs, as well as weekend/evenings, holidays, and call assignments.