Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner

The Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner works in collaboration with the patient’s primary care provider, specialty providers, and the hospice and palliative care teams to deliver palliative care services to patients and their care partners in a home setting. Responsibilities include symptom management, safety promotion, and aligning care with each patient’s goals to enhance quality of life. The NP performs privileged procedures and documents assessments, evaluations, consultations, and home-visit progress notes. While the primary focus is palliative care, the role is designed to remain flexible to support program growth, including cross‑training and/or providing backup coverage for hospice services within the organization. The position contributes to high‑quality, compassionate patient care; staff skill development; regulatory compliance; community engagement; and strong patient and staff satisfaction.

Essential Functions: 

• Performs bedside and in home clinical assessments, including history review and interpretation of radiologic and laboratory findings, and communicates findings to primary and specialty providers.
• Provides expert pain and symptom management for patients withseriousillnesses, integratingpatient’s goals of care,theoretical knowledge,and clinical judgment in all care decisions.
• Orders treatments, medications, and durable medical equipment in collaboration with the primary careand specialty careprovider.
• Provides hospice and palliative care services,determinespatient’swants andneeds,anticipatesservice requirements, and coordinatesitwithIDGteam.
• Manageslowvolumeoncallresponsibilities, primarily by phoneandprimarily forpalliative care patients.
• Demonstrates advanced communication skills, including shared decision making, complex conversations, and psychosocial and spiritual support.
• Communicatescloselywithnursenavigator and follows up onphone callsusing approved protocols, including assessment, patient education, crisis intervention, and health concerns.
• Reports significant changes in patient condition to providers, SSRCH,andRPC team.
• Helps patients find the right care at the right time.Assistswith coordination ofhospiceadmissions andpalliative caredischarges.
• Utilizesappropriate communicationchannels to resolve personal and departmental issues.
• Demonstrates professionalism, excellent phone etiquette, and strong customer service skills in a dynamic environment.
• Prepares andmaintainsaccuratepatient records, charts, and documentation to support hospice and palliative care standardsandensurestimely,accuratebilling for services.
• Upholds regulatory and accreditation compliance in all areas of responsibility.
• Maintains schedule and productivity standards withinelectronic medicalrecord.
• Adheres to all confidentiality standardsregardingpatients, families, staff, and the organization.
• Educates clinical staff,long-termcare teams, patients, and families onpalliative care,disease management,and prevention strategies.
• Demonstrates empathy and sensitivity to the needs of patients and families and providesappropriate resourcesin accordance withagency policies.
• Supports research efforts to advance knowledge and promoteevidence-basedpractice andevaluates personal practice and program effectiveness.
• Supports the agency’s Mission and Value Performance Standards.
• Performsadditionalduties asrequired.

Professional Development

• AttendsSharon S. Richardson CommunityHospice in-services,Interdisciplinary Care,and department meetingsand otherorganizationtraining.
• Engages in ongoing professional development through journals, seminars, workshops, and participation ininserviceand community education.

Personal Qualifications

• Ability to relate to people of diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
• Mustdemonstratematurity, initiative,tact,and good judgment in staff,patients,and family interactions.
• Knowledge of medications andappropriate useof safety (personal protective) equipment. 
• Strong teaching and leadership skills.
• Basic personal computer skillsrequired. Clinical documentation experience preferred.
• Avalid driver’s license, reliable auto, and current auto insuranceisrequired
• Currentcardiopulmonaryresuscitation certification.
• Blood-bornepathogens training
• Proof of TB screening. 
• Dresses in a way that inspires trust and confidence in patients and familiesand with staff.

Education/Experience

• Current Nurse Practitioner License for Wisconsin. 
• Prefer aminimum ofone year'sNurse Practitioner experience.
• Previoushospiceandpalliativecareexperience preferred.
• Graduate from NLN accredited school ofnursing.
• Certified asanadvanced hospice and palliative care nurse(ACHPN)by anationallyrecognized certifying agency orrequiredcompletion oftheexam within 2 years of employment. 

Working Conditions

• Physical Requirements: Frequent ambulation; constant bending, lifting, twisting, pushing and pulling; reposition patients, lift minimum of30 pounds unassisted; bilateral manual dexterity; climb up and down stairs;Job may include sitting, standing, bending, stretching, stooping, walking, lifting 20 –50lbs and repetitive hand motion associated with keyboarding; drive to and from patient homes; able to sit for extended periods of time; manual dexterity to operate computer and other office equipment.
• Mental Requirements: Read, speak,write,and understand English; cognitive processes to interpret patient condition and apply appropriate clinical processesin complex situations; ability to add, subtract, multiply, divide and work with fractions; ability to drive and locate patient homes; functionsindependently without supervision while working in collaboration with theInterdisciplinaryGroup.
• Working/Environmental Conditions: Fast-paced changing environment, with multiple directives from several disciplines; requireswork in patient homes with no control over environmental conditions.Potentially unsafe and unsanitary home environments. Potential travel in inclement weather.Work assigned throughout the agencies clinical program setting.
• Machines, Equipment, Tools Used: Including but not limited to;automobile;telephone;smart phone;computer,laptop, ortablet; fax machine.
• Exposures:Anticipatedexposure to blood, other bodyfluidsor other potentially infectious materials. Exposureto communicable diseases or infections.Anticipatedexposure to hazardous equipment, assorted chemicals, gases/vapors,and other pollutants.
• Personal Protective Equipment Required: Assortedgloves; assorted masks,protective eyewear; impervious gowns; impervious aprons; needleless systems asappropriate.

Note:

The following nonessential job functions are listed to inform of significant duties and/or skills which form some of the bases for evaluation of the merit of performance in the position but will not exclude consideration of applicants who do not possess the ability to perform those skills or duties upon application.

Other Personal Qualifications:

• Leadership qualities
• Positive interpersonal relationships
• Self-directed
• Ability to handle stressfulsituations
• Sensitive to needs ofothers without being judgmental
• Ability to emphasize the importance of quality rather than quantity of life, and assist patients and family to live as fully as possible