Nurse Practitioner, Hospice

Sutter Health•Saratoga, CA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Hospice nurse practitioner functions independently as an advanced nursing professional, assessing the patient to identify Hospice care needs, creates and modifies a plan of care, makes appropriate referrals, provides patient and family education, monitors patient status, and evaluates the effectiveness of the established plan of care. The Hospice nurse practitioner serves as a resource for medical and nursing staff and works collaboratively to develop and implement Hospice programs in a variety of settings. With the patient/family, and other members of the interdisciplinary care team, the Hospice nurse practitioner provides evidence-based physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual/existential care to individuals and families experiencing life-limiting progressive illness. The goal of Hospice nursing is to promote the patient's quality of life through the relief of suffering along the illness trajectory, through the death of the patient, and into the bereavement period of the family.

Requirements

Graduate of an accredited school of nursing.
Master's: Nursing
5 years recent relevant experience
Possess critical thinking skills
In-depth knowledge of clinical disease entities common to hospice and palliative care including the pathophysiology, disease progression, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment modalities for palliative care
In-depth knowledge of the hospice philosophy, the Medicare hospice benefit, Conditions of Participation, and Local Coverage Determinations under the Medicare Fiscal Intermediary and CHAP
Demonstrated clinical assessment skills
Possess interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written
Ability to function independently and as a member of an interdisciplinary team
Ability to exercise independently sound clinical judgment in planning and providing patient care
Ability to recognize the special needs of hospice patients and others including family, friends, caregivers in the home
Ability to communicate with patients, family, friends, and caregivers, in an effective, mature, caring manner
Ability to maintain effective and harmonious working relations with internal and external customers
Proficient in utilizing technology such as cellular phones, smartphone or pdas, laptop computers and have computer skills
Employees of Sutter Health and its entities may handle hazardous drugs in the course of their work, including patient care, which requires them to manage, store, prepare, receive, unpack, transport, dispose of, or administer drugs identified as hazardous or potentially hazardous by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and in accordance with the USP 800 guidelines.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a Hospice environment

Responsibilities

Assessing the patient to identify Hospice care needs
Creating and modifying a plan of care
Making appropriate referrals
Providing patient and family education
Monitoring patient status
Evaluating the effectiveness of the established plan of care
Serving as a resource for medical and nursing staff
Working collaboratively to develop and implement Hospice programs in a variety of settings
Providing evidence-based physical, emotional, psychosocial, and spiritual/existential care to individuals and families experiencing life-limiting progressive illness