Nurse Practitioner- Palliative BWH

Mass General Brigham•Boston, MA

16h•$51 - $135•Onsite

About The Position

The Adult Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner is an expert practitioner who provides patient care, provider education, and program leadership in partnership with an interdisciplinary palliative care team. The Nurse Practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse who has acquired specialized knowledge and skills through completion of a nurse practitioner program. The practitioner has the credentials to function in an expanded nursing role and is responsible for the daily management of selected patients. The practitioner has responsibility for the assessment and management of patients, including diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and the continuous implementation and evaluation of an appropriate plan of care. The Nurse Practitioner works with their collaborating physician in accordance with mutually developed practice guidelines, members of the care team, and is responsible to the Nursing Director or Executive Nursing Director for the area for issues specific to the discipline of nursing.

Requirements

Master's in Nursing (MSN) (or) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) (or) PhD Degree in Nursing required.
Completion of a Master’s or post Masters’ degree in Adult program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC).
Satisfactory completion of an approved formal education program which has as its objective the preparation of professional nurses to practice as nurse practitioner.
Current Adult/Gerontology (AGNP) or Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certification by an accredited APRN certifying body required.
DEA registration required and current APRN License to practice in Massachusetts required.
Minimum 3 years current clinical nurse practitioner experience caring for a Palliative Care patient population required.
Clinical nurse practitioner experience in an acute care consultative capacity required.
Expert clinical judgment skills to function in the independent role.
Excellent interpersonal relationship and communication skills in order to collaborate with patients’ families, staff and community health workers.
Ability to work with frequent stress resulting from busy clinical settings and changing organizational climate.
Ability to be self-directive and demonstrate initiative in addressing responsibilities of position.
Ability to utilize appropriate problem solving and conflict resolution skills.

Nice To Haves

Hospice or Palliative Care Specialty Certification strongly preferred.
Advanced practice Palliative Care residency or fellowship completion preferred.

Responsibilities

Demonstrates advanced clinical judgement and skill in the assessment, physical examination, diagnosis, planning, and treatment of complex responses to serious illness.
Provides symptom management during illness exacerbations and at the end-of-life.
Provides patient and family teaching, staff education, and consults with other health care team members that include explanation of the role of palliative care.
Demonstrates and promotes culturally and spiritually competent care by respecting diversity in ethnicity, culture, spirituality, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, education level, literacy, and location.
Communicates effectively with patients, families, and healthcare professionals by applying knowledge of communication theory and principles.
Initiates compassionate communication with patients and families around goals of care, advanced care planning, and end-of-life issues. Completes pertinent documentation, e.g., electronic medical record, MOLST forms
Establishes effective interpersonal relationships with providers from all clinical departments and interdisciplinary colleagues, including bedside nursing and hospital chaplaincy.
Promotes the interdisciplinary team approach in the provision of palliative care to the patient and family with serious or life-threatening illness. Develops, implements, and evaluates strategies to effectively collaborate with members of the specialty palliative care team through team building and recognizes each member’s unique role, area of expertise, skills, and contributions.
Promotes palliative care concepts to the BWH staff regarding potential or actual physical, psychological, emotional, social, and spiritual components of living with a serious or life-threatening illness.
Pursues own learning needs and promotes dissemination of palliative care practice by scholarship.
Maintains membership in professional organizations and seeks advanced palliative nurse certification.
Demonstrates knowledge, skills, confidence, and the application of adult learning principles when providing palliative care education to patients/families, healthcare professionals, and the community.
Promotes palliative care education by mentoring and precepting graduate students, fellows and other learners from nursing and other disciplines.
Utilizes clinical process improvement and/or research to evaluate current theories and palliative care practice, with the goal of improving outcomes for patients, families, and the community.
Voluntarily participates in process for evaluation of areas of strength and areas for further development in collaboration with Nurse Director and team members.
Provides direct care, counseling, and teaching to a select patient population.
Performs physical examinations and provides preventive health measures appropriate to patient needs.
Orders, interprets, and evaluates appropriate lab and diagnostic tests to assess patients’ clinical problems and health care needs.
Arranges for appropriate plan of care and follow-up based on outcome of diagnostic, lab, and physical assessment findings.
Performs laboratory tests appropriate for specific patient population.
Orders medications and writes prescriptions according to organizational and regulatory policies and procedures.
Records pertinent patient care findings in the medical record.
Sets priorities for appropriate and efficient management of patient care that reflects cost effective management of time, available human resources, supplies and equipment.
Maintains interdisciplinary approach to planning and communicating patient care information by discussing patient data with appropriate physicians and other health care professionals.
Incorporates the concepts of health maintenance, prevention, and promotion into daily practice through patient education and counseling.
Demonstrates awareness of community resources and assists staff, patients, and families to effectively utilize them.
Assists in the development, implementation and revision of nurse practitioner guidelines and monitoring requirements for prescription writing in collaboration with their designated physician and Nursing Director or Executive Nursing Director.
Evaluates outcomes of own patients’ care and makes necessary revisions in care plans.
Seeks and provides consultative services as required.
Participates in departmental and organization quality improvement program.
Utilizes quality improvement data and research findings to enhance patient care.
Demonstrates appropriate collaborative and consultative relationships with other providers within the institution and community.
Serves on Nursing and Hospital Committees and assumes responsibility for disseminating and communicating information to staff.
Participates in setting productivity metrics and in cost-effective management of personnel, time, supplies, and equipment in their area.
Collaborates with the Nursing Director/Practice Manager/Executive Nursing Director in the recommendation of appropriate staffing patterns for their clinical areas.
Participates in selection process of new employees in group or team practice as requested.
Provides input into evaluation of other staff as appropriate.
Acts as preceptor for nursing students and staff as requested.
Participates in orientation of new staff.
Participates in Departmental and organization continuing education programs.
Identifies own learning needs and updates clinical knowledge and skills through formal and informal education and review of current literature.
Educates lay and/or professional groups through lectures, papers, publications, and educational materials.
Develops annual objectives and reviews with Nursing Director or Executive Nursing Director and collaborating M.D. at time of performance review and at appropriate intervals. Completes annual credentialing process through the Nursing Department credentialing program.
Assists in determining, evaluating, and/or implementing clinical area goals and objectives.
Maintains interdisciplinary approach for planning and communicating information for patient care and operation of practice.
Maintains current knowledge of legislation that may affect the health care delivery system.
Identifies and integrates patient population and/or disease state in programmatic goals and objectives.
Participates in nursing research at a level consistent with educational background and experience.
Maintains understanding of current research of others in related clinical areas through review of relevant publications.
Participates in grant writing as appropriate.
May assume responsibility for providing direction to designated personnel.