Palliative Care Nurse (RN)

VITAS Healthcare•Chicago, IL

215d•$91,000 - $109,200

About The Position

The registered nurse is a member of the core interdisciplinary group whose primary function is to assess physical, medical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of the seriously ill patient and family. The registered nurse is designated to provide coordination of care, ensure continuous assessment of each patient’s and family’s needs, and to work with the interdisciplinary group to implement the plan of care. Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm (no weekends) Salary Range: $91,000-$109,200.00/Annually, plus mileage reimbursement and full benefits Provides expert, individualized care coordination to patients and their families. Completes initial and ongoing comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessment of the patient and family to identify needs and areas for intervention. Ensures appropriate referrals to specialists when indicated and supports adherence to the treatment plan, including physician visits for evaluation and ongoing management. Assists patients in accessing appropriate community services and resources to enhance their overall health and well-being. Educates patients and their families to enhance understanding of disease processes and plans of care, including discussions of treatment options to ensure informed decision-making. Provides emotional support and counseling to patients and their families to improve transitions, adjustment to illness, and adherence to the treatment plan. Evaluates the patient’s physical and emotional recovery after treatment, utilizing appropriate resources as needed. Empowers patients to take control of their health care by encouraging appropriate goal-setting and discussions about advance care planning/development of advance directives. Builds relationships with other clinicians involved in the patients’ care. Attend and participate in internal VITAS Palliative Care’s team meetings. Promotes a patient-centered approach to care. Partners with the healthcare team to manage transitions of care between the hospital, primary and specialty care Facilitates proactive discharge planning or follow-up to promote better outcomes, decreased length of stay, and reduced readmission rates. Protects patient rights to privacy and safeguards confidentiality when releasing patient information. Utilize a customer service approach in all interactions with VITAS customers. Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, staff, and the organization. Participate in on-call rotation as needed.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of experience in an acute care setting, preferred.
1-2 years of Case Management experience in a community setting, preferred (home health, rehab, hospice, etc.).
Knowledge of the interdisciplinary team concept.
Experience in patient education, planning, and management is desired.
Exceptional communication and customer service skills.
Ability to communicate tactfully, verbally, and in writing with department heads, managers, coworkers, and vendors to resolve problems and negotiate resolutions.
Working knowledge of computers, internet access, and the ability to navigate within an automated system as well as a variety of software packages such as Outlook, Excel, and Word.
Bachelor’s degree. Master's level degree or higher preferred.
Current and Valid License in the state position is based.
CPR, BLS/ACLS Certification.
Reliable transportation, current state driver’s license and automobile insurance.

Nice To Haves

1-2 years of Case Management experience in a community setting, preferred (home health, rehab, hospice, etc.).
Experience in patient education, planning, and management is desired.
CHPN certification preferred.
Master's level degree or higher preferred.

Responsibilities

Assess physical, medical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs of the seriously ill patient and family.
Provide coordination of care
Ensure continuous assessment of each patient’s and family’s needs
Work with the interdisciplinary group to implement the plan of care.
Provide expert, individualized care coordination to patients and their families.
Complete initial and ongoing comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessment of the patient and family to identify needs and areas for intervention.
Ensure appropriate referrals to specialists when indicated and supports adherence to the treatment plan, including physician visits for evaluation and ongoing management.
Assist patients in accessing appropriate community services and resources to enhance their overall health and well-being.
Educate patients and their families to enhance understanding of disease processes and plans of care, including discussions of treatment options to ensure informed decision-making.
Provide emotional support and counseling to patients and their families to improve transitions, adjustment to illness, and adherence to the treatment plan.
Evaluate the patient’s physical and emotional recovery after treatment, utilizing appropriate resources as needed.
Empower patients to take control of their health care by encouraging appropriate goal-setting and discussions about advance care planning/development of advance directives.
Build relationships with other clinicians involved in the patients’ care.
Attend and participate in internal VITAS Palliative Care’s team meetings.
Promote a patient-centered approach to care.
Partner with the healthcare team to manage transitions of care between the hospital, primary and specialty care
Facilitate proactive discharge planning or follow-up to promote better outcomes, decreased length of stay, and reduced readmission rates.
Protect patient rights to privacy and safeguards confidentiality when releasing patient information.
Utilize a customer service approach in all interactions with VITAS customers.
Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, staff, and the organization.
Participate in on-call rotation as needed.