Palliative Care Provider-Advance Practice Nurse

Veterans Health Administration • Salt Lake City, UT

18h • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Certified Nurse Practitioner (NP) in Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Palliative Service provides advanced clinical care, consultation, and management. The NP practices to the full scope of education and certification, with prescriptive authority, delivering quality and timely care in collaboration with teams and in support of the VA mission. This licensed independent practitioner provides evidence-based care and manages a panel of patients with terminal illness, emphasizing symptom management and discussions about goals of medical care.

The role includes providing care to inpatient palliative and hospice patients, coordinating with Veterans, families, and medical providers across care settings, and participating in interdisciplinary and quality-improvement activities. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 0800–1630. Telework and virtual work are not available.

Requirements

• Graduate from an approved school of professional nursing accredited by ACEN or CCNE, with a post-master's certificate, master's degree, or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner.
• Possess and maintain an active, current, full, and unrestricted APN license to practice as a Nurse Practitioner in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Maintain current, full basic board certification as an FNP, ANP, AGPCNP, ACNP, AGACNP, or GNP from ANCC, AANPCB, or another nationally recognized certifying body in the area of academic preparation.
• For Nurse Practitioner III qualification, have at least one year of specialized APN experience equivalent to Nurse II; no experience is required for Nurse II.
• Demonstrate evidence-based clinical practice, patient-panel or program management, teamwork, interdisciplinary collaboration, effective communication, professionalism, and commitment to professional development; higher-grade roles also require leadership in improving care and outcomes.
• Be a U.S. citizen, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy.
• Demonstrate basic written and spoken English proficiency.
• Pass required pre-employment screening, including drug testing for testing-designated positions, background/security investigation, and physical evaluation.
• Meet federal Selective Service registration requirements where applicable and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Be able to perform the position's physical activities without restriction, including standing, walking, bending, lifting, patient repositioning and transfers, and safely providing nursing care.

Nice To Haves

• Previous palliative and/or hospice care experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement individualized plans to improve patients’ quality of life.
• Demonstrate leadership and collaborate with the interdisciplinary team.
• Order and interpret laboratory tests, diagnostic tests, and studies.
• Prescribe pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions.
• Initiate referrals and consultations with specialty services.
• Educate patients and their families.
• Assess and adjust plans of care to achieve optimal patient outcomes.
• Respond to palliative care consults within 48 hours.
• Initiate, chair, and record outcomes of Veteran and family meetings; communicate goals and discuss topics such as code status, advance directives, and resource needs.
• Collaborate with Veterans and medical providers to understand patient history and prognosis.
• Assist Emergency Medicine with case-finding and goal setting as needed.
• Interact directly with Veterans and families in primary care, oncology, subspecialty clinics, and acute care settings.
• Review and adjust ongoing pain and symptom management for Veterans under SLCVHA care.
• Provide care to inpatient palliative and hospice patients.
• Provide consultation to other medical providers on malignant acute pain management.
• Fill prescriptions for opioids and palliative care medications and process durable medical equipment requests as needed.
• Attend palliative care and hospice team meetings and the palliative care memorial service, and participate as requested.
• Assist with evaluating requests for inpatient palliative care admissions.
• Contribute to local, VISN, and national palliative care workgroups or quality-improvement activities as needed.
• Participate in scheduled conference calls.
• Advance and enhance Hospice and Palliative Care services across VISN and support continuous improvement and quality care delivery.
• Exemplify the ICARE core values of Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, regular salary increases, and potential performance awards.
• 50 days of paid time off per year: 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• Federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level