Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Outpatient Palliative Care

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

About Duke University Hospital

Pursue your passion for caring with Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina, which is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. The largest of Duke Health's four hospitals with 1062 patient beds, it features comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, including a regional emergency/trauma center, an endo-surgery center, and more.

Job Location

Outpatients

Combination in person (Duke University Hospital) and Telehealth

Job Summary

The Palliative Care Advanced Practice Provider (APP) provides direct patient care services and performs medical acts under the supervision of the supervisory physician to patients >18 years of age requiring palliative care and symptom management.  The APP performs physical exams, collects and documents data, conducts diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, orders and schedules laboratory studies and professional consultations, and prescribes appropriate interventions and medications.  The Palliative Care APP contributes to excellence in patient care, research, teaching, and provides leadership in the organization.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• In collaboration with attending palliative care physicians, diagnose, plan treatment, set priorities and realistic outcomes, and evaluate the effectiveness and cost efficiency of patient care.
• Provide and coordinate clinical care through established protocols and under the supervising physician or back up physician who is either on site or available by pager.
• Assess patients for change in status and institute appropriate interventions. Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize the patient until physician support arrives.
• Develop patient care pathways, protocols and guidelines for the management of specific problems in conjunction with physicians and other members of the health care team.
• Analyze clinical practice patterns to provide the best medical care and to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Communicate verbally and in writing all pertinent patient information to supervising MD, nursing staff, patient resource manager, home health agency, hospice agency and other relevant healthcare providers.
• Document in the patients’ medical record all relevant data including but not limited to results of diagnostic tests; laboratory results; patients’ condition and response to therapies/interventions; communications with supervising MD.
• Implement a specific plan of palliative care to alleviate suffering and promote the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual comfort of the patient and family.
• Utilize prescriptive privileges only for identified patient population and in accordance with DUH and NC Board of Nursing/NC Medical Board regulations.
• Prescriptive authority for prescribing, ordering, and or administering drugs; including (but not limited to) schedule II, III, IV, and V drugs and necessary medical devices.
• Role model competence in all nurse practitioner / physician assistant advanced skills.

Job Eligibility Requirements

Education          

NP:         Graduate of accredited MSN or DNP Nurse Practitioner program for adult care

PA:         Graduate of ARC accredited Physician Assistant Program, Masters or DSc Degree preferred

Certification:

NP:         Any NP certification that treats adults (FNP, ANP, AGNP, AGACNP, etc.)

PA:         PA-C

Licensure

NP:         Must have current RN licensure issued by or recognized by the NCBON with authorization to practice as NP

PA:         Must have license to practice as PA issued by NCMB

Both:     Federal and State DEA independent license/prescriptive authority

Experience

APP experience is not required, but 2+ years’ experience as an APP, caring for seriously ill patients with psychiatric comorbidities is strongly preferred

Job Hours

Monday – Friday, 8am  - 5pm

Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions), sexual orientation or military status.

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Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke University Health System may include essential job functions that require specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each hiring department.