Nurse Practitioner - Palliative Care

Where You’ll Work

Penrose - St. Francis Health Services is a full-service, 712-bed acute care provider in Colorado Springs comprising Penrose Hospital, St. Francis Hospital and St. Francis Hospital - Interquest. Penrose Hospital serves as the anchor hospital of Penrose-St. Francis Health Services with 300-licensed beds and the ability to provide tertiary (high tech) medical-surgical services with an emphasis on elective and outpatient care. Established in 1890, Penrose Hospital has grown to become a major health treatment and referral center, specializing in cancer care, cardiac care, emergency trauma care and physical rehabilitation. It's an incredible time to join us as we are a proud Magnet Hospital with designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for superior quality in nursing care. With more than 300 days of annual sunshine, mild winters and easy-to-access recreational areas like Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods and some of Colorado's top destination resorts, you will enjoy an incredible lifestyle while having the career you've always wanted.

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As a Nurse Practitioner in Palliative Care with our patient-centric organization, you will join a dedicated team delivering top-quality, accessible palliative care within the community's hospital and outpatient settings. We are committed to supporting you so you can focus entirely on improving patient and family well-being during life-limiting illnesses. Our comprehensive resources are designed to streamline administrative tasks and enhance your practice within this dynamic inpatient and outpatient environment.

In your practice, you will engage in a flexible work schedule, typically involving dedicated shifts (e.g., call rotation models, block scheduling, or similar) that will include both inpatient and outpatient consultations. You will be responsible for providing comprehensive palliative care, including thorough assessments, formulating and executing symptom management plans, vigilant ongoing care coordination, and advanced care planning discussions. This role demands strong clinical acumen for managing a diverse range of patient populations and complex symptom burdens, from routine pain management to critical crises. You will collaborate closely with hospitalists, oncologists, social workers, spiritual care providers, and other healthcare professionals to ensure seamless patient transitions and optimal quality of life.

To be successful in this role, you will be a board-certified or board-eligible Nurse Practitioner with a specialization in Palliative Care (or extensive experience in the field) and committed to upholding the highest standards of medical ethics and customary practice. You will possess exceptional clinical skills in all aspects of palliative care and a passion for providing compassionate, high-value care to patients and their families facing serious illness.

Key Responsibilities:

• Comprehensive Palliative Care: Be responsible for all aspects of palliative care, ensuring patient and family comfort, dignity, and quality of life throughout the illness trajectory.
• Thorough Patient Assessment: Conduct comprehensive patient and family evaluations, optimize symptom management, and formulate individualized palliative care plans.
• Symptom Management: Administer and manage medications for pain, nausea, dyspnea, and other distressing symptoms, continuously monitoring patient responses and adapting care as needed.
• Advanced Care Planning: Facilitate sensitive conversations about goals of care, advanced directives, and end-of-life wishes, guiding patients and families through complex decisions.
• Collaboration and Communication: Actively participate in the interdisciplinary team, communicating effectively with physicians, nurses, social workers, and other specialists, and providing pertinent updates and support to patients and families.
• Documentation and Quality Improvement: Accurately document all palliative care for patient record and billing purposes, and contribute to continuous quality improvement initiatives within the department.
• Education and Mentorship: Support the education of medical staff, nursing staff, and other healthcare trainees on palliative care principles and practices.

We are offering a competitive base salary guaranteed for up to three years, a generous CME allowance, and up to $XXX,XXX in recruiting incentives, which include a sign-on bonus, student loan assistance, and relocation assistance for new hires who meet the eligibility requirements. Additionally, a Physician Mentorship Program is available for professional growth and development, with opportunities for mentorship specific to palliative care.

Job Requirements

Required

• Master's or Doctorate Degree from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program required.
• Current, unrestricted Nurse Practitioner (NP) License in the state of Colorado required.
• Current Nurse Practitioner Certification from a recognized national certifying body (e.g., ANCC, AANP) and Board Certification or Board Eligibility in Palliative Care and Hospice Nursing (APHN or ACHPN) or extensive experience and demonstrable expertise in palliative care.
• Current BLS (Basic Life Support) from the American Heart Association required.
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) may be required depending on practice setting or specific credentialing requirements (e.g., intensive care, emergency consultation).
• Successful completion of a clinical practicum and/or relevant experience in palliative medicine.

Physical Requirements: Medium Work - (Exert up to 50lbs force occasionally, and/or up to 20lbs frequently, and/or up to 10lbs constantly) - This is kept as-is, as physical requirements for patient care can be similar across different specialties.