Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner I (IKC)
Department: Clinical Operations Position Type: Full-Time Care Delivery Model: Remote (Telehealth) - VA & PA preferred
About the Role
The Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner I (NP I) provides specialized, person- and family-centered care for adults living with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and complex comorbid conditions.
In this role, your primary mission is to connect patients with external palliative and hospice care aligned with their personal values and goals. You will identify eligible patients, lead goals-of-care discussions, facilitate orders and referrals within scope, and champion equitable access to concurrent hospice and dialysis care. Acting as a clinical leader, the NP I guides an assigned Interdisciplinary Team (RNs and LCSWs), driving collaborative care planning, case reviews, and seamless transitions across care settings while partnering across IKC to elevate clinical quality and program outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Hospice & Palliative Care Transitions (35%)
- Coordinate external palliative care and hospice transitions from initial recommendation through start of care.
- Confirm clinical eligibility, assess patient/family goals, and address remaining clinical questions.
- Complete orders/referrals within scope or collaborate with authorized clinicians to secure required orders and documentation.
- Partner with hospice agencies, nephrology practices, dialysis clinics, and payers to champion and facilitate concurrent hospice and dialysis care.
- Ensure receiving organizations receive complete clinical records, track referral status, resolve transition barriers, and execute warm handoffs.
2. Pain & Distressing Symptom Management (20%)
- Evaluate and manage complex symptoms common in advanced kidney disease and serious comorbid illnesses.
- Utilize evidence-based pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, including prescribing/deprescribing within scope, appropriate renal drug dosing, and ordering diagnostic studies.
- Coordinate symptom management plans with nephrology, hospice, external palliative care, and primary care teams across transitions of care.
3. Comprehensive Palliative Assessments (15%)
- Conduct in-depth assessments evaluating physical symptoms, functional/cognitive status, psychosocial and spiritual needs, caregiver support, health literacy, treatment burden, prognosis, and patient quality-of-life priorities.
- Review medical records, diagnostic/lab trends, medication regimens, and utilization history to create individualized care plans with the patient, family, and IKC IDT.
4. Serious Illness Communication & Goals of Care (10%)
- Lead culturally responsive, values-based conversations around illness understanding, prognosis, and treatment preferences.
- Facilitate shared decision-making regarding dialysis initiation/continuation, modality changes, conservative kidney management, resuscitation, and life-sustaining treatments.
- Facilitate advance directives, healthcare proxy documentation, and portable medical orders (e.g., POLST/MOLST).
5. Interdisciplinary Clinical Leadership (10%)
- Provide clinical guidance to an assigned IDT (RNs, LCSWs), leading regular case reviews, care planning, clinical prioritization, and closed-loop communication.
- Partner with Care Coordinators, clinical operations, quality improvement, and leadership stakeholders to optimize workflows and integrate palliative care across the broader IKC care model.
6. Documentation, Quality & Compliance (5%)
- Maintain prompt, accurate documentation of assessments, shared decision-making, referrals, provider collaboration, barriers, and transition milestones.
- Support clinical quality metrics (time to start of care, referral completion rates, and transition outcomes).
7. Other Duties as Assigned (5%)
Qualifications & Requirements
Education & Licensure
- Education: Master's or Doctoral degree from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program (Required).
- Licensure: Current, unrestricted RN and APRN / NP license in state(s) of practice (Required).
- Board Certification: Current national board certification in an adult-focused population (e.g., AGPCNP, AGACNP, or FNP) (Required).
- Certifications & Registrations: Current BLS/CPR certification (Required).
- Eligibility to obtain DEA registration and state controlled-substance authority as applicable (Required).
- Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN®) certification (Preferred).
Experience & Clinical Expertise
- Clinical Experience: Minimum of 5 years of Nurse Practitioner experience managing adults with serious or complex illness (Required).
- Specialty Background: Experience in Palliative Care, Hospice, Nephrology, Geriatrics, or Complex Care Management (Required).
- Clinical Skills: Demonstrated expertise in serious illness communication, advance care planning, pain and symptom management (including controlled substances and renal dosing), and conservative kidney management (Required).
- Team Leadership: Experience guiding interdisciplinary clinical teams (RNs, social workers) and navigating multi-stakeholder care coordination (Required).
- Credentialing: Ability to become credentialed with DaVita Kidney Care, Medicare, and commercial payers (Required).
Technical & Administrative Skills
- Proficiency with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems (Cerner and EPIC) and ability to demonstrate functional proficiency within 90 days (Required).
- Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) (Required).
- Strong commitment to patient confidentiality, compliance, and ethical clinical practice (Required).
The Salary Range for the role is $118,000.00 - $135,000.00 per year.