Palliative Care Advanced Practice Clinician

Beth Israel Lahey Health, Inc.; Peabody, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 133,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health, Inc. is seeking an Advanced Practice Provider (NP/PA) to join our interdisciplinary Palliative Care team.

The role focuses on comprehensive symptom management, advance care planning, and goals-of-care conversations for adults with serious illnesses in an outpatient setting, with potential inpatient coverage as needed. The position emphasizes patient- and family-centered care across the care continuum and requires strong clinical judgment, communication skills, and

Qualifications

• Experience in palliative medicine and serious-illness care.
• Excellent clinical judgment and communication with patients and families.
• Ability to work collaboratively with physicians, nurses, social workers, and other specialists.

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive outpatient palliative care assessment and management for adults with serious illnesses.
• Independently evaluate patients and develop care plans with the interdisciplinary team.
• Conduct goals-of-care conversations and assist with advance care planning.
• Coordinate with oncology, primary care, nursing, social work, and other services for seamless care.

Skills

Palliative care

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Communication skills

Advance care planning

Symptom management

Job description

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives. We are seeking a compassionate, collaborative, and experienced Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) to join our interdisciplinary Palliative Care team. The Advanced Practice Provider will provide comprehensive palliative care to adults living with serious, complex, and life-limiting illnesses. This position is primarily outpatient and will support patients across our Burlington and Peabody locations, with the opportunity and expectation to participate in inpatient palliative care consultation and coverage based upon evolving program and patient-care needs. Working collaboratively with palliative care physicians, nursing, social work, oncology teams, specialty providers, primary care clinicians, case management, spiritual care, hospice providers, and other members of the interdisciplinary team, the APP will help patients and families navigate serious illness through expert symptom management, advance care planning, goals-of-care conversations, psychosocial support, and coordination of care. The ideal candidate will have a strong interest in palliative medicine and serious-illness care, excellent clinical judgment and communication skills, and a commitment to providing compassionate, patient- and family-centered care across the continuum.

Key Responsibilities Clinical Care

• Provide comprehensive palliative care assessment and management for adults with serious and life-limiting illnesses in the ambulatory setting.
• Independently evaluate new and established patients, obtaining comprehensive medical histories and performing appropriate physical examinations.
• Develop and implement individualized plans of care in collaboration with patients, families, physicians, and the interdisciplinary care team.
• Assess and manage complex symptoms associated with serious illness and its treatment.
• Prescribe and manage pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies within the APP's scope of practice and organizational policies.
• Order, review, and interpret appropriate laboratory testing and diagnostic studies.
• Monitor medication effectiveness, adverse effects, and safety, including the responsible management of controlled medications when clinically appropriate.
• Identify changing clinical needs and adjust treatment plans accordingly.

Serious-Illness Communication & Advance Care Planning

• Conduct skilled and compassionate conversations with patients and families regarding serious illness, prognosis, treatment preferences, quality of life, and priorities for care.
• Facilitate goals-of-care discussions in partnership with patients, families, and treating clinicians.
• Assist patients with advance care planning, including identification of health care proxies and documentation of preferences for future medical care.
• Support shared decision-making when patients and families are facing complex or high-stakes treatment decisions.
• Help ensure that treatment plans remain aligned with each patient's values, goals, and preferences.

Outpatient Palliative Care

• Maintain a primarily ambulatory clinical practice supporting patients at the Burlington and Peabody locations.
• Provide longitudinal palliative care for patients throughout the course of serious illness, including during active disease-directed treatment.
• Partner closely with Oncology and other specialty teams to identify patients who may benefit from earlier palliative care involvement.
• Help patients and caregivers anticipate changes in illness trajectory and prepare for future care needs.
• Facilitate timely referrals to supportive services, community resources, home-based services, hospice, and other programs when appropriate.
• Promote continuity of care between hospital, ambulatory, home, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and hospice settings.

Inpatient Palliative Care

• Based upon program needs, the APP may also support the inpatient palliative care service. Responsibilities may include:
• Perform inpatient palliative care consultations and follow-up visits.
• Evaluate patients with complex medical illness across medical, surgical, oncology, critical care, and other inpatient services.
• Provide recommendations for complex symptom management.
• Participate in goals-of-care and family meetings.
• Collaborate with primary inpatient teams regarding treatment planning and transitions of care.
• Assist with discharge planning and transitions to home-based services, rehabilitation, skilled nursing, hospice, or outpatient palliative care.
• Participate in interdisciplinary palliative care rounds and care conferences as appropriate.

Care Coordination & Interdisciplinary Practice

• Collaborate closely with palliative care physicians and other members of the interdisciplinary palliative care team.
• Partner with medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical services, primary care, nursing, social work, case management, behavioral health, spiritual care, pharmacy, rehabilitation, and other specialties.
• Serve as a liaison between patients, families, referring clinicians, community providers, and supportive services.
• Communicate treatment recommendations clearly and promptly with referring and collaborating clinicians.
• Promote seamless transitions between inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Identify barriers to care and work collaboratively with the interdisciplinary team to address medical, psychosocial, functional, and caregiver needs.

Patient & Family Support

• Educate patients and caregivers regarding illness, treatment options, symptom management strategies, medications, and expected disease trajectories.
• Provide emotional support to patients and families coping with serious illness.
• Recognize caregiver burden and connect families with appropriate resources and services.
• Support culturally sensitive and individualized approaches to serious-illness decision-making.

Documentation, Quality & Program Development

• Maintain accurate, timely, and comprehensive clinical documentation within the electronic medical record.
• Ensure appropriate documentation to support clinical care, continuity, quality standards, and billing requirements.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives related to palliative care, symptom management, advance care planning, care transitions, and patient experience.
• Participate in the continued development and growth of ambulatory and inpatient palliative care services.
• Assist in developing workflows, clinical standards, educational resources, and other initiatives that enhance access to high-quality palliative care.
• Participate in departmental meetings, interdisciplinary conferences, and other organizational initiatives as appropriate.
• Serve as a palliative care resource to clinicians and staff across the organization.

Education

• Provide education regarding palliative care principles, serious-illness communication, symptom management, and advance care planning.
• Serve as a clinical resource for nurses, APPs, physicians, trainees, and other members of the healthcare team.
• Participate in the education of students, residents, fellows, or other learners as opportunities arise.

Job Description

Pay Range: $133,120.00 USD - $215,000.00 USD. The pay range listed for this position is the annual base salary range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation is determined based on several factors, that may include seniority, education, training, relevant experience, relevant certifications, geography of work location, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment. More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled At Beth Israel Lahey Health, we are driving the change in health care that Massachusetts wants and needs. Our culture promotes continuous learning, growth, innovation and a sense of belonging. We make it a priority to offer comprehensive compensation and benefits and help you achieve a healthy and balanced life. While you're busy caring for and supporting our patients, we take care of you.