Program Manager, Palliative

ECU Health; Greenville (NC); On-site; USD 88,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

ECU Health Medical Center in North Carolina seeks a Program Manager for Palliative Care. The role blends 70% direct clinical care with 30% administrative leadership to oversee inpatient and outpatient palliative services, ensuring quality and coordination across the health system.

You will lead operational performance, staff coordination, and program growth, collaborating with physicians, nurses, social workers, and leadership to standardize processes and improve patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• RN license in good standing and BSN required.
• Minimum five years of progressive nursing experience.
• Three+ years in palliative care, hospice, oncology, critical care, geriatrics.

Responsibilities

• Participate in direct patient care activities consistent with scope of nursing practice.
• Support complex symptom management, goals-of-care discussions, and advance care planning.
• Coordinate care across hospital, outpatient, hospice, home health, and community settings.
• Lead operational performance, staff coordination, program growth, data management, and quality improvement.
• Serve as a clinical resource to the interdisciplinary team and escalate complex patient care issues.
• Educate teams on GIP eligibility criteria, workflows, and transitions to hospice care.
• Monitor consult volumes, timeliness, and follow-up visits; report program metrics.
• Collaborate with system leadership to advance palliative and serious illness care initiatives.

Skills

Nursing leadership

Clinical coordination

Healthcare analytics

Quality improvement

Program development

Education

RN license

BSN

MSN/related master

Job description

Position Summary

The Program Manager for Palliative Care is responsible for the operational, clinical, and quality oversight of inpatient and outpatient palliative care services. This role maintains a 70% clinical and 30% administrative focus, providing direct patient care, complex care coordination, consultation support, staff mentoring, and leadership of program operations. The Program Manager serves as a key liaison between physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, case management, hospital leadership, and referring providers to ensure high-quality palliative care services are delivered consistently across the health system.

Role Allocation

• Clinical Responsibilities - 70%: Provides direct clinical support and care coordination to patients and families receiving palliative care services while serving as a clinical resource to the interdisciplinary team.
• Administrative Responsibilities - 30%: Provides leadership for operational performance, staff coordination, program growth, data management, quality improvement, and strategic initiatives

Responsibilities

• Participate in direct patient care activities consistent with scope of nursing practice.
• Support complex symptom management, goals-of-care discussions, and advance care planning.
• Facilitate healthcare power of attorney (HCPOA) completion and other advance directive documentation.
• Coordinate care across the continuum, including hospital, outpatient, hospice, home health, skilled nursing, and community settings.
• Serve as a patient and family advocate throughout serious illness and end-of-life care journeys.
• Collaborate daily with physicians, advanced practice providers, social workers, chaplains, case managers, and bedside teams regarding patient care priorities.
• Review, triage, and oversee all incoming palliative care consults.
• Ensure timely assignment of consults and follow-up visits to the appropriate provider.
• Monitor daily consult volumes and completion of consult recommendations.
• Ensure continuity of care and communication among interdisciplinary team members.
• Serve as an escalation resource for complex patient care and operational issues.
• Lead organizational efforts to standardize and expand adoption of the General Inpatient (GIP) hospice process.
• Educate physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and care teams on GIP eligibility criteria and workflows.
• Collaborate with hospice partners, case management, hospitalist teams, and nursing leadership to ensure efficient GIP transitions.
• Monitor GIP utilization, barriers, opportunities, and process adherence.
• Provide patient and family support throughout transitions to GIP care.
• Serve as a clinical resource for nursing staff, physicians, advanced practice providers, and operational leaders.
• Facilitate educational initiatives related to palliative care, serious illness communication, advance care planning, and hospice utilization.
• Support onboarding, orientation, and mentorship of palliative care team members.
• Facilitate Crucial Conversations and communication training programs.
• Coordinate provider assignments to ensure all consult requests and follow-up visits are supported.
• Establish and maintain coverage schedules for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and other interdisciplinary team members.
• Monitor workload distribution and staffing requirements to ensure timely patient access.
• Facilitate daily operational huddles and workflow coordination.
• Develop, maintain, and report key operational, clinical, and quality performance metrics.
• Track consult volume, consult completion rates, response times, follow-up completion, advance care planning completion, GIP utilization, hospice transitions, and other program indicators.
• Produce daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual program reports.
• Coordinate submission of required reports to organizational leadership and national organizations, including CAPC.
• Identify trends, opportunities, and barriers to optimize program performance
• Lead quality improvement initiatives focused on patient outcomes, access, length of stay, readmissions, care transitions, and patient experience.
• Partner with clinical and operational leaders to implement evidence-based practice improvements.
• Monitor compliance with organizational standards, documentation requirements, and regulatory expectations.
• Utilize data to drive continuous improvement and support organizational goals.
• Participate in hospital committees and interdisciplinary workgroups representing palliative care services.
• Assist in implementation of strategic initiatives that expand palliative care services.
• Identify opportunities to improve program visibility, performance, access, and community engagement.
• Support accreditation, certification, and national benchmarking activities.
• Collaborate with system leadership to advance palliative care and serious illness care initiatives.

Minimum Requirements

Education

• Graduate of an accredited school of nursing required.
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required or higher
• Master's degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Licensure and Certification

• Current unrestricted Registered Nurse license.
• BLS certification required.
• Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) preferred.
• Leadership or nurse management certification preferred.

Experience

• Minimum five years of progressive nursing experience.
• Minimum three years of experience in palliative care, hospice, oncology, critical care, geriatrics, or related specialty.
• Previous leadership, charge nurse, program coordinator, nurse navigator, or supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience with program development, quality improvement, and healthcare analytics preferred.

Pay Range

$87,817.60 - $128,002.16

Compensation is determined by experience.

ECU Health

About ECU Health Medical Center

ECU Health Medical Center, one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina, is the 974-bed flagship hospital for ECU Health and serves as the primary teaching hospital for The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. ECU Health Medical Center has achieved Magnet designation twice and provides acute and intermediate care, rehabilitation and outpatient health services to a 29-county region that is home to more than 1.4 million people.

General Statement

It is the goal of ECU Health and its entities to employ the most qualified individual who best matches the requirements for the vacant position.

Offers of employment are subject to successful completion of all pre-employment screenings, which may include an occupational health screening, criminal record check, education, reference, and licensure verification.

We value diversity and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Decisions of employment are made based on business needs, job requirements and applicant’s qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information and testing, family and medical leave, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other status protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint.