Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner

Give your passion a purpose – join our amazing team! We’re excited to say we’re expanding our palliative care services!

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, based in Wilmington, NC, is an award-winning, mission-driven nonprofit hospice and palliative care provider with a 40-year history of caring for individuals and families in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. The agency provides care to patients in private residences, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, and its own three inpatient hospice care centers. We also offer grief care for adults and children; education and outreach to the community and healthcare partners; and resources, education, and support to caregivers.

If you’re looking to make a real difference in the lives of people and families in your community by providing team-focused care, all while living in a region steeped in scenic and historic beauty, rich in cultural events, and outstanding outdoor recreation, we want to hear from you!

What sets us apart in team member benefits verses our competitors:

• Benefits that start fast: Health, dental, and vision benefit coverage starts first of the month following 30 days of eligible employment.
• Work-life balance support, with full time team members earning 27 paid days off in their first year.
• Included Health, a full-service concierge healthcare program, offering unlimited virtual doctor visits and mental health services at no cost.
• A generous tuition reimbursement program of up to $5,000 a year to further your education and grow your career.
• Company paid life and long-term disability insurance.
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with a 50% employer match on the first 4% contributed – and best of all you’re fully vested after only three years

Schedule:

• After your orientation period - your typical schedule will be Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
• Since we are not an emergency service, for urgent or emergent situations, patients should be directed to their Primary Care Provider.

Caseloads and Visits:

• Our goal is to have a minimum of 20 visits per week. This averages out to 4-5 visits a day, but this is also dependent upon patient needs, their location, and several other factors. Because of the nature of palliative care, a patient’s needs can change rapidly. You will have the flexibility to move visits from one day to another to best suit your patients within regulatory guidelines.
• Visits typically take 1 hour to an hour and a half, but visits may sometimes take longer based on patient needs.

What you’ll be doing:

• You’ll see your patients in various venues of care such as personal residence, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities. We provide quality care regardless of circumstance to a variety of different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
• You’ll need to be comfortable educating the caregivers on how to care for their loved one. This might include things like disease education, advance care planning, how to administer medications, and what to expect at end-of-life.
• Expect to spend extended time periods in your car, driving between patients, documenting, and coordinating care. You’ll use your own personal vehicle, and mileage driven between patient visits is reimbursable.
• You’ll be provided with a laptop and company phone, and other equipment as applicable to perform your duties.
• You will coordinate care between your patient’s community medical providers, and other disciplines to provide updates, obtain new orders. This coordination takes place during and in between visits.
• Patients are assigned based on your assigned territory.
• Self-scheduling is based on patient’s needs and acuity.
• You will be part of an Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) consisting of a physician, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and a medical social worker. The team meets twice a month for IDT education rounds, and monthly for palliative care staff meeting.

Job Specifications:

Education: Graduate of an accredited school with a master’s degree in Nursing. Certification in hospice/palliative care preferred.

Licensure / Certifications: Current certification from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (ANNP) or American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Must have current license or ability to obtain licensure from the NC/SC Board of Nursing (NP).

Experience: Minimum of five years general medical experience in inpatient, outpatient and nursing home settings. Minimum two year experience as a nurse practitioner required. Experience seeing patients in a home setting preferred. Demonstrated competence in leadership and teaching.