Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant-Palliative Care Inpatient Pediatric Quality of Life (PQOL)

As a part of Duke Health’s outpatient clinic network, you will enjoy competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits plans, convenient work hours, and many opportunities for career advancement. Become a part of a team that values and invests in you.

 

Duke Advanced Practice Highlights:

• The nation’s first Physician Assistant Program was created at Duke in 1965 and is consistently ranked No. 1 in the country.
• The Duke School of Nursing is consistently ranked as one of the top nursing schools and their MSN and DNP programs offers eight advanced practice registered nurse majors and specialty certifications, as well as post master’s certificates and certification alignment programs.
• Commitment to ongoing learning for APPs through annual CME funding and access to high-quality Duke CME offerings including APP Grand Rounds and a professional advancement program.  APPs are leaders in multiple arenas within Duke.
• Duke offers APPs opportunities to practice within team based integrative care in a tremendous variety of specialties.  APPs are expected to work to top of scope in order to contribute to Duke’s missions which include clinical practice, education, and research.
• Practice locations can include Duke Health’s three hospitals or over 140 primary care and specialty care clinics throughout North Carolina.

Job Location:

Duke University Hospital, Durham, NC

Job Summary:
The Pediatric Quality of Life (PQoL) Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a Nurse Practitioner who provides direct patient care services to hospitalized children with serious illness under the supervision of a palliative care physician. The APP delivers high-quality, family-centered palliative care focused on symptom management, medical decision-making, and psychosocial support.

Embedded within the inpatient PQoL consult service, the APP manages a high-volume, high-complexity patient population requiring longitudinal care, frequent follow-up, and interdisciplinary coordination. This role emphasizes communication with families, alignment of care with patient and family goals, and collaboration across pediatric subspecialties.

 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Clinical Care:

Essential functions:

• Perform comprehensive history and physical examinations for pediatric patients
• Diagnose, plan, and implement treatment for symptom management and serious illness care
• Assess for changes in clinical status and initiate appropriate interventions
• Provide longitudinal follow-up care for hospitalized patients with complex needs
• Initiate emergency interventions as appropriate until physician support is available
• Document all clinical encounters, assessments, and interventions in the EMR 

Competencies/skills:

• Advanced pediatric clinical assessment and decision-making
• Knowledge of pediatric serious illness and symptom management
• Ability to manage medically complex and high-acuity patients 

Care Coordination:

Essential functions:

• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams including physicians, nurses, social work, and subspecialty services
• Coordinate care across inpatient teams including ICU, oncology, neurology, and transplant services
• Facilitate communication between primary teams, consultants, and families
• Ensure timely implementation of care plans and follow-up
• Support transitions of care across inpatient and outpatient settings 

Competencies/skills:

• Strong interdisciplinary collaboration and communication
• Ability to manage complex care coordination across multiple services
• Organizational and workflow management skills

Family-Centered Communication and Advance Care Planning:

Essential functions:

• Lead and participate in goals-of-care discussions with patients (as appropriate) and families
• Facilitate shared decision-making aligned with family values and preferences
• Provide emotional support to patients and families during serious illness
• Assist with advance care planning and documentation when appropriate
• Navigate complex family dynamics and culturally sensitive situations

Competencies/skills:

• Expertise in pediatric serious illness communication
• High emotional intelligence and empathy
• Ability to support families through complex decision-making processes

Quality Service and Outcomes Management:

Essential fun