Hospice Nurse Practitioner

Job Description

Salary:

Join Golden Rose Hospice: Compassionate Nurse Practitioner (NP) - Palliative & Hospice Care

Golden Rose Hospice is seeking an empathetic and experienced Nurse Practitioner (NP) to provide expert palliative and end-of-life care. This is a profound opportunity to make a meaningful difference by ensuring comfort, dignity, and quality of life for our patients and their families during their final journey.

Job Description: Hospice Nurse Practitioner

Overview

The Hospice Nurse Practitioner will function as a vital member of the interdisciplinary team (IDT), providing direct patient care in various settings (home, skilled nursing facility, residential care). The primary focus will be on comprehensive palliative care, advanced pain and symptom management, and effective communication regarding the patient's plan of care.

Key Responsibilities

Palliative & Symptom Management:

Conduct initial and ongoing physical assessments focused on comfort, identifying and managing complex pain, nausea, dyspnea, anxiety, and other debilitating symptoms.

Adjust and implement symptom control protocols and standing orders in collaboration with the Medical Director.

Prescribe medications and durable medical equipment (DME) as needed, with a specialized focus on optimizing end-of-life pharmacology.

Hospice Eligibility & Documentation:

Perform face-to-face encounters and certify/re-certify hospice eligibility in accordance with Medicare/Medicaid regulations.

Maintain timely, accurate, and compliant electronic health records (EHR) documenting the patients declining status and need for hospice services.

Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration (IDT):

Act as a clinical expert and resource to the IDT (RNs, Social Workers, Chaplains, Aides) regarding complex patient care and symptom management strategies.

Participate actively in IDT meetings to review and revise patient care plans.

Communication & Family Support:

Facilitate goals-of-care discussions, including clarifying patient and family wishes regarding life-sustaining treatments (e.g., DNR/DNI status).

Provide emotional support and education to patients and families, addressing anxieties related to the disease process and dying experience.

Quality Improvement:

Engage in continuous quality improvement initiatives related to patient comfort scores, symptom control, and overall hospice compliance.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education and Certification

Master's or Doctoral Degree from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program.

Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in Arizona.

Current, unrestricted Nurse Practitioner (NP) certification/licensure in Arizona.

Certification as a Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (ACHPN) or Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) with substantial palliative experience is highly preferred.

Current DEA registration and prescriptive authority.

Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.

Experience

Minimum of 2-3 years of experience as a Nurse Practitioner, with at least 1 year directly in hospice, palliative care, or oncology.

Proven expertise in advanced pain and symptom management protocols.

Experience with regulatory compliance for Medicare hospice benefit is essential.

Skills and Attributes

Exceptional Compassion and Empathy for patients facing end-of-life.

Strong verbal and written communication skills, especially for sensitive conversations about prognosis and goals of care.

High level of clinical autonomy, good judgment, and organizational skills.

Emotional resilience and the ability to handle the emotional demands of hospice work.

Why Join Golden Rose Hospice?

Joining Golden Rose Hospice means you are choosing to be a champion for compassionate, dignified, and quality end-of-life care. We are a mission-driven organization that values the deep commitment of our clinical staff. You will be supported by a dedicated interdisciplinary team that recognizes and respects the essential, profound role you play.

Full-time