Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner - Palliative Medicine

The Palliative Medicine Advanced Practice Provider is part of a multidisciplinary team that focuses on improving the quality of life of people with serious, life limiting illnesses through symptom management, support, and shared medical decision making.

Along with Physicians, Palliative Care Nurses, Social Workers and Chaplains, the APPs help manage patients with high symptom burden, poor quality of life, psychosocial distress, and / or complex advanced care planning needs in both the outpatient clinic and the inpatient setting.

The Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant has advanced health assessment and decision-making skills, prepared through a formal educational program that meets criteria established by the profession.

Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants are certified by examination of an approved certifying body.

This individual works in collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals to provide health care across the continuum of care for assigned patients.

Provides primary health care and / or specialty-specific care to individuals and families. The provision of care includes, but is not limited to : comprehensive assessment, ordering, conducting and interpreting diagnostic tests, prescription of pharmacological agents and treatments, and non-pharmacological therapies.

Nurse Practitioners : Teaching and counseling individuals, families, and groups are an important part of the Nurse Practitioner's practice.

Physician Assistants : Monitors the effectiveness of the therapeutic interventions. Makes appropriate referrals. Performs minor procedures as approved by the AZ Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants.

This individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development of the life span. The ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and appropriately interpret information relative to the patient's age-specific needs is required.

The Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant demonstrates leadership through involvement on committees and team projects, education, and research and actively seeks to improve the practice through performance improvement initiatives.

Active in professional organizations and participates in community activities. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Nursing : Scope and Standards of Advanced Practice Registered Nursing, the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, Rules of the Arizona State Board of Nursing are the basis for practice.