Registered Nurse (RN) - PCU - Progressive Care Unit
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX

Palliative Care Specialty RN

Summary The Palliative Care Specialty Nurse acts as a facilitator for Palliative Care Services within UT Southwestern Health System. Responsible for triage consults, structured nursing assessment, and supporting nursing delivery of comfort measures/withdrawal and patient/family education. The Palliative Care Specialty Nurse will also serve as a liaison for referring physicians and nursing staff to communicate treatment plans and recommendations from the Palliative Care team . Experience and Education Bachelor's degree in nursing is required. Relevant acute care nursing experience is required. Experience in Palliative Care is preferred. Currently licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN) by the Texas Board of Nursing or with a multistate license from Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) state Basic Life Support (BLS) by the American Heart Association (AHA) or the American Red Cross (ARC) Recent experience in acute care setting and minimum 2-3 years' experience in palliative care and/or end of life care. Pursuit of Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse Certification within 1-2 years of employment and attainment of the necessary clinical hours Knowledge of end-of-life care, including advance care planning, symptom management, and hospice. Job Duties Complete structured initial assessment and clinical triage of new consults for Palliative Care Program Consulting Service. Delegates palliative care plan to appropriate interdisciplinary team members. Performs structured nursing assessment of response symptom management using approved practice protocols in relation to treatment plans, patient and family inquiries, symptom management, psycho-social support, and education. Assures that patient receives appropriate measures to control symptoms, through collaboration with interdisciplinary team members. Supports nursing delivery of comfort measures and withdrawal of care. Collaborates care with referring teams, inpatient nursing staff, multidisciplinary team and palliative care team members to promote appropriate delivery of palliative care plan. Serves as a resource to nursing staff and multidisciplinary providers such as social workers and care coordinators on primary palliative care principles. Demonstrates knowledge in communication and counseling patient/family in dealing with advanced illnesses. Participates in quality improvement initiatives within Palliative Care Program. Other duties as assigned. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Work requires good organizational skills. Work requires considerable use of judgment in the application of procedures, nursing assessment techniques, practices and policies. Work requires the ability to complete most assignments with substantial independence. Work requires good verbal and written communication skills. Work requires proficiency in the use of computer technology. Working Conditions Work is performed in a hospital environment. Any qualifications to be considered as equivalents in lieu of stated minimums require prior approval of the Vice President for Human Resources Administration, or his/her designee. To learn more about the benefits UT Southwestern offers visit https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/employees/hr-resources/ This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code §51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information. UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.