Nurse Practitioner Hospice

Medi Home Health and Hospice Agency, a division of Medical Services of America, Inc., currently seeks Full-Time Nurse Practitioner for our Hospice patients in Danville (Pittsylvania, Halifax and Henry County), VA.

Job duties include:

· Be properly licensed in Virginia, to work and prescribe pharmacological agents as an independent contracting practitioner conducting primary care visits to Gateway patients in a variety of health care facilities and settings in the Danville area.

· Ability to work autonomously or in coordination with other healthcare professionals and medical directors as appropriate.

· Possess advanced clinical training and competency to provide direct primary care to a predominantly geriatric patient base.

· Possess a graduate education, possessing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or equivalent or higher.

· Must have reliable transportation and be able to travel (reimbursement available) to various healthcare facilitates and/or patient homes in the area each day.

· Routinely conduct physical examinations and obtain medical history as needed.

· Be able to diagnose, treat, and manage acute and chronic illnesses.

· Ability to focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and health education and counseling.

· Must have ability to order, conduct, supervise, and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests.

· Prescribing pharmacological agents and non-pharmacologic therapies.

· Work closely with other healthcare provider concerns the individual needs of each patient.

· Generally, help patients make better lifestyle and health choices.

· Generally, serve as healthcare researchers, consultants, and patient advocates.

Standards of Practice for Nurse Practitioners

Follow State law and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ (AANP) standards of practice for nurse practitioners (or similar acceptable standards) by encompassing the above and below processes, priorities and responsibilities:

Process of Care: Nurse Practitioner use the scientific process and national standards of care as a framework for managing patient care. This includes:

· Making an assessment of a patient’s health status

· Making a diagnosis

· Developing a treatment plan

· Implementing a plan that is consistent with the appropriate plan of care

· Following up and evaluating the patient’s status

Care Priorities: Nurse practitioner follow an established practice model, which emphasizes:

· Facilitating a patient’s entrance into the healthcare system

· Patient and family education

· The facilitation of patient participation in self-care

· The promotion of optimal health

· Continuity of competent care

· Promoting a safe environment

Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Responsibilities: Nurse practitioner shall participate as a team leader and member of the healthcare/medical team.

Accurate Documentation of Patient Status and Care: Nurse practitioner shall maintain accurate, legible, and confidential records both written and electronic (EMR system provided).

Responsibility as a Patient Advocate: Nurse practitioner shall act as advocates of health policies that benefit communities and individuals at the local, state, national, and international levels.

Quality Assurance and Continued Competence: Nurse practitioner shall participate in continued learning throughout his/her career as it pertains to evolving standards, the particular patient population and specialty niche, ethics and pharmacotherapeutics.

Adjunct Roles of Nurse Practitioners: At various times, the Nurse practitioner shall serve as mentors, healthcare providers, researchers, managers, and consultants.

Research as Basis for Practice: Nurse practitioner shall support research that supports evidence-based practice specific to their patient population focus, as well as in the areas of pharmacology, disease prevention, epidemiology, medical technology and more.

Specific Work Setting and Practice: The Nurse Practitioner will work primarily with the elderly population. He/she will address a patients' multiple medical problems and chronic illnesses, while focusing primarily on quality of life and functional ability. The Nurse Practitioner shall also, in consultation with the medical director, patient and family, determine when it is no longer medically safe for a particular patient to live alone and counsel them on alternative living arrangements.

The Nurse Practitioner shall also counsel patients and families on end-of-life care. Many if not all Nurse Practitioner encounters will be conducted at assisted living facilities, nursing homes and/or patient homes.