Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant-Palliative Care Inpatient
Pediatric Quality of Life (PQOL)
Work Arrangement:
Requisition Number: 273055
Regular or Temporary: Regular
Location:
Durham, NC, US, 27710
Personnel Area: DUKE HOSPITAL
Date: Sep 11, 2026
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 functions:
Participate in development and implementation of clinical pathways and
care protocols
Analyze clinical practice patterns to improve care delivery and efficiency
Contribute to quality improvement initiatives within the PQoL program
Support data collection related to clinical activity and outcomes
Competencies/skills:
Quality improvement and process optimization skills
Ability to interpret clinical data and apply to practice improvement
Education and Program Development:
Essential functions:
Educate patients, families, and staff on palliative care principles
Provide guidance to trainees and interdisciplinary team members
Participate in development of educational materials and program
initiatives
Competencies/skills:
Teaching and mentoring skills
Strong verbal and written communication
Customer Service:
Essential functions:
Serve as a consistent and compassionate point of contact for patients and
families
Promote a patient- and family-centered care experience
Maintain professionalism and responsiveness in all interactions
Competencies/skills:
Strong customer service orientation
Ability to build trust with patients, families, and care teams
Job Eligibility Requirements
Education
Nurse Practitioners: Work requires completion of an accredited Nurse
Practitioner program, with a Master's degree in Nursing.
Physician Assistants: Work requires completion of an accredited Physician
Assistant program. A Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree strongly
preferred.
Certification
BLS required
License
Nurse Practitioners: Must have current or compact RN licensure & NP
approval to practice in the state of North Carolina. BLS required.
National certification as a NP required.
Physician Assistants: Must be licensed in the state of NC, and be
certified as a Physician Assistant by the National Commission on
Certification of Physician Assistants. BLS required.
DEA licensure with full prescriptive authority required.
Experience
1+ years of APP experience preferred
Duke is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to providing employment
opportunity without regard to an individual's age, color, disability, gender,
gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin,
race, religion, (including pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions),
sexual orientation, or military status.
Duke aspires to create a community built on collaboration, innovation,
creativity, and belonging. Our collective success depends on the robust
exchange of ideas—an exchange that is best when the rich diversity of our
perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences flourishes. To achieve this
exchange, it is essential that all members of the community feel secure and
welcome, that the contributions of all individuals are respected, and that all
voices are heard. All members of our community have a responsibility to uphold
these values.
Essential Physical Job Functions: Certain jobs at Duke University and Duke
University Health System may include essential job functions that require
specific physical and/or mental abilities. Additional information and
provision for requests for reasonable accommodation will be provided by each
hiring department.
Nearest Major Market: Durham
Nearest Secondary Market: Raleigh
