Advanced Practice Provider, Palliative Care

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago provides superior pediatric care in a setting that offers the latest benefits and innovations in medical technology, research and family-friendly design. As the largest pediatric provider in the region with a 140-year legacy of excellence, kids and their families are at the center of all we do. Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago is ranked in all 10 specialties by the U.S. News & World Report.

Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) works within the multidisciplinary clinical team to provide individualized patient care through history and physical assessment, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests, medication ordering, prescribing and management, formulating diagnoses and patient/family education. They promote evidenced based practice by conducting or participating in research and academic activities. They provide support to colleagues and staff to promote the professional development of the advanced practice profession at Lurie Children’s and in the community-at-large.

The role is unique to each division and in accordance with individual credentialing and privileging through the Medical Staff Office.

This individual will participate in palliative care activities of the pediatric palliative care team at Lurie Children’s, caring for children with a large variety of clinical conditions, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic disorders, neuromuscular and neuro-degenerative conditions, etc. The team provides consultative assistance to primary teams regarding symptom management, exploration and delineation of patient and family goals of care, including the establishment of treatment limitations, and providing general psychosocial and decision‑making support.

Team members work in a highly collaborative fashion with others within the division as well as across clinical disciplines.

• Acquires and maintains skills in pain and other symptom management.
• Acquires and maintains skills in palliative care communication with patients, family members, and other clinicians, especially regarding patient/family understanding of the patients’ diseases, disease trajectory, goals of care, including preferences for additional cure‑directed treatment and/or limitations on interventions, values and beliefs about end‑of‑life care, and other aspects of palliative and hospice care.
• Acquires and maintains skills in interdisciplinary care and care coordination with other clinicians and professions, including clinical teams/agencies involved with home palliative and hospice care.
• Provides support to others on patients’ clinical teams, especially at times involving perceived patient/family suffering or when patients/families struggle with difficult decisions around goals of care.

• Experience in one or more of the following: pediatric/neonatal intensive care, hematology-oncology, or pediatric palliative and hospice care.
• PNP certification.

Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago offers an Advance Practice Provider (APP) transition into practice fellowship for all new graduate APPs. All new hire APPs, even those with experience, are invited to participate in the fellowship. The APP transition into practice fellowship is designed to provide a supportive structure and strategies to facilitate the transition from the academic to clinical setting for newly hired APPs and institution to institution transition for those with experience.

The first year of employment will consist of quarterly didactic sessions with integrated facilitator led peer supported transition sessions, structured mentorship, and precepted practice‑based learning with standardized competencies. APPs in the fellowship are hired as paid employees of the institution.

The fellowship is designed to aid the development of well prepared, clinically competent, APPs as well as to provide support, build confidence and skills to develop a collaborative practice.