Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Palliative Medicine, Full-time, Days

Northwestern Medicine seeks an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join our Palliative Medicine team. You will work collaboratively with physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and social workers to deliver comprehensive, compassionate care to patients with serious illnesses. This role combines inpatient and ambulatory responsibilities, including rotating inpatient coverage, shared call duties, goals-of-care discussions, and complex care planning.

Clinical Setting

You will provide care across multiple locations including Lake Forest, Grayslake, and Glenview, typically rotating between two primary sites. The inpatient service averages 20 to 30 patients shared among three providers. Outpatient practice includes approximately 6 to 7 patients per day in 60-minute appointment slots.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive health assessments including patient histories and physical examinations
• Provide direct clinical care to assigned patient populations
• Prescribe medications and therapies; order and interpret laboratory tests, imaging, and procedures according to clinical privileges
• Evaluate patients to determine need for further healthcare
• Provide comprehensive teaching to patients and families
• Document all care, education, and procedures in the medical record
• Refer to other disciplines as appropriate and serve as a consultant in areas of expertise
• Integrate research-based knowledge and clinical expertise in clinical decision-making
• Advocate for patients, families, coworkers, and the community
• Maintain required certifications and continuing education
• Participate in unit, departmental, divisional, or hospital committees and task forces
• Serve as a preceptor and role model to students
• Participate in quality improvement and research initiatives

Schedule

• Monday through Friday with flexible scheduling options available, including four 10-hour days per week or 9-hour days with one scheduled day off each pay period
• Inpatient service weeks typically structured as 8-hour shifts
• Shared call coverage Monday through Sunday approximately every 6 to 7 weeks
• Two scheduled days off following each call week

Required Qualifications

• Master's degree from an accredited school of nursing OR Master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program
• For APRNs: Acute care certification required (inpatient experience as an NP will be considered in lieu of acute care certification)
• Current RN license in Illinois
• Current Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license in Illinois
• Certification as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse by a national certifying body approved by the Illinois Department of Regulation APRN Board
• OR Master's degree from an accredited Physician Assistant Program with current PA license in Illinois
• Ability to apply for controlled substance license and DEA number
• Privileged and credentialed through Northwestern Medicine Medical Staff Office
• BLS certification issued by the American Heart Association

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 or more years of experience
• Palliative, hospice, geriatric, or hospital medicine experience

Additional Requirements

• Background check including criminal history will be conducted on newly hired team members
• Artificial Intelligence tools may be used in portions of the candidate review process, but all employment decisions will be made by a person
• Sign-on bonus eligibility: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position at Northwestern Medicine may be eligible depending on job family.