Pediatric Palliative Care Advanced Practice Provider

Join an established interdisciplinary pediatric palliative care program that partners with families from the earliest moments of diagnosis through every stage of serious illness.

Our program is distinguished by its robust Perinatal Palliative Care Program and close collaboration with the Fetal Center, offering a unique opportunity to support families beginning at the time of prenatal diagnosis while also caring for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with serious, complex, or life-limiting illnesses. In addition to our longstanding work in neonatal and pediatric palliative care, the APP partners with multidisciplinary teams caring for children with cancer and other complex medical conditions.

The Pediatric Palliative Care APP is a key member of an interdisciplinary consultative team dedicated to improving quality of life through expert communication, care coordination, collaborative symptom assessment, and family-centered decision support. The APP works closely with physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists, therapists, and subspecialty teams to ensure care aligns with each child's medical condition and each family's goals and values.

This position offers a unique opportunity to practice across the full spectrum of pediatric palliative care—from prenatal diagnosis and birth planning through neonatal care, childhood illness, coordination of hospice services when appropriate, end-of-life care, and bereavement support.

The APP provides comprehensive assessment of pain and other distressing symptoms and collaborates with physicians, primary teams, and specialty consultants to develop individualized recommendations that optimize comfort and quality of life. Familiarity with pediatric pain and symptom assessment and collaborative symptom management is highly valued.

As part of an academic health center, the APP participates in the education of residents, fellows, students, and other learners while contributing to the continued growth of the program.

The successful candidate will thrive in an interdisciplinary environment, enjoy building longitudinal relationships with families, and be comfortable navigating uncertainty, complex medical decision-making, and emotionally challenging conversations with compassion and professionalism.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus many more! 

POSITION SUMMARY:

Provides patient care assistance in a clinic or hospital setting in one or more specialized areas under the direction of a primary care physician.

POSITION KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1.  Conducts complex, standardized patient care procedures that require experience and specialized training that would otherwise be performed by a physician but which do not constitute the practice of medicine.
2.   Coordinates, directs and implements patient's plan of care.
3.  Orders, conducts and interprets pertinent laboratory and diagnostic studies and procedures.
4.  Performs physical examinations and provides episodic care or problem-oriented care under the supervision of a physician.
5.  Orders appropriate laboratory tests and interprets the laboratory data such as blood and urine samples.
6.  Monitors the treatment program of the patient to inform the attending physician of pertinent medical information.
7.  Makes medical recommendations and/or referrals.
8.  Formulates, implements, and evaluates an outcome-based treatment plan.
9.  Maintains appropriate records detailing the patient's treatment plans and outcomes.
10.  Facilitates patient education relating to medical processes, medication, nutrition, and health promotion.
11.  Collaborates with patients, families, other clinicians, and referral services to assist in the patient's recovery.
12.  Other duties as assigned.

CERTIFICATIONS/SKILLS: 

Nurse Practitioner:  Current Texas Licensure as a Registered Nurse Current Texas Licensure as an APRN-NP, and specialty certification as required by department Basic Life Support (BLS) Certified 
Physician Assistant:  Current Texas Licensure as a Physician Assistant Current Physician Assistant certification issued by the National Commission of Certification of Physician Assistants Basic Life Support (BLS) Certified Proficient in the use of medical and surgical instruments and equipment required by work. 

MINIMUM EDUCATION:

Nurse Practitioner:  Masters in Nursing as NP or master degree in Nursing with completion of a post-master Nurse Practitioner Certification Program. 
Physician Assistant:  Master's degree as Physician Assistant. A Bachelor's degree as a Physician Assistant with at least two years of professional experience in the role is acceptable based on terminal degree requirements at the time of graduation.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE: 
None required.

2 years experience in pediatric palliative care preferred.