Description

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.

Requirements

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: 

2 years of experience in pediatric palliative care preferred.