The Inpatient Palliative Care NP/PA provides advanced clinical care to hospitalized patients with serious illness, focusing on symptom management, communication about goals of care, and support for patients and families across the illness trajectory, including end-of-life. Working as part of an interdisciplinary palliative care team, this role conducts comprehensive assessments, develops and implements treatment plans, and coordinates care across inpatient units and consulting services. The position manages complex clinical and psychosocial situations requiring high-level clinical judgment, timely escalation, and effective collaboration with multiple stakeholders. The role also contributes to quality, safety, education, and practice improvement activities that support consistent, evidence-informed palliative care delivery across the institution.
Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
- Provide advanced palliative care consultation for hospitalized patients, including comprehensive history and physical assessment, diagnostic interpretation, and development of individualized care plans addressing pain and symptom management, psychosocial distress, and functional needs.
- Lead and document high-stakes communication with patients, families, and teams (e.g., goals-of-care discussions, advance care planning, code status recommendations), ensuring shared decision-making and alignment of treatments with patient values and clinical realities.
- Manage complex pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic symptom interventions (e.g., opioid rotation, refractory symptoms, delirium, dyspnea, nausea, anxiety), monitoring response, side effects, and safety risks, and adjusting plans based on evolving clinical status.
- Coordinate care across inpatient services and transitions (e.g., ICU, oncology, medicine, surgery, case management, social work, chaplaincy), including timely referrals and discharge planning to hospice, home services, SNF/rehab, or outpatient palliative follow-up as appropriate.
- Serve as a clinical resource to inpatient teams by providing consultation, education, and real-time guidance on evidence-informed palliative care practices, ethical considerations, and serious-illness communication.
- Promote palliative care education by mentoring and precepting students, fellows and other learners from various disciplines. Participate and lead educational initiatives by creating and delivering palliative care nursing educational content.
- Contribute to service operations and continuous improvement through participation in quality/safety initiatives, development or refinement of clinical pathways and documentation standards, and review of outcomes and performance metrics relevant to palliative care.
- Maintain compliance with institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and professional standards, including timely, accurate documentation in the electronic medical record and participation in required training, credentialing, and competency activities.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated skill in serious-illness communication, including delivering difficult news, facilitating shared decision-making, and navigating conflict, uncertainty, and emotional distress.
- Knowledge of advance care planning principles, surrogate decision-making, capacity considerations, and ethical frameworks relevant to end-of-life and serious-illness care.
- Professional judgment, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriate boundaries in sensitive clinical situations.
- Engages in professional development and scholarship through involvement in professional organization activities, presentations, teaching, publications, and research
- Maintains membership in professional organizations and seeks advanced palliative care certification
NP Qualifications:
- Authorization to practice in an expanded role as a Nurse Practitioner in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Current certification from a nationally recognized accrediting body approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing for Nurse Practitioners
- Minimum of 24 contact hours beyond generic education in pharmacotherapeutics
- Masters degree in Nursing
- Minimum of 1 year oncology nursing experience or 1 year Nurse Practitioner experience
- Oncology Nurse Practitioner experience preferred
- In possession of Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Federal DEA numbers
- Certification in Oncology Nursing preferred - OCN, AOCN, CPON, BMTCN, CPHON
Terms and Conditions of employment for Nurse Practitioners at Dana-Farber are governed by a collective bargaining unit through the Massachusetts Nurses Association at our Longwood, Chestnut Hill, and Merrimack Valley locations.
PA Qualifications:
A Master’s Degree and successful completion of an AAPA/NCCPA accredited Physician Assistant Studies program are required. Must be NCCPA Certified and licensed to practice as a Physician Assistant in Massachusetts. Must maintain current DEA and Massachusetts Controlled Substance Licenses, and complete 100 hours of CME according to national and state regulations during each 2 year period of employment.
PA I: No professional experience required.
PA II: 2 years of qualifying professional Physician Assistant experience
PA III: 5 years of qualifying professional Physician Assistant experience
Pay Transparency Statement
based on a full-time/ 40 hour a week position. This would be prorated if hours were part time.
The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.
Physician Assistant: $126K - $283K based on years of relevant experience
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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Pay Transparency Statement
The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.
For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
$130,321.87 - $293,282.93
