About our Organization

At Lower Cape Fear Hospice, our Vision is to serve everyone touched by a life-limiting illness. Our Mission is to provide the highest level of care and comfort to patients with life-limiting illness, support and counsel families and provide education to the community. We believe in five core Values to help us achieve our mission; Teamwork, Commitment, Excellence, Compassion and Respect.

Our Locations and Service Areas

We proudly serve patients and families in private homes, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, and our care centers located in Wilmington, Bolivia, and Whiteville, North Carolina. Our service area includes Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender Counties in North Carolina; and Horry, Georgetown and Marion counties in South Carolina. Our corporate office is in the coastal community of Wilmington, NC.

Compensation, Benefits & Work-Life Balance

To attract, reward, motivate and retain good people, Lower Cape Fear Hospice offers a flexible work environment, a generous Paid Time Off Policy, competitive salaries, sign-on bonuses for staff CNA’s and RN’s, and an outstanding benefits package to include a 403B retirement plan with employer match, and company paid Long Term Disability and Life Insurance to eligible employees. Please visit our website for additional employment opportunities and more information on the variety of benefit options available to our employees.

Join us in making a difference in someone’s life!

We are currently seeking a Hospice and Palliative Care Physician to join our group of dedicated and experienced professionals.

Wilmington offers three beautiful beaches – Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach; a scenic downtown Riverwalk, 230-plus blocks of historic district; culturally rich events, university and colleges, reasonable cost of living, and is both family and dog friendly. Live in an area surrounded by water, history and natural beauty.

Lower Cape Fear Hospice is a non-profit organization celebrating its 40th anniversary. Join a team of 5 full time hospice physicians along with a team of excellent staff members. Our organization offers 3 inpatient hospice care centers with designated inpatient providers. This position provides home care with the option of care center coverage and offers a CME allowance, malpractice coverage and a 403B retirement plan.

Knowledge, Skills and Abiliti

JOB SUMMARY

The Hospice/Palliative Care Physician is responsible for the medical component of the hospice and palliative care program. Acts in the capacity of hospice team physician overseeing the medical components of care to hospice patients in all settings and acting as attending physician for patients as required. Performs consultative services to patients and families with life limiting illnesses; helps to determine and implement policy concerning the medical component of the hospice and palliative care program and services; supervises direct medical care of midlevel providers. Participates in after-hours call coverage for home patients and inpatients. Acts as a resource to the medical community and community at large regarding end-of-life issues and provides education regarding pain and symptom management.

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES

• Fulfills duties and responsibilities of the hospice team physician for patients as required by the Hospice Medicare Benefit, the Hospice Medicaid Benefit, and others if necessary.
• Performs hospice and palliative medicine consultation services for patients and families in a variety of settings and provides overall direction and coordination of the patient’s palliative care plan working with other members of the hospice care team and supervises care provided by midlevel providers.
• Assists in planning, research, performance improvement helping to determine and implement policy concerning the medical component of the hospice and palliative care program.
• Educates community physicians regarding state of the art end-of-life care.
• Organizes and performs work effectively and efficiently.
• Maintains and adjusts schedule to enhance program performance.
• Demonstrates positive interpersonal relations in dealing with all members of the team.
• Maintains and promotes customer satisfaction.
• Effectively demonstrates the mission, vision, and values of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare daily.

Participants in after-hours call schedule rotation to ensure 24-hour cover of patient care.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

1. Education: Graduate of an accredited school of medicine or osteopathy with a degree in medicine or osteopathy.

2. Licensure: Current North Carolina/ South Carolina practicing physician licensure, valid driver license; credentialed member of hospital staff.

3. Experience: Has completed an accredited residency program and has at least five years of experience in end-of-life care or maintains a board certification by ABHPM or will sit for the first available board examination for Hospice and Palliative Medicine administered within six months of hire.

4. Essential Technical/ Motor Skills: Knowledge about the psychosocial, spiritual, ethical and medical aspects of hospice care, including knowledge of symptom assessment and management in the terminal stages of disease states; assessment in a timely manner of relevant patient information upon referral for Hospice care; ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from regulatory agencies; ability to respond to inquiries or complaints from physicians, clients, family members, and members of the business community; ability to effectively present information to management, public groups, and the Board of Directors.

5. Interpersonal Skills: Sound communication skills, including group work and conflict resolution; collaborative problem-solving skills; management leadership skills, especially in coordination, evaluation, and planning; ability to analyze trends knowledge of stress management; knowledge of patient rights and responsibilities, including ethical considerations with referral to the Ethics Advisory Committee when indicated; knowledge of safety issues related to specific diagnosis and patient care setting; ability to respond to inquiries or complaints from physicians, clients, family members, and members of the business community.

6. Essential Physical Requirements: Ability to use upper body adequately for writing, teaching and providing direct patient care.

7. Essential Mental Abilities: Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care and staff needs; ability to teach staff of varying educational backgrounds

ability to prioritize duties, learn new skills and use supportive services appropriately

demonstrate long and short-term memory; high-level problem solving and reasoning skills for use in patient care and problem resolution.

8. Essential Sensory Requirements: Ability to use sight to assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care, review documents, etc.; ability to use hearing to communicate, patient assessment, etc. ability to use sense of smell for patient assessment, safety issues, etc. ability to use sense of touch for patient assessment.

9. Exposure to Hazards: Potential exposure to blood and blood borne pathogens, body fluids, sharps, and infectious disease. May encounter patients and other situations which present a potential threat to personal safety. May encounter temperature changes and weather extremes.

10. Other - Hours of Work: Flexible

11. Population Served: Both inpatient-hospice patients at our care center and outpatient-hospice patients with life-limiting diseases in New Hanover County

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