Division Director, Pediatric Palliative Care at the Janet Weis Children's Hospital - Geisinger

The Department of Pediatrics and the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger is seeking a Board Eligible/Certified palliative care pediatrician to serve as the Medical Director of the Division of Pediatric Palliative Care. The Director will provide oversight, direct patient care, teaching and consultative services as a palliative care pediatrician.  Our Division currently consists of a two Board-Certified Palliative and Intensive Care Pediatricians and a Social Worker who provides clinical oversight in the inpatient setting. An outpatient Program is just beginning to be developed. The clinical service provides primarily consultative care to children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions although will assume primary coverage many times for children at end-of-life. The Program is designed to be a proactive service being involved in the care of these children very early in their disease trajectory. The Program cares for children and their families with a wide array of clinical conditions including cancer, chromosomal abnormalities, severe trauma, neuromuscular disorders, complex gastrointestinal conditions, congenital heart disorders and renal transplant recipients.

We also work closely with several of the local hospices to help assure quality end-of-life care for children outside the hospital. As well as with our Adult Palliative Care Program who provides Fellowship training in the field.

We are seeking a dynamic director that will help lead our efforts in further developing a nascent Palliative Care Program that will assure the highest level of family centered care for children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions within central, northeast and southeast Pennsylvania.

Duties of the Director include but are not limited to:

• Directing the day-to-day activities of the Pediatric Palliative Care Division.
• Providing strategic leadership by working with the Pediatric and Geisinger leaders to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies for the care of children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions.
• Overseeing a bereavement support program for parents and siblings of children who have died.
• Providing education to medical students, pediatric residents, palliative care fellows, nursing staff and other members of the healthcare team.
• Providing administrative oversight of the Palliative Care Program
• Working with local and regional hospices to assure the best care possible for children at end-of-life outside the hospital setting.
• Leading and directing research in the provision of palliative care for children.

Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) is more than a hospital. It is central Pennsylvania’s most complete healthcare system, offering many services that are not available anywhere else locally. With more than 2,000 healthcare professionals and 505 licensed beds, GMC is the right choice for patients needing specialized, personalized care.

Designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, Geisinger Medical Center is able to provide the highest level of care for patients suffering a stroke. As the only Comprehensive Stroke Center in the region, we are able to treat the most severe and the rarest stroke events any time of the day or night.

Geisinger Medical Center is central Pennsylvania’s only Level I Trauma Center. This means we are ready to treat any kind of traumatic injury. We provide round-the-clock complex critical care for patients suffering from life-threatening injuries.

With many nationally recognized, award-winning specialty areas and modern facilities, we offer virtually every type of care you and your family will ever need. Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital, located on the GMC campus, is region’s only children’s hospital, providing the highest level of pediatric care across more than 30 specialties and subspecialties.

Perhaps just as importantly, we know great healthcare begins with listening to our patients. At GMC, we always remember that the word healthcare has two equally important parts.

Geisinger is comprised of 13 hospital campuses, two research centers, a college of medicine and a nearly 600,000-member health plan serving more than three million residents in central, south-central and northeast Pennsylvania and beyond. We have approximately 26,500 employees, including over 1,700 employed physicians, all of whom share a commitment to quality healthcare.

You don’t have to put your life on hold to move healthcare forward. At Geisinger, you’ll engage with industry leaders to create new care delivery models and enjoy a work/life balance that gets you home in time for dinner. You’ll be there for your family, friends, and neighbors – making a difference at home and across the country.

Only at Geisinger.