Post-Acute Pain Management Nurse

Position Summary

The Post-Acute Pain Management Nurse Practitioner provides specialized consultative evaluations, diagnostic workups, and multimodal pain management strategies for short-stay rehabilitation and long-term care residents. Working autonomously yet collaboratively with facility attending physicians, Directors of Nursing, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation teams, the NP focuses on functional restoration, safe medication management, non-opioid multimodal therapies, and responsible opioid titration and tapering protocols.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Assessment & Patient Care

• Conduct comprehensive initial pain consultations and follow-up physical medicine evaluations for residents referred for acute, subacute, and chronic pain syndromes, post-surgical rehabilitation, spasticity, and musculoskeletal dysfunction.
• Formulate evidence-based, patient-centered pain treatment plans emphasizing non-opioid pharmacotherapy, functional rehabilitation goals, physical/occupational therapy coordination, and topical/interventional modalities.
• Perform detailed neuro-musculoskeletal examinations, functional mobility staging, and cognitive-behavioral pain screenings.
• Autonomously perform bedside minor interventional procedures where clinically indicated and credentialed (e.g., trigger point injections, peripheral nerve blocks, joint injections).

Medication Stewardship & Regulatory Compliance

• Oversee structured, compassionate opioid tapering and dose optimization in alignment with CDC clinical practice guidelines and facility pharmacy/therapeutics standards.
• Routinely query and document the Maryland Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP / CRISP) prior to initiating or adjusting controlled substance regimens.
• Maintain rigorous clinical documentation adhering to CMS Part B Evaluation and Management (E/M) guidelines for nursing facility services (CPT codes 99304–99310, prolonged services, and advanced care planning).
• Review diagnostic imaging, electrodiagnostic studies, and laboratory data; order relevant diagnostic workups to uncover underlying pain etiologies.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Operations

• Collaborate closely with facility Medical Directors, primary attending physicians, therapy directors (PT/OT/ST), and Minimum Data Set (MDS) coordinators to align pain reduction with resident mobility and quality-of-life benchmarks.
• Participate in facility care planning meetings and conduct educational in-services for facility nursing staff on non-pharmacologic pain interventions and side-effect monitoring.
• Facilitate smooth care transitions between acute inpatient settings, subacute rehabilitation, and community discharge.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education & Licensure

• Education: Master’s or Doctoral degree in Nursing (MSN or DNP) from an accredited program.
• Certification: National board certification as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP (AGPCNP), Family NP (FNP), Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP (AGACNP), or Psychiatric-Mental Health NP (PMHNP) with clinical experience in physical medicine/chronic pain.
• Specialty Pain Certification
• Licensure:

• Current, unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse (RN) and Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) in the State of Maryland.
• Active Maryland Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS) registration.
• Active, unrestricted federal DEA registration (Schedules II–V).
• Enrolled (or eligible for immediate enrollment) in Maryland Medicaid (ePREP) and Medicare (PECOS).

Experience & Skills

• Minimum of 1–2 years of clinical experience as a Nurse Practitioner in pain management, PM&R, orthopedics, neurology, palliative care, or post-acute/geriatric medicine.
• Proficiency with post-acute Electronic Health Record platforms (PointClickCare) and charge-capture workflows.
• Demonstrated expertise in multimodal analgesic pharmacology, addiction risk stratification, and geriatric prescribing safety.
• Strong independent decision-making, clinical autonomy, and professional communication skills.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Travel between assigned regional skilled nursing and post-acute rehabilitation facilities.

• Direct resident contact in post-acute care settings; ability to navigate clinical units, position patients for physical assessments, and transport portable clinical supplies as required.