The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) Abuja is a 500-bed specialty hospital offering world-class comprehensive diagnostics and treatment in oncology, cardiovascular, and haematological care, and general medical and surgical services, along with top notch research and education. The AMCE will provide exceptional care to people on the African continent, regardless of their financial means. Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in clinical partnership with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust., AMCE Abuja is the first of five centres planned for development in Africa.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Junior Consultant - Palliative Care
Location: Abuja (FCT)
Employment Type: Full-time
Level: GL 4A+
Workplace Type: Onsite
Job Objective
- The Junior Consultant, Palliative Care will be responsible for providing expert, compassionate, and evidence-based palliative care to patients with cancer and haematological disorders.
- The role holder will lead complex symptom management, advance care planning, and end-of-life care, while supervising junior medical staff, driving quality improvement, and contributing to service development.
Key Accountabilities / Responsibilities
Advanced Patient Care and Complex Symptom Management:
- Lead the clinical assessment and management of patients with complex, refractory symptoms (pain, dyspnoea, nausea, delirium, malignant obstruction) using advanced pharmacological and interventional techniques.
- Independently develop, implement, and review individualized palliative care plans for patients with advanced cancer and haematological malignancies, ensuring alignment with patient goals and evidence-based guidelines.
- Prescribe, titrate, and monitor opioids, adjuvants, and palliative sedation protocols in compliance with institutional and national regulations.
- Conduct daily structured ward rounds for palliative care inpatients, ensuring timely escalation and de-escalation of care.
- Lead rapid response consultations for palliative emergencies (e.g., spinal cord compression, hypercalcaemia, massive bleeding).
- Document all clinical decisions, medication changes, and patient/family discussions within 24 hours, maintaining medico-legal standards.
Leadership and Supervision of Multidisciplinary Team (MDT):
- Supervise and clinically mentor Palliative Care Specialists (Senior Registrars), junior medical officers, and rotating residents in day-to-day palliative care delivery.
- Chair weekly MDT case conferences with oncology, haematology, pain team, psychology, pharmacy, nursing, and spiritual care to coordinate patient-centred care.
- Delegate tasks appropriately to junior staff while retaining accountability for patient outcomes.
- Conduct bedside teaching and case-based learning sessions for the palliative care team at least twice weekly.
- Facilitate collaborative decision-making between palliative care and primary oncology/haematology teams to avoid fragmented care.
- Review and co-sign clinical notes, discharge summaries, and care plans prepared by junior staff within 48 hours.
End-of-Life Care, Advance Care Planning, and Ethical Decision-Making:
- Lead advance care planning discussions with patients and families, documenting advance directives, ceilings of treatment, and Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders.
- Manage complex ethical dilemmas including requests for futile treatment, voluntary refusal of nutrition/hydration, and palliative sedation to unconsciousness.
- Provide compassionate terminal care, including management of terminal agitation, secretions, and family support in the final 48 hours of life.
- Facilitate family meetings for high-conflict or emotionally complex cases, ensuring shared understanding and documented decisions.
- Coordinate with legal, risk management, and clinical ethics committees for cases requiring formal review.
- Supervise bereavement follow-up processes, ensuring at least one structured contact with families post-death.
Patient, Family, and Caregiver Education & Psychosocial Support:
- Lead comprehensive education sessions for patients and families on disease trajectory, palliative care philosophy, symptom management, and practical caregiving at home.
- Address cultural, spiritual, and existential concerns by integrating psychosocial and chaplaincy support into care plans.
- Empower patients and families to participate in shared decision-making using decision aids and plain-language communication.
- Develop and review written and multimedia educational materials tailored to local language and literacy levels.
- Provide emotional support and coping strategies for families facing anticipatory grief, caregiver burden, and post-death bereavement.
- Train caregivers in safe medication administration (e.g., subcutaneous opioids), recognition of deteriorating signs, and when to seek emergency help.
Governance, Documentation, and Quality Assurance:
- Ensure 100% compliance with institutional policies, MDCN guidelines, and international palliative care standards in all clinical documentation.
- Lead monthly palliative care documentation audits, providing feedback and corrective action plans to junior staff.
- Participate in hospital-wide mortality and morbidity meetings, presenting palliative cases with learning points.
- Contribute to the development, review, and implementation of palliative care protocols, order sets, and clinical pathways.
- Ensure accurate coding, data entry, and reporting for hospital quality dashboards and national palliative care registries.
- Report adverse events, medication errors, and near misses within 24 hours, leading root cause analysis when indicated.
Research, Education, and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI):
- Design and lead at least one clinical audit or quality improvement project annually (e.g., reducing opioid prescription errors, improving pain reassessment rates).
- Supervise junior staff in conducting case series, literature reviews, and poster presentations for internal or external conferences.
- Identify gaps in service delivery (e.g., delayed referrals, poor community transition) and propose evidence-based service innovations.
- Participate in institutional research ethics committee submissions and data collection for ongoing studies.
- Stay current with published literature and integrate new evidence (e.g., ketamine for cancer pain, cannabinoids) into practice after critical appraisal.
Qualifications
Education, Skills and Competencies:
- Medical Degree & Residency Completion – MBBS, MBChB, or equivalent from a recognised institution, with completion of residency in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Oncology, or Palliative Medicine.
- Licensure, Fellowship & Professional Membership – Valid medical license; Fellowship or Membership in Palliative Medicine, Oncology, or Internal Medicine.
- Fellowship of 1 - 3 year post fellowship experience
- Completion of a recognised diploma or certificate in Palliative Care or Hospice Medicine.
- Experience in advanced cancer and haematological disorder management, including end-of-life care, advance care planning, symptom management, palliative emergencies, and opioid prescribing/titration.
- Experience in MDT collaboration, supervision of junior medical staff, and working with patients and families in crisis or distress.
- Strong knowledge of palliative care principles, pain relief strategies, palliative sedation protocols, oncology/ haematology disease trajectories, prognostication, and ethical/ legal aspects.
- Excellent communication and leadership (breaking bad news, family meetings, conflict resolution, bedside teaching); competence in clinical audits, QI projects, and evidence-based practice; cultural competence and emotional resilience.
Must have skills:
- Invasive Procedures.
- Non-Invasive Procedures.