Advanced Practice Provider - Physician Assistant/Nurse Practitioner, Cardiac Surgery

Join UChicago Medicine, as an Advanced Practice Provider in our Cardiac Surgery Department.

As an Advanced Practice Provider, you are responsible for comprehensive direct patient care management in the hospital setting.

The Heart and Vascular Center at UChicago Medicine is at the forefront of  cardiac surgery, specializing in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart conditions and heart disease. Our doctors not only provide the highest level of care — they are also leaders in research who are developing new and better treatments for heart and vascular disease. UChicago Medicine’s heart and vascular care team includes some of the nation’s best minds in cardiology, cardiac surgery, robotic surgery, vascular surgery and research.

In this role, you will utilize advanced assessment skills and knowledge of clinical therapeutics to evaluate, diagnose and manage critically ill patients. The APP orders and interprets appropriate diagnostic tests, therapeutic interventions and prescribes pharmacological agents as necessary. As an APP, you will maintain continuity of patient care through patient follow-up, monitoring of patient progress and modifying plan of care as necessary. The APP applies knowledge of new technology and resources demonstrating advanced or specialized expertise in caring for a variety of cardiac surgery patients including those with complex valve disease, coronary artery disease, disorders of the aorta, advanced heart failure requiring heart transplant or left ventricular assist device placement.  

Essential Job Functions

• Differentiates normal and abnormal variations for all body systems.
• Assesses patient and family adaptation, coping skills and the need for crisis or other intervention.
• Accurately interprets diagnostic tests.
• Analyzes multiple sources of data in making clinical judgments and in determining the effectiveness of a plan of care.
• Develops problem lists with associated differential diagnosis.
• Identifies educational needs of the patient and family and assists with teaching.
• Incorporates assessment findings into a plan to direct patient care.
• Formulates a plan of care in collaboration with the patient, family, physician, nursing staff and other member of the health care team which incorporates health care maintenance, discharge and follow-up care.
• Plans and implements appropriate pharmacological therapies.
• Accurately and appropriately performs routine diagnostic and therapeutic techniques according to established protocols and standardized procedures for nurse practitioners.
• Initiates referrals based on patient and family need.
• Accurately presents and documents the database, impression and plan of care.
• Promotes, has knowledge of and utilizes appropriate patient care protocol relating to the physical, psychosocial and developmental needs of neonatal, pediatric, adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients.
• Maintains formal and informal systems for information sharing, planning and problem solving  with unit staff, other NP’s, medical staff and other nursing and hospital personnel.

APPJob Summary:

The Nurse practitioner/physician assistant is an APP responsible for comprehensive direct patient care management. The APP manages a caseload of patients and exercises autonomous decision making in the assessment, diagnosis, and initiation of delegated medical treatments. The scope of practice also includes family support, teaching, staff education, consultation, and research.

APP: Provide comprehensive care to patients in the inpatient settings cared for by the APPs of the cardiac surgery ICU and stepdown units.  . Work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team, using advanced clinical skills to manage a caseload of patients. Assess, diagnose, initiate delegated medical treatments, perform independent nursing interventions, and evaluate care. Provide a model of care that is shaped by theory, expanded by science, research and reflective practice and is identified by a holistic and comprehensive approach to the patients.

Nurse Practitioner - Education and Experience Requirements:

• Advanced degree (or equivalent, if license received prior to July 1, 2001) from an accredited school/college of nursing required.
• Ability to obtain Illinois advanced practice nurse (APN) license by start date required.
• Current license as a Registered Nurse required.
• AANC certification as an ACNP and/or ANP-BC required.
• Minimum two years of critical care clinical nursing experience with demonstrated clinical competence in patient care, teaching and management of patients with critical illness, and knowledge about clinical aspects of critical care including protocol therapy preferred

Physician Assistant - Education and Experience Requirements:

• Education: Completion of an accredited (physician assistant) educational program required.
• Licensure: Certification in ACLS and by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) and current and/or eligibility for:  State of Illinois licensure / registration required
• ICU Certification Required
• ICU experience highly preferred

 Position Details

• Job Type/FTE: Full-Time, 1.0 FTE
• Shift: Rotating, 3X12'S
• Unit/Department: 374581- APN Billing
• CBA Code: Non-Union