Advanced Practice Provider (APP, NP, PA) Neuro Oncology

Join the University of Chicago Medicine as an Advanced Practice Provider (Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) with our Neuro Oncology Team.

As an Advanced Practice Provider, you will be responsible for comprehensive direct patient care management for patients with primary brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, and metastatic disease involving the central nervous system. You will play a critical role in delivering comprehensive, evidence-based, patient-centered care in a collaborative academic medical center environment.

The Neuro Oncology Advanced Practice Provider will collaborate with neuro-oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, nursing staff, and other multidisciplinary specialists to coordinate individualized care throughout diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up.

• Responsibilities include obtaining medical histories

• performing physical and focused neurological examinations

• ordering and interpreting diagnostic studies

• developing and implementing treatment plans in collaboration with the supervising physician within the APP’s scope of practice.

The APP will assess disease-related symptoms, monitor treatment response, and manage treatment-related side effects. Clinical responsibilities may include managing corticosteroid therapy, monitoring antiseizure medications, coordinating laboratory and imaging surveillance, and supporting patients receiving systemic antineoplastic therapies. The APP will recognize and promptly escalate neurological changes and urgent complications, including new or worsening seizures, cerebral edema, and signs of increased intracranial pressure.

Following a structured orientation, the APP will exercise clinical judgment and autonomous decision-making within established practice agreements, with physician collaboration and support. Patient and caregiver education, symptom management, supportive care coordination, and communication across the treatment team will be essential components of this role.

This position is a 100% onsite opportunity. You will need to be based in the greater Chicagoland area.

APP Job 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.

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 for patients on the cardiac surgery and vascular surgery inpatient services 
• Plans and implements appropriate pharmacological therapies.
• Accurately and appropriately performs routine diagnostic and therapeutic techniques according to established protocols and standardized procedures for APP.
• 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 APP’s, medical staff and other nursing and hospital personnel.

The APP also contributes to family support services, discharge planning, staff education, clinical consultation, quality improvement efforts, and research activities to advance patient outcomes and program excellence. 

Physician Assistant (PA) Required Qualifications

• Completion of an accredited (Physician Assistant) educational program
• Certification by the National Commission on the Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)
• Current and/or eligibility for State of Illinois licensure/registration
• Certification in ACLS

Preferred Qualifications 

• APP Experience or experience as an RN in a neurosurgery role or related
• Experience in an academic medical center or tertiary/quaternary care setting
• Strong clinical assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills in a fast-paced environment
• Experience or training in a surgical setting 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with attending surgeons, residents, fellows, nursing, and ancillary teams
• Proficiency with electronic medical records (Epic preferred)

Position Details 

• Job Type/FTE: Full Time (1.0)
• Shift: Shift: Days / 8 hour shifts / 5 shifts per week
• Unit/Department: Neurosurgery
• CBA Code:  Non-Union