NURSE ANESTHETIST

At Houston Methodist, the Nurse Anesthetist II position, under the direction of the attending Anesthesiologist and Chair of the Department, provides pre-anesthesia, anesthesia and post-anesthesia services in a clinical, research and academic environment. This position affects direct patient care according to the nurse practice act of the State of Texas and Houston Methodist Standards of Care policies and procedures. The Nurse Anesthetist position participates in the educational imperative of the Department of Anesthesiology.

Requirements:

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

* Uses therapeutic communication, which includes active listening and teaching, to establish a relationship with patients, families and inter-professional health care team to collaborate on the appropriate anesthesia plan. Educates patient and family regarding expectations before and after surgery.
* Provides leadership as clinical resource, inter-professional consult, and patient advocate. Teaches others to critically think by verbally expressing rationale for decisions and following up by coaching and critiquing colleagues' thought processes in complex situations.
* Communicates in an active, positive and effective manner to all health care team members, asking them if they need help, constructively influencing team morale. Contributes towards improvement of department score for turnover/retention/employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

* Performs safe and effective care and delegated functions under physician supervision and treatment as defined by the Texas Nursing Board to practice guidelines. Performs thorough and complete pre-anesthesia assessments and develops appropriate anesthesia plans.
* Places and maintains epidural catheters as adjuncts to anesthesia. Places and monitors arterial and central venous catheters including pulmonary artery catheters.
* Role models behaviors and skills, through peer-to-peer accountability, towards improving score for patient satisfaction.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

* Administers anesthesia in accordance with clinical privileges, including induction, maintenance and emergence. Selects, obtains and administers anesthetics, adjuvant drugs, accessory drugs and fluids necessary to manage the anesthetic, to maintain the patient's physiologic homeostasis, and to correct abnormal responses to the anesthesia or surgery. Documents pertinent information on the patient's medical record.
* Monitors, interprets and evaluates, ongoing data, as appropriate, for the type of anesthetic and specific patient needs. Provides expertise in airway management both in and out of the surgical suite catheters.
* Responds to emergency situations by providing airway management, administration of emergency fluids or drugs, or using basic or advanced cardiac life support techniques.
* Actively participates in meeting quality and safety targets and initiatives, reporting near misses and identifying solutions by collaborating with the inter-professional health care team. Uses teachable moments to improve safety.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

* Implements department strategies to achieve financial target on entity scorecard and mentors others to do the same through timely documentation of care, optimizing efficiency, and other areas according to department specifications.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

* May serve on a variety of institutional committees and participate as instructors in staff development and continuing education programs for both professional and non-professional staff members.
* Maintains personal professional development through organization membership. Attends workshops and other educational programs, to ensure awareness of current developments and trends.
* Identifies and assumes responsibility of own learning needs, consults with healthcare team experts and seeks continuing education opportunities to meet those needs. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates My Development plan on an on-going basis.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

Qualifications:

EDUCATION

* Bachelor of Science degree or higher from an accredited School of Nursing
* Completion of Nurse Anesthesia program

WORK EXPERIENCE

* One year of anesthesia experience preferred which includes residency experience

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

* RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure and/or Compact State Licensure within 90 days or
* RN-Temp - Registered Nurse - Temporary State Licensure within 90 days and
* APRN - Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - Texas Board of Nursing and
* APRN-CRNA - Certified Nurse Anesthetist NP - State Licensure and
* BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA) and
* ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support (AHA)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

* Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
* Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
* Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
* Strong assessment, organizational and problem-solving skill as evidenced by capacity to prioritize multiple tasks and role components
* Ability to function independently and exercise judgment in interactions with physicians, interprofessional care team and patients and their families
* Demonstrates sound clinical knowledge of technology and treatment applications
* Thorough knowledge and related skills of current anesthesia practices with emphasis on administration of anesthesia for the patient undergoing cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery
* In depth knowledge of pharmacology with emphasis on anesthetic, cardiac and vasoactive drugs
* Thorough knowledge of anesthetic equipment
* Expertise in the placement of invasive monitoring devices including arterial, central venous and pulmonary artery catheters
* Ability to move, manipulate, and safely operate anesthesia equipment during the administration of all types of anesthesia to all sizes of patients
* Ability to adapt to work environment changes.
* Ability to maintain confidentiality, including HIPPA regulations compliance
* Ability to adjust work schedule to meet varying demands
* Uses critical thinking skills and clinical judgement to work autonomously as defined by the Texas Nursing Board & collaborates with healthcare team members to manage/coordinate patient care

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

* Uniform No
* Scrubs Yes
* Business professional Yes
* Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*

* Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
* On Call* Yes

TRAVEL

Travel specifications may vary by department

* May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
* May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Company Profile:

As one of the nation's leading hospitals and academic medical centers, Houston Methodist has brought together some of the nation's leading experts in multiple specialties to serve our patients. Houston Methodist Specialty Physician Group employs over 800 physicians at more than 150 locations across Houston. Our specialists are on the forefront of research, developing leading-edge technologies and treatments, and teaching the medical pioneers of tomorrow. The combination of clinical service, research and academics ensure patients have access to the latest treatments and technologies while providing the best comprehensive patient care.

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