Highly Skilled Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Wanted

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and dedicated Acute Care Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant to join our team at the University of Maryland Medical System. This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to make a meaningful contribution to the delivery of high-quality patient care in a fast-paced environment.

Job Summary

This position involves working as part of a dynamic team to provide comprehensive care to patients in the Cardiac Surgery Service. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to deliver patient-centered care that meets the highest standards of quality and safety.

Responsibilities

• Clinical Responsibilities
  • In collaboration with attending physicians, provide day-to-day organizational and clinical direction and leadership to the healthcare provider team.
  • Perform comprehensive history and physical assessments for patients admitted or scheduled to receive service.
  • Order, obtain, and interpret appropriate diagnostic tests.
  • Establish medical diagnoses based on history, assessment, and diagnostic findings.
  • Design, order, and document appropriate treatment plans/plans of care, including prescriptions of medications based on a comprehensive review of HPI and diagnostic results.
  • Initiate protocols/clinical pathways, evaluate the plan of care, and ensure timely intervention.
  • Perform invasive procedures.
  • Collaborate with attendings and residents regarding admission, discharge, and transfer decisions.
  • Present patients in the nurse practitioner's caseload on rounds.
  • Communicate the plan of care with appropriate providers, including the collaborative physician, primary care provider, referring provider, nursing staff, and case manager.
  • Communicate the plan of care with patients and family members, providing patient and family instruction related to the plan of care, disease process, new treatment plans, and medication regimens.
  • Counsel and educate patients and family members in disease processes, health maintenance, and health promotion activities.
  • Provide primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive care services.
  • Initiate appropriate referrals and specialty consultations or other agency involvement as needed.
  • Facilitate patient flow, collaborating with the multidisciplinary team, including case management, to ensure appropriate and timely discharge.
  • Provide specialty consultation.
  • Advocate for patients, ensuring patient/family participation in care, knowledge of treatment options, and understanding of patient rights.
  • Consider the holistic needs of patients and orchestrate resources (e.g., pain service, palliative care).
• Education Responsibilities
  • Provide formal and informal educational programs for other members of the healthcare team consistent with evidence-based practice standards.
  • Participate in mentoring activities, precept students, and promote understanding of disease processes in areas of specialty/program.
  • Function as a clinical resource for other team members, including interns, residents, fellows, nurses, and medical students.
  • Provide community education, health promotion, and outreach.
  • Act as a community health resource for specialty disease entities.
• Clinical Leadership/Outcomes
  • Coordinate adequate nurse practitioner coverage on their service, working with the physician and nurse practitioner staff to assure this coverage.
  • Work with physician leaders and hospital administration to achieve service-specific outcome targets for key metrics, including clinical outcomes, length of stay, cost of care, and patient satisfaction.
  • Participate in performance improvement activities aimed at improving clinical outcomes and minimizing variation.
  • In collaboration with physician leadership and the multidisciplinary team, develop clinical pathways.
  • Participate in and lead quality assurance activities (e.g., chart reviews, peer review) and establish standards of practice.
  • Advance the patient care delivery process through the application of research, evidence-based practice standards, and industry best practices.
  • Advise and influence hospital-level policy and procedure that improves the delivery of care.
  • Introduce and evaluate new patient care delivery systems, models of care, therapeutic, and preventive interventions that target patient needs not met by current care delivery strategies.
  • Actively participate and contribute to various department and division meetings and organizational initiatives.
  • Maintain compliance and regulatory documentation for administrative purposes and reimbursement for services.
  • Participate in accreditation readiness.
  • Supervise ancillary staff, including completing annual reviews.
• Customer Service
  • Model and uphold a customer-service focus to all internal and external customers.
  • Demonstrate respect for all people in the work environment.
  • Ensure confidentiality of patient information.
• Professional Development and Organizational Leadership
  • Serve on department, hospital, and community committees.
  • Maintain professional licensure, certification, and collaborative agreement as required by the Maryland State Board of Nursing and national certifying organizations.
  • Participate in department educational opportunities (e.g., journal clubs, grand rounds).
  • Participate in and present at local, regional, and national professional organizations.
  • Pursue educational opportunities for professional growth (e.g., CEUs, update conferences).
  • Promote the organization to all customers, acting as a loyal and supportive informed spokesperson for the hospital.
• Research Responsibilities
  • Serve as a clinical trial sub-investigator, participating in or coordinating all phases of industry-sponsored research.
  • Doctorally prepared nurse practitioners are expected to conduct nursing research as principal investigators, adding to the body of knowledge in the nursing domain.

Requirements

• A Master of Science degree with completion of a Nurse Practitioner program. Registered and currently recorded with the Maryland Board of Examiners of Nurses and Certified as a Nurse Practitioner in the State of Maryland. Certified in area of specialty. (DEA and CDS eligible).
• CPR required
• ACLS/BCLS as required for inpatient work.
• A minimum of one year experience as a Registered Nurse is required.
• Demonstrated ability to promote professionalism through involvement in professional organizations, teaching, research, publishing, and/or certification in area of specialty.
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the patient population(s) served. Ability to demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possesses the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's requirements relative to his or her population-specific and age-specific needs.
• Highly effective verbal and written communication skills are required to interact with patient families, departmental units, medical and nursing staff on all essential matters. Demonstrated/documented effective interpersonal skills.
• Maintains updated hospital safety and other mandatory training.
• Updated immunizations as recommended per practice area.

Working Conditions

• Weekend, shift work, holiday, on-call, and overtime may be required.
• There is potential for regular exposure to patients possessing infectious diseases in the work environment; requires observance of 'Universal Precautions' by wearing gloves, goggles, and mask, is required.