Advanced Practice Practitioner – Cardiac ICU

Position Summary

The Advanced Practice Practitioner functions as a health care provider within a particular specialty service for the purpose of providing age-appropriate care to a culturally diverse patient population.

The Advanced Practice Practitioner works interdependently with and independently within the health care team providing care that is family-centered as well as efficient, respectful of time, and fiscally responsible. This role supports the organizational mission of making life better for children by improving access to care, providing continuity of care as well as insuring the delivery of quality care.

Job Specific Responsibilities

Practitioner:

• Provides direct clinical care in an expanded role guided by education, clinical expertise and Collaborative Practice Agreement or Protocol that incorporates comprehensive assessment skills, diagnostic ability, critical thinking, independent decision-making, collaborative management of health and illness problems, leadership within complex systems, and the ability to critically analyze and translate research findings into practice.

This includes:

• Patient history and physical examination.
• Diagnosis and patient management (both inpatient and outpatient as appropriate) including ordering and prescribing of medications and treatments:
• Orders and interprets necessary diagnostic and/or therapeutic tests.
• Patient consultation and referrals
• Procedures
• Evaluates patient response to interventions and modifies care plan as necessary to achieve desired outcomes
• Discharge planning
• Anticipatory guidance regarding pediatric growth and development

Consultant/Mentor:

• Consults as needed with other health care professionals, patients, and families in the formulation and initiation of the health care plan
• Evaluates the outcome of the patient consultation and modifies recommendations as needed to facilitate restoration of health
• Utilization of advanced knowledge to provide clinical leadership to other health care professionals through mentoring, education, and clinical consultation

Educator:

• Identifies the learning needs of patients and their families and directs educational activities to meet these needs
• Recognizes educational or knowledge needs of peers or nursing staff and participates in formal or informal educational activities to meet identified needs
• Evaluates response to educational interventions, including validation of learning and understanding to determine the impact on quality of care

Researcher:

• Participates actively in research, independently or in collaboration with other professionals as a member of a research team, assisting in gathering data, collaborating as a research investigator or initiating research
• Reviews and utilizes current literature and research findings for evidence-based practice in the health care of patients and their families

Professional Accountability:

• Participates in hospital-wide performance improvement programs and assists with regulatory compliance
• Participates in the performance and quality measurement programs of the Advanced Practice Service
• Provides accurate, timely and effective communication within their clinical workgroup, the Advanced Practice Service, and with all hospital personnel
• Advanced Practice Practitioners will practice within a shared governance structure that is functional and in alignment with the Advanced Practice Service model
• Provides care in a manner that supports the Patient/Family Centered Care model and nursing philosophy adopted by the hospital.

Qualifications

Preferred: 2 years’ experience

Licenses and Certifications

APN: Current licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of Texas (or current valid Compact RN license)

APN: Current certification as a Nurse Practitioner by a national certifying body recognized by the Texas Board of Nursing in the appropriate population focus area

PA: Current license or temporary license issued by the Texas Physician Assistant Board. If license is temporary, full licensure to practice as a Physican Assistant must be issued within 180 days of hire.

PA: Current certificate issued by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

APN & PA: Current BLS (Basic Life Support-CPR) certification

APN & PA: Current NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation Program) certification if practicing in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)

APN & PA: Current PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) certification