Advanced Practice - Thoracic Surgery - NP or Physician Assistant - Night Shift

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

15d

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a key member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team in the inpatient acute care setting, collaborating with physicians and other care providers to manage a distinct patient population. In the Thoracic Surgery division at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), the APP provides specialized, evidence-based care for inpatient thoracic surgery patients, following established clinical pathways and protocols. The position requires advanced medical knowledge, clinical and technical competence, sound judgment, professional communication, compliant documentation, and ongoing professional development and competency validation. VUMC’s Department of Thoracic Surgery focuses on non-cardiac chest surgery, lung transplantation, and complex oncologic care. Conditions treated include lung cancer, pulmonary nodules and metastases; esophageal cancer, achalasia, reflux and hernias; pleural and mediastinal diseases; tracheal disorders; chest wall tumors and deformities; end-stage lung disease; lung transplantation; and ECMO management. The role involves inpatient responsibilities such as rounding, responding to calls from the floor, admissions and discharges, and chest tube removal. It is not an operating-room position. APPs may work as Acute Care Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants and are integrated into the medical team, managing postoperative and complex, high-acuity surgical cases with substantial autonomy. This is a night-shift role with 13-hour shifts, typically three shifts per week.

Requirements

Master’s or doctorate degree in nursing or physician assistant studies; the position qualifications also list a master’s degree.
National board certification as an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), or Physician Assistant (PA).
Tennessee license/certificate of fitness to prescribe; eligible for an NPI and DEA.
Relevant work experience; the posting lists an experience level of less than one year.
Tennessee licensure as a nurse practitioner or certified physician assistant, as applicable.
Ability to provide inpatient acute and complex care, exercise clinical judgment, and communicate professionally.

Nice To Haves

Critical care background highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Obtain and document health histories; perform and document complete, system-focused, or symptom-specific physical examinations, assessments, and plans of care.
Provide, in collaboration with other clinicians, primary, acute, and complex care and manage patients’ overall care, identifying expected outcomes for diagnoses.
Order, perform, interpret, and collect data using appropriate assessment techniques, supporting diagnostic information, and diagnostic procedures where indicated.
Form differential diagnoses and treat acute and chronic conditions.
Prescribe pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and surgical therapeutic interventions needed to achieve expected outcomes.
Use evidence-based, approved practice protocols to plan and implement care.
Initiate appropriate referrals and consultations.
Provide specialty-specific consultation services upon request and within the scope of practice.
Facilitate patient transitions between and within healthcare settings, including admission, transfer, and discharge.
Round on inpatient thoracic surgery patients, respond to calls from the floor, and perform duties such as pulling chest tubes.
Maintain timely and compliant documentation and participate in professional development and competency validation.
Educate patients, families, students, and healthcare team members on clinical topics and the application of clinical knowledge.
Use evidence and clinical data to evaluate and improve patient care and practice quality.
Communicate effectively with patients, families, and healthcare team members, and maintain professional relationships.