Anesthesia OR PA

University of Iowa•Iowa City, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Physician Assistant in the Department of Anesthesia performs pre-operative and post-anesthesia assessments for patients scheduled for surgery in the OR at UI Health Care Medical Center University. The PA assists with educating resident physicians, medical students, and nurse anesthetist students rotating through the OR, and supports research related to pre-operative and pre-anesthesia assessments. Working within an interdisciplinary team, the PA helps ensure safe, effective, quality patient care and advances UI Health Care’s educational and research missions. The PA exercises autonomy in medical decision-making and in the services provided. The role includes postoperative management in the PACU, including assessment and treatment of pain, nausea, hemodynamic concerns, and other common postoperative conditions under established protocols and in collaboration with physicians. The PA also contributes to multimodal pain management, perioperative care pathways, quality improvement, and patient safety efforts. Applicants must submit a resume/CV and cover letter, marked as a “Relevant File,” to be considered for an interview. Openings are posted for at least 14 calendar days and may be removed and filled after that period. Successful candidates must disclose conviction history and undergo criminal background and credential/education verification. The position is not eligible for University employment-authorization sponsorship. Up to five professional references may be requested later in the recruitment process. The department plans to hire multiple candidates across the Anesthesia OR ARNP and Anesthesia OR PA positions based on applicant qualifications.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited Physician Assistant educational program.
Comply with Iowa Board of Physician Assistant Examiners registration and licensure requirements.
Hold current certification from the NCCPA.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Contribute to a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.
Ability to prioritize workflow.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience in the area of clinical practice.
Ability to function with a high degree of independence in a collaborative, multidisciplinary team providing care for highly complex patients.

Responsibilities

Review patient records, including prior anesthetics, surgical and nursing workups, consultant workups, clinical notes, and testing procedures.
Evaluate patients according to the standard anesthetic evaluation, including medical history, airway, heart and lung examinations, and other clinically indicated organ systems.
Provide postoperative management in the PACU, assessing and treating pain, nausea, hemodynamic concerns, and other common postoperative conditions under established protocols and in collaboration with physicians.
Assist with multimodal pain management, including medication titration, regional anesthesia follow-up, and escalation of complex pain concerns to anesthesia faculty as appropriate.
Participate in developing and implementing standardized perioperative care pathways, quality improvement initiatives, and patient safety efforts.
Perform further evaluations as directed by the staff physician.
Help patients understand anesthetic teaching materials and NPO instructions.
Instruct patients about medications to take on the day of surgery, including management of insulin doses.
Write orders for patient pre-medication in consultation with the staff physician or clinic supervisor.
Order diagnostic tests in consultation with the staff physician.
Request relevant outside medical records, including by contacting outside physicians, offices, or hospitals.
Coordinate with services inside or outside the hospital to request further consultation or workup, in cooperation with the staff physician.
Communicate patients’ special needs or concerns to the anesthesia team.
Collect information such as workup duration and patient health status to help optimize OR function.
Identify issues that may dissatisfy patients or lead to inefficiency.
Teach substitutes and replacements about the position’s duties and instruct junior residents or SRNA students in pre-operative and pre-anesthesia evaluation, by example and direct instruction.
Establish and maintain respectful, honest, and service-oriented collaboration among peers and employees, and uphold shared standards and ethics.
Motivate others to perform at a high level through stewardship of University resources, setting expectations, measuring success through individual performance evaluations, and driving organizational results.
Identify development opportunities and create plans that support employees’ personal and professional growth; engage self and staff in reflection on the University’s broader role in society.
Perform other duties as assigned.