Intermediate Surgical Neurophysiologist

UPMC•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

UPMC Procirca is seeking a full-time Intermediate Surgical Neurophysiologist to provide real-time, multimodality neurophysiological monitoring of the peripheral and central nervous systems in the diagnostic lab, intensive care unit, and operating room. Work is performed under the general supervision of a department supervisor and/or the clinical neurophysiologist on call, in accordance with established department guidelines, policies, and procedures. The role works Monday through Friday on eight-, ten-, and twelve-hour shifts. Holiday, weekend, and on-call coverage is required after credentialing. The position includes 25% travel for coverage, with no stated limit on distance or length of stay. UPMC describes its benefits as generous and offers an expansive total rewards package and opportunities for career growth. Procirca employees must successfully complete the IONM training program and obtain the appropriate modality-specific credential within 12 months of hire. Employees are also required to continue professional development and advance to the Senior Surgical Neurophysiologist position upon meeting eligibility requirements. Failure to meet credentialing requirements or progress to the senior role when eligible may affect continued employment under departmental standards.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and at least six months of Neurophysiologic Intraoperative Monitoring (IONM) experience, or a bachelor's degree with a focus in IONM.
Successfully complete the IONM training program and obtain the appropriate modality-specific credential within 12 months of hire (Procirca employees only).
Continue professional development and advance to the Senior Surgical Neurophysiologist position upon meeting eligibility requirements (Procirca employees only).
Act 33 Child Clearance, with renewal.
Act 34 Criminal Clearance, with renewal.
Act 73 FBI Clearance, with renewal.
Act 31 Child Abuse Reporting clearance, with renewal.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) meeting AHA standards, including didactic and skills demonstration components, within 30 days of hire; alternatively, the listed requirement is Basic Life Support (BLS) or CPR.
Valid driver's license.
Automotive insurance.
Ability to travel 25% for coverage; travel is not limited by distance or length of stay.

Responsibilities

Operate neurodiagnostic equipment according to departmental policy and troubleshoot suboptimal results before and during diagnostic or intraoperative procedures.
Transport equipment safely between facilities; prepare and set up testing carts while protecting equipment and patient safety.
Operate transcranial Doppler equipment, obtain readings, calculate findings, and apply knowledge of cerebral vasculature.
Calibrate and maintain equipment, understand its operation, assist with vendor troubleshooting, and perform more complex repairs.
Understand relevant disease states, medication effects, clinical changes, and complications to support high technical quality; monitor other physiological parameters as required by departmental policy.
Apply electrodes at predetermined measured positions on the patient's head, trunk, and extremities; select electrode combinations, check their performance, and adjust non-standard montages as needed.
Recognize real-time data changes and artifacts, distinguish artifacts from evoked potential patterns, take steps to eliminate artifacts, and report changes to the oversight clinical neurophysiologist.
Record relevant patient history and review it with the oversight clinical neurophysiologist.
Keep laboratories supplied, workstations clean, and equipment in working order; provide hard-copy reports and plot samples for requesting physicians as needed.
Exercise judgment during testing and intraoperative monitoring regarding the need for intervention by the oversight clinical neurophysiologist or physician.
Set up brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BSER), compound nerve action potentials (CNAP), electrocorticography (ECOG), electroencephalography (EEG), cranial nerve EMG/MEP, upper- and lower-extremity EMG/MEP, sphincter EMG/MEP, phase reversal, upper- and lower-extremity somatosensory evoked potentials, direct cortical stimulation (DCS), and transcranial motor evoked potentials.
Collaborate with the anesthesia team on optimal anesthetic delivery based on clinical assessment and document requested modalities.
Assist medical staff during nonstandard procedures, assist with research data collection, and support the supervisor's administrative duties during absences.
Complete electronic workflow according to departmental policies and ensure data is secure and accessible postoperatively.
Display and label waveforms and mark, measure, and calculate information such as latencies, amplitudes, and conduction times in accordance with established guidelines and protocols.
Communicate promptly with the attending physician to determine which modalities will be performed for a procedure and document surgeon requests according to departmental policy.
Recognize discrepancies between ordered testing and the patient's diagnosis.
Keep current with advances in neurodiagnostic technology and continue developing knowledge of brain anatomy and function, diseases, and electrical brain patterns.
Participate in mandatory department training, hospital in-service programs, professional meetings, and seminars; advance skills through books, professional journals, and online training materials.
Perform portable, difficult, or unusual testing, particularly evoked potentials in the ICU and operating room, with telemedicine supervision while maintaining patient safety.
Obtain standard recordings and report findings to the oversight clinical neurophysiologist.