Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant - Acute Care Surgery

Medical University of South Carolina•Charleston, SC

18h•Onsite

About The Position

The Division of Acute Care Surgery is recruiting an Advanced Practice Provider for a split 1.0 FTE position supporting two complementary missions. The clinical half (0.5 FTE, Department of Surgery funded) provides longitudinal outpatient care for patients with chest wall injury and pathology, including pain management, preoperative evaluation, postoperative follow-up, and follow-up after admission for traumatic chest wall injury or pathology. It also includes inpatient consultation and co-management, telehealth visits, diagnostic-result follow-up, patient communication, surgical case coordination, and participation in quality improvement, research, and registry activities. Where chest wall clinical volume does not fully occupy the funded clinical effort, the APP may be assigned to aligned clinical services within the Division of Acute Care Surgery. The system half (0.5 FTE, system funded) advances trauma and disaster preparedness across MUSC Charleston and regional health network hospitals through clinical education, simulation design and delivery, and development of site-specific and system-wide disaster management plans. The position includes planning for high-consequence, low-frequency events, coordinating preparedness across sites, leading debriefs and after-action reviews, and maintaining plans and curricula. Regular travel to regional hospitals is required, and occasional participation in exercises or activation outside standard business hours may be needed. The role combines direct patient care with system-level program development. The APP is assigned a primary supervising/collaborating MUSC physician and reports directly to that physician. Clinical effort is accountable to the Chief of Acute Care Surgery and Director of the Chest Wall Injury Center; disaster preparedness effort is accountable to the Trauma Systems Lead and Trauma Medical Director. Supervising leadership coordinates effort allocation, scheduling, and annual performance evaluation.

Requirements

Completion of an accredited Physician Assistant program and current or eligible licensure as a Physician Assistant, or completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program and current or eligible APRN licensure.
For APRNs, eligible training includes AGPNP/ANP for adult patients aged 13 years to death in stable chronic disease management or primary care, or FNP for patients from birth to death in stable chronic disease management or primary care across the lifespan.
Clinical experience in trauma, acute care surgery, thoracic surgery, or a closely related surgical specialty.
Current national certification appropriate to the discipline, such as ANCC or AANP for NPs or NCCPA for PAs, before the start date.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
ACLS is required for adult inpatient-only positions.
If applicable, DHEC and DEA license applications must be started before the first day.
Sound clinical judgment in assessment and longitudinal management of surgical and trauma patients.
Ability to plan for and teach responses to high-consequence, low-frequency events, including multipatient and mass casualty scenarios.
Strong instructional, facilitation, and debriefing skills for adult learners across disciplines and sites.
Effective written and verbal communication, including the ability to develop clear operational plans and instructional materials.
Ability to work independently, manage a split appointment, and prioritize competing clinical and system responsibilities.
Proficiency with electronic health records, telehealth platforms, and standard office and presentation software.

Nice To Haves

AGACNP/ACNP training for adult patients aged 13 years to death who are acutely ill or injured, potentially unstable, or technologically dependent.
Experience in healthcare simulation design and facilitation.
Formal training or experience in emergency management, disaster preparedness, or mass casualty response.
Experience delivering clinical education to interprofessional audiences.
Experience caring for patients with traumatic chest wall injury, including surgical stabilization of rib fractures.

Responsibilities

Take comprehensive patient histories, perform physical examinations, and evaluate and treat patients using diagnostic results within the applicable practice agreement or scope of practice.
Perform approved therapeutic procedures, including chest tube removal, suture and staple removal, wound care, simple incision and drainage, negative pressure wound therapy application and management, and intercostal nerve blocks.
Evaluate and manage chest wall injury patients in outpatient clinic, including preoperative evaluation, postoperative follow-up, and follow-up after admission.
Provide inpatient consultation and co-management for chest wall injury and pathology patients in coordination with trauma and acute care surgery teams.
Conduct appropriate telehealth visits and ensure documentation and follow-up equivalent to in-person care.
Review, interpret, and follow up on laboratory studies, imaging, and other diagnostic results, escalating findings to the supervising surgeon as clinically indicated.
Manage patient calls and other clinical communications, including triage, symptom assessment, medication questions, and care coordination.
Coordinate and schedule surgical cases with operating room, scheduling staff, and the surgical team.
Document and bill for direct care, and maintain accurate and timely electronic health records.
Participate in quality and performance improvement, clinical research, prospective data collection, registry maintenance, and scholarly work for the chest wall injury program.
Initiate referrals and consult with attending or collaborating physicians as appropriate.
Support accreditation, compliance, regulatory activities, and professional practice through continuing education and participation in professional organizations.
Potentially precept advanced practice provider students and facilitate the learning of new team members.
Provide trauma and disaster preparedness education to nurses, providers, and other clinical staff at MUSC Charleston and regional health network hospitals.
Design and deliver trauma and disaster preparedness simulations, including tabletop and in situ exercises, and lead structured debriefs.
Develop site-specific trauma and disaster management plans tailored to regional hospitals' resources, geography, and patient populations.
Develop and maintain a system-level trauma and disaster management plan addressing multipatient scenarios, mass casualty incidents, terrorist attacks, chemical weapons deployment, and acts of war.
Coordinate preparedness activities across sites to promote consistency, interoperability, and shared situational awareness.
Conduct preparedness-program performance improvement, including after-action reviews, corrective-action tracking, and iterative revision of plans and curricula.
Collaborate with hospital emergency management, trauma leadership, nursing education, regional partners, and external agencies to align planning with regional and state frameworks.
Maintain licenses, certifications, and continuing education requirements as required by policy and state law.