Nurse Practitioner NP / Physician Assistant PA Trauma ICU

Vanderbilt University Medical Center•Nashville, TN

18h

About The Position

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is an integral member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, delivering expert care to high-acuity patients in the Trauma ICU. The role manages patients with unstable, complex medical and surgical needs who require intensive oversight, frequent rounding, specialized care, and advanced interventions. The APP applies advanced medical knowledge, clinical judgment, technical proficiency, professionalism, and strong communication skills to provide safe, high-quality, evidence-based care. The role also requires timely and compliant documentation, ongoing professional development, and competency validation. The Trauma ICU APP supports patients and families throughout the course of traumatic illness, contributes to multidisciplinary care and progression of treatment, and provides guidance to families during stressful and uncertain circumstances. The position emphasizes critical-care expertise, education, evidence-based practice, professional growth, and teamwork. The schedule consists of night shifts in the Trauma ICU, three shifts per week, with rotating weekends and holidays. The responsibilities described are a general overview, and additional duties may be assigned.

Requirements

Tennessee license to practice as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant.
For Nurse Practitioners: ACNP or AGACNP certification.
For Physician Assistants: PA certification.
Master’s degree.
Relevant work experience; the listed experience level is less than one year.
New graduate Physician Assistants must have clinical experience in a related ICU.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a surgical/trauma ICU or related ICU is preferred.

Responsibilities

Obtain and document health histories; perform and document complete, system-focused, or symptom-specific physical examinations, assessments, and plans of care.
Collaborate in providing primary, acute, and complex care and managing patients’ overall care, including identifying expected outcomes for diagnoses.
Order, perform, interpret, and collect data using appropriate assessment techniques, supporting diagnostic information, and diagnostic procedures when 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.
Provide compassionate, patient- and family-centered care, incorporating patient preferences and supporting shared decision-making.
Document findings, assessments, and plans of care in the electronic health record.
Maintain current evidence-based clinical knowledge and contribute to patient, family, student, and healthcare-team education.
Use evidence and clinical data to evaluate and improve care practices and patient outcomes.
Communicate effectively with patients, families, and healthcare-team members, and maintain professional relationships.
Participate in professional development and activities that influence advanced practice.