Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (with RNFA) - Cardiac Surgery, Full-time, Days

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Winfield, IL

10d • $66 - $86

About The Position

Northwestern Medicine is hiring an experienced Physician Assistant or Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with RNFA for its Cardiac Surgery department. The role is a 50/50 split between inpatient and outpatient care, with a Monday–Friday schedule of eight-hour days and required call. Call includes one weekend per month, from Friday through Monday, and overnight call two to three times per month from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.

In the inpatient setting, the provider gathers laboratory results, vital signs, and updates on preoperative and postoperative patients; evaluates patients and develops care plans; rounds with surgeons; documents preoperative and postoperative care; follows up on patient events; and coordinates with the on-call surgeon. The provider responds to urgent calls from cardiac catheterization labs at CDH, Delnor, and Kishwaukee hospitals, facilitates transfers and emergency operating-room requests, and remains available during weekday catheterization lab hours. Additional duties include discharging patients after surgery, evaluating and initiating workups for new inpatient consultations, admitting patients for cardiac surgery evaluation, and answering questions about inpatients and outpatients. Weekend rounding includes patient assessment, documentation, care planning with the rounding physician, and discharges.

When not assigned to patient rounds, the provider may work in the operating room, first-assisting on open-heart cases and performing endoscopic vein harvesting for CABG patients. The provider takes rotating weekday and weekend operating-room call for emergency cardiac surgery cases. Outpatient duties include seeing postoperative patients, refilling medications, facilitating orders, debriding wounds when needed, and scheduling surgery for appropriate patients seen as new office consults.

The role provides advanced clinical care, including patient assessment, diagnosis and management, medication and therapy orders, test ordering and interpretation within clinical privileges, patient and family education, documentation, referrals, and consultation with other disciplines. The provider collaborates with physicians and other health professionals, supports quality improvement and research, mentors students, contributes to staff education, maintains required certification and continuing education, and serves as a patient advocate and professional role model.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited school or college of nursing, or a master’s degree from an accredited Physician Assistant program.
• For APRNs, acute-care certification is required; inpatient experience as an NP may be considered in lieu of acute-care certification.
• First Assist Certification is required for all APRNs.
• For the APRN pathway: current Illinois Registered Nurse license, current Illinois Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license, and national APRN certification approved by the Illinois Department of Regulation APRN Board. Once licensed, may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number.
• For the Physician Assistant pathway: current Illinois Physician Assistant license. Once licensed, may apply for a controlled substance license and DEA number.
• Credentialing and privileging through the Northwestern Medicine Medical Staff Office.
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Ability to meet the role's required call schedule, including one weekend per month and overnight call two to three times per month.

Nice To Haves

• Two years of cardiac surgery experience.

Responsibilities

• Collect laboratory data, vital signs, and significant event information for preoperative and postoperative patients.
• Evaluate patients, formulate care plans, round with surgeons, and document preoperative and postoperative care.
• Follow up on patient events during the day and round with the on-call surgeon at the end of the workday.
• Respond to urgent calls from cardiac catheterization labs at CDH, Delnor, and Kishwaukee hospitals; facilitate transfers and emergency operating-room requests.
• Remain available during weekday cardiac catheterization working hours.
• Complete discharges for patients ready to leave the hospital after surgery.
• Evaluate new inpatient consultations and initiate workups.
• Admit patients from outside hospitals or directly from home for cardiac surgery evaluation.
• Answer service-phone questions and address problems concerning inpatients and outpatients.
• Perform weekend rounding, assessments, progress notes, care planning with the rounding physician, and discharges.
• First-assist on open-heart cases and perform endoscopic vein harvesting for CABG patients when assigned to the operating room.
• Take rotating weekday and weekend operating-room call for emergency cardiac surgery cases.
• See postoperative patients in the outpatient clinic; refill medications, facilitate orders, debride wounds when needed, and schedule surgery for appropriate new consults.
• Conduct comprehensive health appraisals, including histories and physical examinations, and provide direct clinical care.
• Prescribe or order medications and therapies, and order or interpret laboratory tests, x-rays, and procedures in accordance with clinical privileges.
• Evaluate patients' need for further health care, provide patient and family teaching, document care and education, and refer to other disciplines as appropriate.
• Consult with other disciplines and collaborate with physicians and other health professionals in the area of clinical expertise.
• Integrate research-based knowledge and clinical expertise into decision-making and participate in quality-improvement or research initiatives.
• Maintain certifications and continuing education required for licensure and privileging.
• Mentor students, serve as a preceptor and role model, and support continuing education for staff and formal education for internal and external groups.
• Advocate for patients, families, coworkers, and the community; participate in committees and task forces as appropriate.

Benefits

• Tuition reimbursement
• Loan forgiveness
• 401(k) matching
• Lifecycle benefits
• A range of benefits intended to support physical, emotional, and financial well-being and provide protection for unexpected life events

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time