Advanced Practice Professional - Primary Care

About the role

The West Virginia University Health System, the state's largest health system and largest private employer, comprises 18 hospitals throughout the state and bordering states. In addition, it includes five institutes, as well as providing management services for other local hospitals through affiliate agreements. Whether you are caring for our patients at one of the critical access hospitals, community sites, regional or academic medical centers, we are all one WVU Health System. Work Here. Thrive Here.

Responsibilities

• Manages comprehensive and individualized care for primary care patients and their families in the ambulatory setting.
• Consults and/or pre-procedure/evaluations, acute visits and wellness visits.
• Completes integrated assessments.
• Orders additional tests or consults as deemed appropriate.
• Performs and communicates results of diagnostic tests following established clinical guidelines and scope of practice.
• Communicates with clinic and hospital staff regarding abnormal findings in the evaluations of patients.
• Facilitates patient follow-up by coordinating appropriate services and tests for follow-up appointments in the clinic (as applicable).
• Develops a comprehensive individualized plan of care for primary care patients, which includes teaching, follow-up planning and necessary referral to other members of the health care team as necessary.
• Demonstrates expertise in caring for patients across the age continuum of their educational experience and certification.
• Identifies unstable or complex primary care patient care situations and facilitates appropriate intervention in the clinic and/or hospital setting.
• Recognizes emergency situations and initiates effective emergency care.
• Evaluates primary care patients and serves as a coordinator for follow up procedures and tests in the ambulatory setting (as applicable).
• Assists in the collection of outcome measures (as applicable).
• Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision making by the identification, evaluation and management of the individual needs of patients/families.
• Bases decisions made/actions taken on the relevant scientific principles, established standards of care and/or research findings.
• Utilizes teaching/learning theory and appropriate teaching strategies in the provision of education to nursing staff, hospital staff, students, patients, families and the community.
• Promotes an environment that facilitates learning by responding to appropriate patient/internal preferences, priorities and readiness to learn.
• Updates own knowledge base throughout the year.
• Completes all identified clinical competencies.
• Serves as a resource person for staff caring for the primary care patient.
• Provides educational programs to professional and paraprofessional personnel in area of expertise.
• Participates in community programs, distribution of literature, as appropriate in area of expertise.
• Documents the plan of care, interventions and evaluations in a clear and concise manner for every patient visit in the patient’s medical record following approved hospital/UHA policies and compliance standards for documentation.
• Collaborates with other leaders and staff to effectively achieve patient outcome based improvements in care.
• Provides leadership in the development and implantation of changes in the primary care practice that positively impact patient outcomes.
• Works collaboratively with medical and nursing staff to facilitate creative problem solving and provide professional support.
• Participates and initiates inter-disciplinary approaches to patient care, program development and education.
• Serves as a professional role model.
• Participates and provides leadership for committees and task forces.
• Reviews and interprets primary care data from sources such as patient registries, clinical and financial reports, length of stay, access to care, and cost per case reports and recommends/implements changes as necessary.
• Participates in clinical trials and research studies with the Principal Investigator.
• Assists primary care Faculty, Administrators and Directors in the collection of outcome measures.

Qualifications

• Graduate of a CCNE accredited nursing program with Master’s Degree in Nursing.
• National Certification by one of the recognized APRN Certification Centers.
• Licensure or eligibility for licensure as a professional Registered Nurse and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Pennsylvania.
• American Heart Association BLS Certification required with additional Advanced Life Support training at the discretion of the department.
• Primary care experience preferred.
• Eligible new graduates will be considered.
• Master’s Degree as Physician Assistant preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• ACNPs and FNPs considered.
• Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree as a Medical/Surgical (as applicable) Physician Assistant required.
• Certification by the National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants required.
• Licensed or eligible for licensure by the PA Board of Medicine.
• American Heart Association BLS Certification required with additional Advanced Life Support training at the discretion of the department.

Skills and Abilities

• Proficiency with computers.
• Strong communication skills.

Physical Requirements

Heavy/Hard Work: Work requires strength and/or stamina, lifting, moving, stooping, reaching, positioning of patients, standing, walking, and carrying of patients, materials and equipment weighting 40+ pounds.

Working Environment

Protracted or irregular hours. Working around biohazards. Working around infectious diseases. Working with or near the deceased. Working with hands in water. Electrical hazards associated with patient care equipment.