Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - Medical Oncology - Full Time

Delivers medical care to a wide variety of patients, examines and treats patients independently and in autonomous collaboration with other health care professionals. Ensures proper illness and injury care, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. May prescribe medications and order diagnostic tests. Advises patients about continuing care.

Responsibilities

• Performs and documents complete physical examinations and comprehensive health histories.
• Functions independently to perform age-appropriate history and physical for patients.
• Orders and interprets diagnostic and therapeutic tests relative to patient’s age-specific needs.
• Prescribes appropriate pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment modalities.
• Implements interventions to support the patient to regain or maintain physiologic stability.
• Assists with the provision of care in accordance with facility, state, and federal regulations.
• Monitors the effectiveness of interventions.
• Facilitates the patient’s transition within and between health care settings, e.g. admitting, transferring, and discharging patients.
• Collaborates with multidisciplinary team members by making appropriate referrals.
• Facilitates staff, patient and family decision making by providing educational tools.
• Adheres to University and unit-level policies and procedures and safeguards University assets.
• Serves as a primary clinical point of contact for high-priority cancer patients, ensuring timely assessment, triage, follow-up, and coordination of care across the oncology continuum.
• Reviews outside records, pathology, imaging, laboratory results, and prior treatment history to support timely clinical decision-making and appropriate assignment to the oncology team.
• Coordinates expedited access to oncology specialists, diagnostic testing, procedures, treatment planning, and supportive services to reduce delays in care for high-priority patients.
• Provides patient/family education regarding disease processes, treatment options, treatment symptoms and outcomes, possible complications, goals of care, medications, discharge planning, survivorship, and lifestyle modification.
• Collaborates closely with physicians, disease-site teams, nursing, navigation, scheduling, social work, and supportive care teams to ensure seamless and patient-centered care coordination.
• Triages urgent symptoms, abnormal test results, treatment-related toxicities, or changes in clinical status and escalates concerns to the appropriate physician or care team in a timely manner.
• Facilitates communication between the patient, family/caregivers, referring providers, and the oncology care team to support understanding of the care plan and next steps.
• Serves as a liaison with referring providers and external institutions to obtain necessary records, clarify urgency, and ensure continuity of care for high-priority patients.
• Participates in staff meetings and other pertinent meetings related to patient care.
• Collects data for patient and High Priority Patient (HPP) program evaluation and participates in quality assessment and improvement activities.
• Tracks key program metrics for high-priority patients, such as time to appointment, time to treatment, completed referrals, barriers addressed, patient outcomes, and care coordination interventions.
• Participates in unit QI/Research projects.
• Provides coverage to areas of need when assigned.
• Provides new patient education, and ongoing teaching to oncology patients according to accreditation requirements.
• Provides education on and referrals to the Survivorship and Supportive Care Program.
• Assures appropriate transfer of patient/communication/documentation to the patient’s physician and team.
• Facilitates shared decision making with the patients, caregivers, families, and care team.
• Promotes advanced care planning by assisting patients in formulating a discussion with their care team.
• Screens patients for clinical trials and refers to the appropriate primary investigator (PI).
• Collaborates with referring physician or physician investigator (PI) through discussion and assessment of diagnoses and ascertains patient eligibility for participation in the Extended Access Program (EAP), including documentation of criteria specified in the EAP protocol.
• Attends institutional PI and Site Disease Group (SDG) meetings and participates by providing patient updates.
• Supports the physician, regulatory analyst, and/or staff with accurate reporting of adverse events by expanded access program/compassionate use participants in accordance with regulatory requirements.
• Acts as liaison between physician, clinical team and regulatory analyst for the completion and submission of expanded access/compassionate use documents.
• Precepts or mentors nursing staff and nursing students.
• Demonstrates awareness of community and hospital resources and assists staff, patients, and families to effectively utilize them.
• Works with outreach team to identify and create opportunities for patients to share their experience in the community and build awareness, ultimately leading to potential new patients.
• Supports patient events internally and externally.
• May travel to main campus and satellites to provide care to patients that are new to the system and/or require follow-up care.
• Rounds with collaborating physician(s) at main campus, the hospital, and satellite locations.
• Collaborates with physicians, staff, and leaders in the care of outpatients.
• Assists collaborating physician(s) with coordination of care to those patients that are hospitalized.
• Supports appropriate coordination of care when preparing patients for discharge.
• Consults with collaborating physicians on the initial consults and follow-up care of hospitalized patients.
• Communicates with Patient Experience Team, Sylvester Inpatient Service Leaders, and UTOWER staff on Sylvester Friends and Family patients being admitted.
• Leads by example to provide service excellence by communicating in a cooperative, positive, and professional manner.
• Displays courtesy toward customers by introducing self and addressing customer by name.
• Meets customers’ expectations by listening, seeking solutions to potential and actual problems, and demonstrating sensitivity and awareness of others.
• Follows through to ensure that established expectations are satisfied; keeps customers informed of progress.
• Works effectively and cooperatively in groups/teams to ensure quality patient care.
• Reports any patient complaints or issues with care to direct report and/or the Oncology Service Line leader.
• Assumes responsibility for self-improvement by attendance at in-services and/or other related continuing education opportunities, classes, staff meetings, and education related to personal growth and departmental needs.
• Obtains appropriate continuing education credits needed to maintain professional licenses and certification and institutional accreditations.
• Participates in appropriate professional organizations.
• Maintains and completes Personnel Development Record as per policy.
• Maintains oncology certification, chemotherapy competency, and APRN/RN license.
• Demonstrates dependability/reliability by promptly reporting to work when scheduled.
• Assists other team members as appropriate.

Requirements

• Florida APRN license.
• Graduate of master’s in science of nursing or higher curriculum.
• Board certification as APRN from nationally accredited organization such as American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
• Current Certification in BLS and ACLS.
• CITI certification within one month of employment.
• ONS Chemotherapy and Biotherapy certification on hire or during orientation.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant advanced practice nursing experience (preferred).
• Preferred 2 years of experience in treating hematology/oncology patients.
• AOCNP certification within one year of employment.
• Participates in 360 peer review process.
• Submits annual protocols to practice site.
• Maintains national certification and organizational credentials.
• Able to author or contribute to an article.

Skills

• Ability to exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.
• Skill in completing assignments accurately and with attention to detail.
• Ability to analyze, organize and prioritize work under pressure while meeting deadlines.
• Ability to work independently and/or in a collaborative environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental.
• Tuition remission.