NP or PA - Vascular Surgery

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) operates at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care. It is a community where expertise is valued, knowledge is expanded, and abilities are challenged. Vanderbilt Health fosters an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive, celebrating uniqueness and encouraging employees to take pride in their work as part of something bigger than themselves. VUMC’s mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

About the Role

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) is a key member of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, collaborating closely with physicians and other care providers to manage a distinct patient population in the inpatient acute care setting. This role focuses on providing specialized care for hospitalized patients, supporting the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based medical services. The APP adheres to established clinical pathways and protocols to ensure safe and effective patient care, demonstrating advanced medical knowledge, clinical competence, sound judgment, and professional communication skills. The role also involves timely and compliant documentation, as well as active participation in professional development and competency validation.

Schedule

• 10-hour shifts from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM (average of 4 shifts per week, with flexibility, e.g., 3 shifts one week and 5 the next).
• Weekend and holiday coverage on a rotating basis (typically every third to fourth weekend).

Department Description

The Department of Vascular Surgery provides comprehensive care to approximately 6,000 patients annually, treating conditions such as peripheral arterial disease, carotid disease, visceral and renovascular disorders, and aneurysm disease of the thorax, abdomen, and extremities. Minimally invasive techniques are routinely applied for peripheral interventions and aneurysm management. As part of the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute, care is provided in a single location for patients with cardiovascular disease. This role does not involve operating room (OR) work and is specifically for an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) with AGACNP or ACNP certifications.

Responsibilities

• Obtain and document health histories, perform and document complete, system-focused, or symptom-specific physical examinations, and develop plans of care.
• Provide healthcare services for primary, acute, and complex care of patients, managing overall care and identifying expected outcomes for diagnoses in collaboration with the healthcare team.
• Order, perform, interpret, and collect data using appropriate assessment techniques, diagnostic information, and procedures.
• Formulate differential diagnoses and treat acute and chronic conditions.
• Prescribe therapeutic interventions, including pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and surgical options, to achieve expected outcomes.
• Utilize evidence-based, approved practice protocols in planning and implementing care.
• Initiate appropriate referrals and consultations, and provide specialty-specific consultation services upon request within the scope of practice.
• Facilitate patient transitions between and within healthcare settings, including admitting, transferring, and discharging patients.

Technical Capabilities

• Health Systems and Policy Management (Advanced): Demonstrates commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and participation in professional organizations.
• Patient and Family-Centered Care (Advanced): Provides compassionate, appropriate, and effective care for health promotion, illness prevention, and disease treatment. Manages both previously diagnosed and undiagnosed patients, employing health assessment skills to differentiate normal, variations of normal, and abnormal findings. Uses screening and diagnostic strategies to develop diagnoses and prescribes medications within scope of practice.
• Clinical Knowledge and Practice (Advanced): Applies established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and social sciences to patient care and education. Demonstrates knowledge of population-specific and global health issues, maintaining current evidence-based knowledge through continuous learning.
• Practice-Based Scholarly Inquiry and Integration (Advanced): Uses scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care practices. Proactively implements interventions to improve quality and integrates knowledge from humanities and sciences within nursing science.
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills (Advanced): Establishes and maintains professional relationships with patients, families, and healthcare teams. Communicates practice knowledge effectively both orally and in writing.
• Professionalism (Advanced): Demonstrates behaviors reflecting commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and participation in medical center committees and professional organizations.

Core Accountabilities

• Organizational Impact: Executes job responsibilities with an understanding of how output impacts other areas related to the job or team.
• Problem Solving/Complexity of Work: Analyzes moderately complex problems using technical experience and judgment.
• Breadth of Knowledge: Possesses expanded knowledge gained through experience within a professional area.
• Team Interaction: Provides informal guidance and support to team members.
• Supporting Colleagues:
  • Develops self and others through investment in professional growth.
  • Builds and maintains relationships with key colleagues and stakeholders.
  • Adapts communication style to suit different situations and audiences.
• Delivering Excellent Services:
  • Provides compassionate care tailored to current and future needs of stakeholders.
  • Solves complex problems by approaching them from different angles.
  • Offers ongoing support and coaching to increase employee effectiveness.
• Ensuring High Quality:
  • Engages in dialogue about quality and addresses issues promptly.
  • Applies learning experiences to uncover root causes of problems and improve processes.
  • Understands and fulfills safety and regulatory requirements.
• Managing Resources Effectively:
  • Demonstrates accountability and ownership of critical issues.
  • Manages resources effectively based on departmental understanding.
  • Makes data-driven decisions to identify and elevate opportunities.
• Fostering Innovation:
  • Proactively identifies new ideas and opportunities to improve processes.
  • Demonstrates enthusiasm for learning new technologies and tools.
  • Views challenges as opportunities for improvement and embraces change.

Requirements

• Certifications: Licensed Nurse Practitioner (Tennessee), Physician’s Assistant Certified (Tennessee), or Registered Nurse (Tennessee).
• Relevant work experience: Less than 1 year.
• Education: Master’s degree.
• Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) certification with AGACNP or ACNP credentials required.

Benefits

• Affordable, high-quality health plan options.
• Dental and/or vision plans.
• 403(b) retirement plan.
• Paid Time Off (flex PTO).
• Tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance (with maximums applied).
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Subsidized backup childcare.
• Inpatient nursing supplemental pay program.