Nurse Practitioner, (Cardiothoracic ICU) - Critical Care

About the role

The Nurse Practitioner is a member of the intensive care team and has as his/her primary responsibility the management of critically ill complex patients in a cardiothoracic ICU setting.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates the ability to manage high acuity patients requiring specialized monitoring and care.
• Develops Plans of Care with individualized interventions and completes patient care procedures correctly.
• Conducts in-depth interviews with patients and/or family, constructs comprehensive medical histories, performs initial and periodic physical examinations and explores patient’s interpretation of health needs. Identifies and treats patients’ diseases. Manages treatment of hospitalized patients.
• Directly performs or orders appropriate diagnostic studies and interprets finished results including lab studies, professional consults and approved diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
• Develops and implements long and short range treatment plans. Formulates and implements treatment plans for acute illness management in collaboration with the designated primary supervising physician and/or attending back-up physicians.
• Performs procedures such as obtaining specimens, performing injections, immunizations, lumbar punctures, skin biopsies, suturing, wound care and management of conditions produced by trauma or infection.
• Writes orders to increase, decrease or change medication, subject to checking and counter-signing by physician.
• Prescribes appropriate interventions and medications and provides direct patient care services in the ICU setting, according to established protocols and utilizes evidence-based clinical practice standards.
• Identifies records pertinent progress of patients, updating and summarizing charts, changing orders when appropriate and notifying the responsible physician of changes in the patient’s condition.
• Instructs and counsels patients and families regarding preventive care, medical problems, psychological problems, and use of prescribed treatments and drugs.
• Maintains compliance with established University and department policies and procedures, quality assurance, safety, environmental, infection control and complies with requirements of accreditation and regulatory agencies.
• Participates in in-service education programs and professional associations. Provides leadership to the organization and nursing profession.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Master's degree Graduate from an accredited school of Nursing (MSN).
• 5 years clinical nursing experience.
• 2 years minimum Cardiothoracic ICU experience as a NP or RN required.
• Experience in the following devices required: Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), Ventricular Assist Device (VAD), IMPELLA, Intra-aortic Balloon Pump (IABP)
• Must be able to intubate patients (or willing to perform this function once trained)
• Must be able manage critical situations and codes.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse - RN (CA Board of Registered Nursing)
• Nurse Practitioner - NP (CA Board of Registered Nursing)
• Nurse Practitioner Furnisher (CA DCA) Current license to furnish medications in the State of California.
• NP Board Certified Possession of National Board Certification in Nurse Practitioner area of specialty accredited by Accreditation Board of Specialty Nursing (ABSNC) or National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date.