Nurse Practitioner - Heart Acquisition - Full Time 8 Hour Days (Exempt) (Union)

About the Role

The Nurse Practitioner (NP) provides advanced clinical care for patients across the heart transplant and mechanical circulatory support (MCS/VAD) continuum, including pre-transplant evaluation, waitlist management, post-transplant follow-up, and durable VAD therapy. The NP works in collaboration with the multidisciplinary transplant and MCS teams to deliver safe, high-quality patient care in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

The NP contributes to excellence in patient care, research, teaching, consulting, and provides leadership to the organization and advance practice profession. Duties include performing comprehensive clinical assessments, participating in selection committee activities, supporting cross-coverage across transplant and MCS services, contributing to staff and patient education, and maintaining accurate documentation and data to support regulatory and reporting requirements (CMS, TJC, INTERMACS, UNOS/UNet). The NP participates in quality improvement initiatives, supports operational needs of the program, and may be required to provide on-call coverage as needed.

Responsibilities

• 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 using critical and strategic thinking, analytical, and planning skills while demonstrating effective organizational and time management skills.
• Identifies patient’s educational needs and provides health-related information to enhance understanding of medical conditions and treatments.
• Instructs and counsels patients and families regarding care, medical problems, psychological problems, and use of prescribed devices, treatments, and drugs.
• Directly performs or orders appropriate diagnostic studies and interprets results.
• Develops and implements long and short-range treatment plans.
• Performs procedures and obtains informed consent.
• Writes orders to initiate, increase, decrease, or change medication.
• Initiates consultations as identified.
• Identifies, records, and updates pertinent patient progress, changing orders when appropriate, and notifying the responsible provider of changes in patient condition.
• Acts as liaison with governmental agencies such as the Center for Disease Control and National Institute of Health when indicated.
• Assists with medical research projects, follows medical research protocols, and obtains Investigational Review Board approval for treatment protocols.
• Researches community resources for patient referrals and refers patients to the most appropriate resource based on medical needs.
• Maintains compliance with established policies and procedures, quality assurance, safety, environmental, and infection control standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Participates in in-service education programs and professional associations.
• Facilitates safe and efficient operational flow of patients through their continuum of care.
• Functions as part of inter-professional teams by communicating, planning, and implementing care directly with other healthcare professionals, including physicians, pharmacists, office support staff, and other advance practice providers (APPs).

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited school of Nursing (MSN).
• 5 years of clinical nursing experience.
• Certifications and experience as required per specialty area.
• Excellent communication skills, including proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English.
• Knowledge of medical procedures and conditions, with the ability to understand, follow, and perform duties successfully.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (RN) license from the CA Board of Registered Nursing.
• Nurse Practitioner (NP) license from the CA Board of Registered Nursing.
• Nurse Practitioner Furnisher license from the CA DCA for medications in the State of California.
• DEA Certificate issued by the U.S. Department of Justice for Schedule II-V controlled substances.
• NP Board Certification from an accredited body (ABSNC or NCCA). (*Exempt if hired/transferred prior to 12/2011.)
• If working in a Hospital/Acute Care Setting, certification from ANCC or AACN as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) or Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) upon hire. (*Grandfathered if hired/transferred prior to 12/2015.)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from the American Heart Association.
• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification from the American Heart Association (required for NPs in Hospital/Acute Care Setting and Ambulatory Infusion Centers).
• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) – must be obtained within 30 days of hire if not already certified (required within LA City only).

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years of experience as an NP in the specialty area.

Pay

The hourly rate range for this position is $167,960.00 – $274,726.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.