Physician Assistant - General Surgery

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.

About the role

The Advanced Practice Professional (APP) has coordination and clinical skills required for the comprehensive management of surgery patients, including biological, social, and psychological assessments. The APP coordinates involvement of medical specialty teams necessary to develop a comprehensive plan for the patient, reviews the plan of care with the clinical team, participates in directing that care, performs diagnostic/therapeutic procedures, and coordinates discharge planning. The APP also participates in the education of residents and medical/nursing students.

Responsibilities

• Manages comprehensive and individualized care for surgical patients and their families in the inpatient phase of hospitalization and immediate post-discharge in the ambulatory setting.
• Completes daily rounds; consults and/or pre-procedure/evaluations.
• Completes integrated assessments and orders additional tests or consults as deemed appropriate, following established clinical guidelines and scope of practice.
• Performs and communicates results of diagnostic tests.
• Consults and communicates with clinic and hospital staff regarding abnormal findings in patient evaluations.
• Performs succinct, comprehensive clinical evaluations and documents findings in the medical record.
• Facilitates patient discharge by coordinating appropriate services and tests prior to discharge for outpatient follow-up.
• Develops a comprehensive individualized plan of care for surgical patients, including teaching, discharge planning, and necessary referrals.
• Demonstrates expertise in caring for patients across the age continuum.
• Identifies unstable or complex surgical patient care situations and facilitates appropriate intervention.
• Recognizes emergency situations and initiates effective emergency care.
• Evaluates surgical patients and serves as a coordinator for follow-up procedures and tests in the ambulatory setting.
• Assists in the collection of outcome measures.
• Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making.
• Utilizes equipment in a safe manner and bases decisions on relevant scientific principles, established standards of care, and/or research findings.
• Provides education to nursing staff, hospital staff, students, patients, families, and the community using appropriate teaching strategies.
• Updates own knowledge base and completes all identified clinical competencies.
• Serves as a resource person for staff caring for surgical patients and provides educational programs in area of expertise.
• Documents the plan of care, interventions, and evaluations clearly and concisely in the patient’s medical record.
• Collaborates with other leaders and staff to achieve patient outcome-based improvements in care.
• Provides leadership in developing and implementing changes in surgical 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 and promotes innovation in the delivery of care to surgical patients and families.
• Participates and provides leadership for committees and task forces.
• Documents hours and submits billing reports, as appropriate.
• Reviews and interprets surgical data from sources such as patient registries, clinical and financial reports, and recommends/implements changes as necessary.
• Participates in clinical trials and research studies with the Principal Investigator.
• Assists surgery faculty, administrators, and directors in the collection of outcome measures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree as Physician Assistant or Master’s Degree as Physician Assistant required.
• Graduate of an ARC-PA approved Physician Assistant (PA) training program required.
• Certification by the National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants required.
• Must be licensed or eligible for licensure by the WV Board of Medicine or WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
• American Heart Association BLS Certification required.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) at the discretion of the department.
• Eligible new graduates will be considered.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s level degree as Physician Assistant preferred.
• Experience in Surgery, Acute Care, or Internal Medicine preferred.

Physical Requirements

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

Working Environment

• Working closely with others.
• Protracted or irregular hours.
• Working around biohazards and infectious diseases.
• Working with or near the deceased.
• Working with hands in water.
• Exposure to electrical hazards associated with patient care equipment.

Skills

• Proficiency with computers.
• Strong communication skills.

Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40