Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner - Cardiothoracic Surgery

Help make extraordinary possible.

The physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP) is a licensed provider who has acquired a broad range of knowledge and skills through the successful completion of a graduate level physician assistant or nurse practitioner program. The PA/NP is responsible for the assessment and management of various populations of surgical patients, including diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, development of appropriate plans of care and ongoing evaluation. The PA/NP will perform in accordance with all state and federal regulations and institutional policies including but not limited to the UCHealth Scope of Practice, prescriptive Guidelines, approved clinical privileges, and UCHealth policy.

PREFERRED: 3-5 years of Cardiothoracic surgical experience
REQUIRED: OR experience with endoscopic vein harvesting with the Maquet-Getinge system and first assisting.

The pay range for this position is $125,000-$150,000 starting. Pay is dependent on the applicant's relevant experience.

Work and Call Schedule
• Monday through Friday with rotating OR coverage
• Rounding and evaluation of CVICU, floor and clinic patients; divided amongst the PA/NP’s
• 2 full day clinics with patients seen on the other days as needed
• 1:4-5 weekday call; 1:4-5 weekend call
• The in house NP manages in house call from 8:30pm-6:30am.
• Collegial working environment with the Intensivist in the CVICU

Skills
• Skills and integrity to work in a high stress, dynamic, busy clinical setting with changing organizational climate
• Self-directed and able to demonstrate initiative in addressing the responsibilities of the position
• Ability to utilize appropriate problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
• Energetic and quality driven with a proven ability to be a productive member of a team dedicated to providing excellent patient care
• Proficient with EMR (EPIC) as needed to independently perform daily tasks
• Maintain the highest degree of professional judgment under the supervision and guidance of a licensed physician
• Flexible, willing to be a team player, collaborative, a positive cultural fit.

Responsibilities
• Provides direct care, counseling, history and physical examinations, and teaching to the adult cardiac surgical patient population in the ambulatory, inpatient, operative, and procedural setting
• Orders, interprets, and evaluates appropriate laboratory and diagnostic tests
• Develops appropriate plans of care and follow-up based on the outcomes of diagnostic, laboratory, and physical examination findings
• Orders medications and writes prescriptions according to organizational and regulatory policies and procedures
• Consistently provides high quality and timely documentation
• Performs bedside procedures as are appropriate to the patient population
• PA/NP will first assist in the operating room and perform endovascular vein harvesting
• Discusses patient data with other physicians and professionals as appropriate in a multidisciplinary setting
• Demonstrates expert clinical judgment skills to function in an independent role
• Completes continuing medical education as per state regulations and national registry requirements to maintain and enhance skills and clinical competence
• Additional duties and responsibilities as required by the department/division

Requirements for Physician Assistants
• Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Studies
• Unrestricted license to practice as a Physician Assistant in the State of Colorado.
• Physician Assistant Certification (PA-C) issued by the National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) is required for hire and must be maintained throughout employment
• Unrestricted Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit to prescribe all medications commonly prescribed in the course of practice.
• Eligible to provide services reimbursable services and maintain provider status with Medicare and Medicaid.
• Eligible to provide services with no sanctions or exclusion from either the Health and Human Services/Office of Inspectors General (HHS/OIG) or the General Services Administration’s (GSA) List of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs.
• Unrestricted medical staff membership, with appropriate practice privileges.
• Prescriptive authority as appropriate, per medical staff service privileging process.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certifications issued by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross

Requirements for Nurse Practitioners
• Master's degree in Nursing and graduate of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program
• Nurse Practitioner Certification issued by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), or Nurse Practitioner Certification issued by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) is required for hire and must be maintained throughout employment.
• Unrestricted Nurse Practitioner license issued by the State Board of Nursing in the state of practice or compact privileges under the multi-state Nurse Licensure Compact agreement
• Unrestricted medical staff membership, with appropriate practice privileges
• Fill prescriptive authority
• Unrestricted Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) permit to prescribe all medications commonly prescribed in the course of practice.
• Eligible to provide services reimbursable services and maintain provider status with Medicare and Medicaid.
• Eligible to provide services with no sanctions or exclusion from either the Health and Human Services/Office of Inspectors General (HHS/OIG) or the General Services Administration’s (GSA) List of Parties Excluded from Federal Programs.
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Certifications issued by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross

Going beyond quality requires the perfect balance of talent, integrity, drive and intellectual curiosity. We are looking for individuals who recognize, like us, that the world of medicine is ever-changing and are motivated to do what is right, not what is easy. We support creativity and curiosity so that each of us can find the extraordinary qualities within ourselves. At UCHealth, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure you grow and have a meaningful career. There’s no limits to your potential here.

Exceptional Benefits
We expect you to live a balanced life and enjoy the Colorado lifestyle. Our competitive compensation package includes:
• A 403(b) matching account, and a 457(b) deferred compensation savings plan
• Offerings include medical, vision, dental, life insurance, disability coverage
• Competitive time off plan and wellness benefits
• Generous continuing medical education (CME) allowance for full and part-time positions. $3,500 and 5 days prorated based on start date.

Loan Repayment:
UCHealth is a qualifying employer for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program!
UCHealth provides employees with free assistance navigating the PSLF program to submit their federal student loans for forgiveness through Savi.

Location
UCHealth Memorial Central is a 413-bed facility equipped with the latest diagnostic technology and a team devoted to providing a broad range of primary and specialty service lines. Memorial has a dedicated heart program and has received certifications as a chest pain center, heart care center and for TAVR. Memorial is also a certified stroke center. Memorial is also a Level I Trauma Center.