Lead Physician Assistant

Description

Summary:

Collaborates with the surgeons and administrative staff to provide APP oversight of surgical operations and strategic planning, student rotations, service specific onboarding and retention initiatives of new APPs, and career development of existing APPs across clinical best practices, education, leadership, and professional development.

FUNCTIONS/EXPECTATIONS:

Practice Operations and Strategic Planning

· Serves as a liaison between the APP providers, surgeons, and administrative team.

· Participates in APP Steering Committee and Council Meetings, and respective CCH Specialty/Surgical Meetings on a regular basis.

· Holds regular APP meetings and meets regularly with the surgeons, respective Department Director, and APP Director (1:1) to review APP provider performance and professional development and address any concerns.

· Monitors and interprets applicable data to report the operational performance of the site, in conjunction with the surgeons, respective Department Director, and APP Director.

· Assists surgeons in resolving problems and makes recommendations relative to APP issues.

· Ensures that all APP providers maintain behaviors consistent with the CCH Code of Conduct, Penn Medicine Experience Standards, and Values.

· Aligns APPs with HRO and iCARE expectations.

· Contributes to and implements clinical process improvements to improve quality and outcomes, customer experience, patient safety, and/or financial performance relative to APP performance.

· Completes annual evaluations, Corrective Action Plans, Performance Improvement Plans, collaborating with HR Business Partner, and navigate eStar.

· Collaborates with the Director Advanced Practice on the following:

· Compliance with Medical Staff bylaws, rules, and regulations

· APP goal alignment with appropriate divisions/departments and with organizational initiatives including quality, safety, patient experience, financial sustainability

· Compliance with regulatory (federal and state), licensing, and accrediting standards in conjunction with the Medical Staff Office and Regulatory Affairs

· APP scope of practice determinations, credentialing, and privileging

· Orienting APPs to the Medical Staff

Student Rotations

· Coordinates with APP Director and Clinical Informatics team to schedule and oversee APP student rotations and develop practice specific improvements for student rotations.

· Collect feedback from student and preceptor on student rotations and coordinate connection with recruitment team if appropriate.

Onboarding and Retention:

· Oversee the onboarding of any new APP to the practice, coordinating training schedules and educational activities.

· Collects peer feedback on onboarding APP and reviews with new hire during periodic 1:1s.

· Be available for real-time support and procedural oversight.

· Participates in recruitment, selection, onboarding and retention of APPs. Duties include ensuring proper orientation, education, credentialing and CME’s for APPs.

Career Development of Existing APPs:

· Completes the APP annual performance reviews for the Advance Practice Providers (APPs) to Magnet Standards.

· Creates Professional Development plans with each APP in the practice that aligns across clinical best practices, education, leadership, and professional development (inclusive of research).

Service specific duties

· Maintains aseptic techniques and actively monitors situations that could lead to breaks in aseptic technique.

· Arrives to surgical suite at least 10 minutes before scheduled start of first case.

· Ensures safety checklist, core measure compliance and time-out and universal protocol procedures are followed.

· Position patients according to type of surgery and skin prep as needed.

· Provides care consistent with approved Delineation of Privileges which includes but is not limited to the following:

· Evaluate, diagnose, and provide pre-, intra- and postoperative care, treatment, and services consistent with surgical practice, including the performance of physical exams, diagnosing conditions, the development of treatment plans, health counseling, [prescribing medications], and assisting in surgery for patients within the age group seen by the collaborating/supervising physician. Physician assistants may not admit patients to the hospital. May provide care to patients in the intensive care setting in conformance with unit policies.

· Assist in surgery to include, but not limited to, first assist, deep and simplified tissue closures, application of appliances, and any other action delegated by the surgeon.

· Counsel and instruct patients and significant others as appropriate Yes.

· Perform wound debridement, suturing, and general care for superficial wounds and minor superficial surgical procedures.

· Transports and monitors patient from operating room to recovery room or critical care unit.

· Direct care as specified by medical staff approved protocols.

· Initiate referral to appropriate physician or other healthcare professional of problems that exceed the PA's scope of practice.

· Insert and remove nasogastric tubes.

· Make daily rounds on hospitalized patients with or at the direction of the supervising physician.

· Make preoperative and postoperative teaching visits with patients.

· Monitor and manage stable acute and chronic illnesses of population served.

· Obtain and record medical/social history and perform physical examinations including rectal and pelvic examinations as indicated.

· Order diagnostic testing and therapeutic modalities such as laboratory tests, medications, treatments, X-ray, EKG, IV fluids and electrolytes, etc.

· Participate in volume replacement or autotransfusion techniques as appropriate.

· Perform field infiltrations of anesthetic solutions.

· Perform incision and drainage of superficial abscesses.

· Perform urinary bladder catheterization (short-term and indwelling) (e.g., Robinson, coude, Foley)

· Perform venous punctures for blood sampling, cultures, and IV catheterization.

· Record progress notes

· Select and apply appropriate wound dressings, including liquid or spray occlusive materials, absorbent material affixed with tape or circumferential wrapping, immobilizing dressing (soft or rigid), or medicated dressings.

· Write discharge summaries.

· Prescriptive Authority as Delegated by a Physician in a written Agreement in Accordance with State and Federal Law

· Participate in PreProcedure Testing as needed to meet the demands of the service.

· Cover all assigned evening and weekend call. Maintain a 30-minute on-site response time for on-call coverage.

· Complete all licensing, credentialing, life safety, child abuse clearance, and assigned Knowledge Link learning by required completion dates.

· Resignations to be provided a minimum of 90-days’ notice.

REQUIREMENTS

· Graduate AMA and ARC-PA approved Physician Assistant or Surgeons Program.

· Active certification by National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA)

· Pennsylvania State Board of Medical Education and Licensure.

· Minimum of 3 years’ experience as a surgical Physician Assistant.

· BLS certification required.

· Active DEA licensure.

· Leadership experience preferred.

We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, citizenship status, military status, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable law.